WAUPACA COUNTY POST

January 6, 1921

CITY TO PAY FREIGHT ON OLD CANNON

COMMON COUNCIL VOTES SIX TO TWO TO ASSUME OBLIGATION

MAYOR NELSON MAY VETO MEASURE

At the regular meeting of the Common Council Tuesday evening the usual pay rolls and bills were read and ordered to be paid.

The time for payment of taxes in city of Waupaca was extended to March 1.

A resolution was passed authorizing the payment of $300 to the library board out of the library fund and another to authorize the payment of $200 to the fire department, out of the proper fund.

The resolution which started the fireworks was introduced by Alderman C.J. Knight, appropriating $117.33 out of the general fund to pay the freight on a cannon received last summer as a loan by the federal government. The measure passed by a vote of six to two as follows: Ayes, Knight, Rudersdorf, Whale, Olson, Gmeiner and Davidson, 6. Noes, Arters, Rasmussen, 2.

There has been some dispute as to just how this old coast defense gun, (so out of commission that orders were received not to attempt to discharge it) ever came to be foisted upon the city of Waupaca, which already had a similar old war relic standing in a conspicuous place in Court House Park.

With the public burdened by war taxes and tired of any reminder of the waste of the past four years, no one can defend the action by which a second cannon was foisted upon this city. This sentiment will grow as the public feels the effect of federal tax burdens for this year, 1921, distributed as follows: Of every $100 to be paid out of U.S. treasury in 1921, 68 goes for payment of debts incurred by this nation during the recent world war; $20.25 goes for army and navy appropriation or for preparation of the next war in which United States is to participate; $11.75 is the amount to go for all peace time purposes, for salaries of all U.S. officials (except postal employees) for all purposes for promoting health, education, agriculture, etc. In other words over 88 per cent of 1921 expenditures by our government will be for war and the results of war – for agencies of destruction and waste, and less than 12 percent for constructive agencies, for the betterment of the people of the country which entered the world war to make the world safe for democracy.

In view of the fact that the policy of our present congress and the present administration seems to be to exchange characteristics with Germany as a result of the recent world conflict, it is not surprising that several communities in Wisconsin have declined an offer of a war relic and that at least one other city refused to receive a coast defense gun on condition that payment of the freight would be guaranteed by the city. There appears to be a very good grounds for the action threatened by Mayor Nelson that he will veto the resolution and it will then be up to the Council to determine what is to be done with a matter that has been hanging around all summer.