The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-03-21
County Government.

is published at Portage City by ,. S.BRANNAN.
County Government.
The bill to change our present system Of
c ounty Government to the commissioner sys
tenn, or its equivalent, has passed the Senate,
and has received a favorable report from the
majority of the committee on town and county
organization in the Assembly. Col Frank of
this city, from the minority of the Committee,
made a report as follows:
The minority of the Committee on town and
County Organization, to whom was referred
bill
No. 80, S.,
Entitled "a bill for an act to amend chapter
10 of the Revised Statutes, entitled 'Of counties
and county officers.
Report as follows: The minority of the
committe deem this bill of too much importance
to the people of the State to allow it to be re-
ported TO the Assembly, without stating, brief
ly as possible, some of the more prominent
reasons why it ought not not to pass.
This bill proposes a radical change in our
laws, and unsettles much of the legislation Of
the State since the adoption of the Constitu-
ton. This bill, moreover. proposes to evade
the evident intent of the Constitution, by pro-
viding system of county government, never
complated by that instrument
Section % of article of the Constitution
declares as follows: "The Legislature may
confer on the Boards of Supervisors of the sew
eral counties of the State such powers If local,
| Legislative, and administrative character as
they shall from time to time prescribe.
| To suppose the trainers of the Constitution
intended to confer the power flocal lsgisla-
ton upon three or more commissioners in
county-evasively by this bill called Supsrv-
sors-is simply absurd. The term supervisor
has acquired legal Specification in all States,
where such person, is known as town or
county officer.
The trainers of the bill, now before this lsgis-
laturs, were obliged to resort to evasion and
misnomer by substituting the name of Super
visors for the name Commissioner-thu at
tempting to shun the obvious intent of the
| Constitution. Il is a noticeable fact, that all
the petitions, which have been offered in the
Legislature, pray for the creation of County
Commissioners" The Office of Comm; ssener r,
being unknown to the Constitution, this bill
proposes, indirectly, TO create such officer by
labelling him Supervisor.
The county commissioner system has no
merit in its past history this system prevailed
during several years, under our territorial
form of government, and many of the early cit.
izens of Wisconsin can bear witness to its
mischevous workings; in many counties the
abuses growing out of it were continual causes
of dissatisfaction among the people Upon the
adoption Of our present form of state govern
l ment, the people obtained, as they then believ
ed, happy riddanco of the Commissioner
system, and did not anticipate the possibility
Of return to this cast off county rule.
} This bill ought not to pass, because it ia re-
, Progressive and incompatible with the progress
of government; the enlightened tendency OF
f., =, Al \
tstive power, amoag the people this bill con
tracts the representative privileges of the PEG
pie, and concentrates power in a few. Every
l organized town is a distinct corporation, anc
sustaining similar relations to q county which
! a county oustans to the State. The system o
county supervisors, gives each town its loca
representative, so that the local rights of eact
town may receive proper attention. The Com
missioner system secures no such advantage,
to the people.
AS has already been stated. the constitution
of the State contemplates the investing G.
boards of supervisors with power of local leg
islation 1: is intended if the commissioner sys
tenn is adopted, to confer on commissioners til,
power of legislation, TO the extent which tn,
3 constitution contemplates, shall be conferreG
: Oh boards of supervisors The reasoning tina
, small bodies are as safe repositories of powe
as large ones, is fallacieus, and entirely at va
rience with the theory of our government in
deed if this theory be correct, then the popula
doctrine OF representative government is
mere sham. Furthermore, if few men cal
transact business as safely and satisfactory,
for the people of 6 county, as a'larger number
thun there can be no good reason assigned
why the theory of small Legislative bodies
should not be adopted by the State. The sam,
degree of intelligence AMI business talant ispre
sumed to reside in the counties as in the state 70
the State Is made up by counties. Proceeding
then. on this principle, this Legislature, insteac
of fixing the basis of representation in the As
sembly at one hundred, should reduce il tC
twenty, and the Senate should be proportion
ately diminished. lfit be urged that larg,
legislaturei is demanded, to secure the rights O
all the counties in the State, then it holds also
good, that system of county governments
J which reprc sents the local demands of each
: tewn, is equally desirable.
But the chief reason for a change in our sys
tam OF county government, is, that it will save
expense; indeed, this about the only reason sci
forth in the petitions asking for tie change anC
by those who urge this measure of legislation
1t is therefore proposed to deprive three-fourths
Of the towns in the State of ali immediate To-
cal representation i'll county legislation, in or
der to secure a small saving of meney. The
idea that cheap governments the best, is an
abSurdity. Wisconsin might SO eontriye 9
government, that the bare expense of running
its machinery, would cost but Il trihe. But
while saving of money for the mere business
of governing, might be secured, the rights Of
persons and property would be periIled and all
the advantages Of true representative gov.
ernnent, entirely defeated. Cheap govern.
ments, like cheap Schools may gratifya pro
penslty OF supposed money saving, but have nc
merit on the score of enlightened economy. II
1t be better economy for Il county to entrust the
management of its affairs to three or tour men
than to fifteen or twenty, then by parity of
reasoning, small legislative body would be
money saving to the State. A State Board q
Commissioners, composed of some halt dozen
men, could, no doubt do the law-making for the
people, at a far less expense than is now incur
req by our present large legislative body.
1t IS great error to suppose that the primary
object OF government-State, County or town
is simply to save money. 1t is miserly poll
cy that seeks to put money into the scale against
popular rights. An enlightened people do net
maintain government for the purpose of
making 1t continuance to get and save gain.
ct the petitioners, and those who ask for n
change of our supervisor system of county GOV
eminent, base their requests almost exclusively
on the assumption that co lnty commission ar
system will cost the people less money than
the present system The minority of vour
Committee, relying upon the intelligence Of the
Legislature, believe that no such ratrograde
movement IN our legislation will be sanction
ed as the passage Of the bill herein referred 10.
ana now before the Assembly contemplates.
From the minority of the Committee.
NJ. FRANK.
rs Southern papers begin to dis,rust the