Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-01-21

the charitable institutions Of the state. Fo
this condition of things there seems to b.
neither justification nor excuse. The contin
uance OF an enlightened policy toward th
prisoners. looking to the protection of socjet,
rather than to a malicious punishment of tn,
guilty, will not tend to retard that reform il
THIS direction which is now SO lmperativel
demanded '." ' :
At TEMPERANCE LAW
Our government was wisely instituted fol
the protection of society, and is not an appro
pirate instrumentali.y for the dissemination
or religious doctrine or for the definition anC
enforcement of private morality. Our state
constitution clearly recognizes personal lib
erty as among the inherent rights of man, anC
the obligations imposed upon us in this re.
gard characterize all free government
wherever instituted. The precise line of di.
vision between the freedom Of the individual
and the rights of socil ty may sometimes be
difficult Of dc tinition. But the general e.
strlctlons upon the exercise Of legislative
power in this direction. are not the less posi-
tive and obligatory. The natural inclination
OF all classes OF people is to invoke the power
OF the government as remedy for all evils,
real or imaginary, and the greatest danger
lies in the direction of too liberal concessions
to these demands. There is, in fact, no ag-
gregatlon OF popular evils more to be appre-
hended than government loaded with a
superabundance of arbitrary powers, and bur-
dened with the self-imposed responsibility of
| rlght1ng all the wrongs of which society com
plains. lnordlnate expenditure and taxation,
popular discomfort and disrespect of all the
obligations of law, are the natural and direct
fruits OF these arbitrary interferences with
the social habits, private enterprises er relig-
lous beliefs of the people
Some OF the provisions OF the existing tenn
n pn a 1u Hicty
views, and are believed to be inefficient for
the accomplishment of the laudable purposes
contemplated. Think as we may and say what
we will upon the abstract question Of temper
ance legislation, there is little doubt that a
majority of the people of the State are opposed
to the present form of the so-called 6 Graham
Law" 1, therefore, recommend such modi-
ficaton of existing Legislation on this subject
as shall dispense with these obnoxious pro-
visions, without in any degree impairng the
appropriate power of the State to regulate
and res rain the traffic in Intoxicating liquors,
or to punish offenses against society original
ing in this cause.
| BANKS AND BANKING.
Some legislation is desirable for the better
protection for deposits in banks, both corpo-
rate and private. The general banking law
of this state was framed mainly with refer
| ence to securing notes Of circulation which
have been taxed out of existence by federal
| legislation. While these moneyed institutions
are now organized for an entirely different
purpose, the statutes relating to them have
undergone no thorough revision. The depos-
| itor in state bank has no adequate security
against loss his faith IN the integrity and ca
pacity of its officers is really his only guaran-
tee. 80.
The capital stock o such a CORPORATION NAV
be swallowed up in reckless speculation. it's
funds may be stolen and squandered by those
who are placed to guard them, and its credit
ors have no sure means Of learning It's true
condition until it has failed and its books are
| In the hands OF an assignee. The regular re-
ports of interested officials Is not sufficient
guarantee of the soundness Of a banking in
stitution, nor is fictitious stock a Or oper
foundation for public credit The people
| should be protected from all such rresponsi-
Bile institutions by the positive and whole
some restraints of statutory eractments.
| [ would therefore recommend that the Gen
eral Banking laws be so amended as to in
crease the liability of stock holders !; and that
all persons doing banking business in the
State, whether corporate or private, except
corporations organized under acts Of Con-
gress. be placed uudel the supervision OF
State authority, and some system OF inspec-
ton adopted by which the public may be
accurately informed as to the amount of cash
capital, the nature OF the Investments and
the character of the securities. & II
Such a statement of the affairs of bank
State, supplementing the regular semi-annual
report no required, would afford all the pro-
lection against fraud and Encouragement
that the people can reasonably ask at your
hands. III saba arct y H5
- CHEAP TRANSPORTATION BY WATER. ss
The relation of our State to national COM
merce is peculiar. More than three-ifths of
the Wisconsin boundary is washed by navi-
gable waters, conceded to be under the special
care of the federal government. Our princi-
pal interior streams are also naviga BILE, divid-
ing their bounty between the Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic Ocean, on line nearly equi-
distant between Lake Michigan and the Mis-.
sissippl river. d - We. T-'' .a'."'
I concede that the moneys paid into the
Federal Treasury belong to the people Of the
whole Union and we cannot rightfullv claim
the intervention of the Federal Government
for any strictly local objects. But as to the
DUTY of the general government to improve
natural channels OF commerce, clearly per-
tanning to the general welfare and necessary
to int Estate commerce. there can be no rea.
sonabIe ground for doubt More than fifty
years ago, President Monroe commended to
Congress the propriety OF improving the navi-
cation Of Western rivers between their high
est navigable points, for the purpose of facili-
tating intercourse between the Atlantic and
the Western country" The government has
hitherto most signally failed to fulfil the
ul0hSuIo vi lIS OOllS III tulS
Congress has made large and uniform conces-
sions to special Industries fostered by Eastern
capital. and those Industries have been largely
sustained by indirect taxation upon Western
labor and the products of our fertile soil.
Equity, as we'll as the discharge of clear
Constitutional duty, requires a different
estimate and apportionment OF federal obliga-
tions in future, to the end that the blessings
OF government to our agricultural and COM
mercial population NAV better accord with its
cost It is impracticable in this place to ex-
plore or explain all the mysteries of taxation
upon western labor and prodectio $. But the
direct and indirect contributions Wisconsin
to the federal treasury are believed to equal
six or eight millions of dollars per annum, in
addition to taxes indirectly imposed TOR the
protection of special industries, constituting
no part Of the national revenue. 1t is obvious
that for the most of this taxation we are
unlikely to derive any adequate return, ex-
cept 40 far as our ability to bear the burden
is enlarged by an increase of those facilities
of transportation now demanded by the gen
eral interests of bo;h eastern and western
trade and commerce.
l congratulate you upon what has been al
ready achieved in these particulars, having 81
direct relation to the prosperity of our own