Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-01-21

unity of purpose so essential to the efficiency of
/ State system of education. Manifestly, our
schools should be organized into system OF
successive grades, wherein certificate of compile
ton OF the course in the school of one grade should
be passport of admission 10 the next higher, and
IN all schools supported by the public money OF
! Wisconsin courses of instruction should have
reference. in whole in part, TO courses of in
struction in public schools of succeeding grade
! within our own State.
INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS
! Apparently the greatest need of our State at
/ this time in the higher department of education
| Is better supply of schools of intermediate
grade, between the lowest and the highest. SINH
lar 10 the plan of some of the Eastern States; so
| that not only in the larger cities, but also in
every county If not in every town, there shall be
series of free schools leading our youth through
| successive gradations from the primary school up
! to the university. For fuller discussion of this
! important subject, as also of the need OF legs
! lative measures looking to a greater uniformity
of textbooks, l refer You to the able report of
! our State Superintendent.
| 1t has been suggested Dy prominent friends of
| education that the erection of central normal
school in connection with the university would
| strongly tend to harmonic al interests and to
| give measurable unity and ficiency TO our edu-
| catlonal plan. The reasous OleneSs of this sug-
] gestion is obvious. As its name implies, the
university Is intended TO supplement all classes
/ of instruction taught in the State by public au-
! thority, and the adoption of this suggestion,
! while it would not necessarily impose any addi-
tional burden upon the people, would least in
sure additional efficiency and unity to this special
! department of instruction.
|
! regret my inability to congratulate you upon
more liberal improvement of our national water
| courses during the past season. While l have
no official knowledge of precise results it is a
matter of nOtoriety that the appropriations made
| by Congress for this purpose the past year
| insignificant in proportion to the magnitude of
| the interest committed to its charge and de-
/ pendent upon its bounty. The Improvement
| OF our lake ports has been continued to a mod
| crate extent, but not on scale commensurate
| with the Importance of our commerce
{
| by the Federal Government. Work at the Fox
| and Wisconsin Rivers was not actively resumed
/ until july and the better portion of the season
! was needlessly lost to the prosecution of that
| enterprise. am unotfcially informed that de-
| tached sections of the Wisconsin River, for a
| considerable portion OF the distance from Port
| age City to Prairie du CHEN, are deemed complete
| for navlgable purposes: that dredging out the
| connecting canal between the Fox and the Wis
consin Rivers is being prosecuted under contract,
and that the efficient continuance of the work the
ensuing season requires a further and more lib
| eral action by the present Congress
| Probably quarter of million of our people
! reside on the immediate shores of deep waters,
navigated by steam and sail. These waters
! grand highways which nature has kindly and
| abundantly bestowed upon people. They
were destined by the Creator to bear
upon their bosoms precious burdens from
| our farms and workshops in exchange for
| rich products of foreign industry and skill.
| Over all this broad expanse of navigable waters
| the Federal Government holds complete and in
/ dIsputable sway. In the solution of the grand
| problem of cheap exchanges of products we
! ask of that Government to return to us but a
| fraction of that which pay for its support, by
| charging the natural channels of trade by pro-
viding sufficient shelter for our shipping, and by
protecting the lives of our gallant and hardy
sailors from the rage of November storms. We
ask this not merely on the ground of justice, and
! much less on the ground Of unrequited bounty.
| The wisest statesmen of our time are confirmed
| by every intelligent engineer of the Federal
| service in estimating an ultimate profit to the
| Treasury upon every dollar iudicously dis
| bursed in this branch OF the public
|
| adequate to complete expression of the
/ past or the future advantages, either to the Gov
eminent or to the people, of the easy and safe
| lgati0n Of our lakes and rivers. The conceded OBJ
| legations of the Government in this department
| have been the foundation of our growth and the
life of our industry. But while it is fortunate for
! our own people that the duty of the Government
| is neither doubtful obscure, it is unfortunate
that the extent of that duty is not better Defined
and that its faithful discharge cannot be more
| promptly enforced.
I AS to the special claims of the Fox and Wiscon-
! sin Rivers Improvement, need not indulge in q
| repetition OF facts L have already stated in my
first annual message and on other occasions. InOW
call your attention simply to the conceded truth
that not less than One-third of the States are
more or less directly interested in this i'm
! prOVement; and to the testimony of Senator
! Window and other high authority that its COM
| pletiOn would connect the commerce of nearly
| 1000 vessels the lakes with that of
| quite 1000 boats on the Mississippi River and
tributaries; would save ten cents per bushel''
| on the cost of wheat shipments which would
naturally be contributed from Minnesota Wis
| consin, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, amounting
to yearly aggregate to these States of not less
! than S1000O,000; would other mill
ions upon the cost of transporting iron,
copper, salt and lumber from Northern
| Wisconsin and Michigan, and Eastern mer-
Chandise received in exchange; and that
with the completion of the Huron Canal, its nat
ural extension, distance would be sufficiently
abbreviated to encourage large additional pro-
duction and shipment, promising to the
tOiing producer of the West profit on his sur
plus oats and corn. A hundred thousand West
more prompt and liberal action for the attain
ment Of these advantages, and [ ask you to unite
with me in a memorial of similar character, in
behalf of this and such other improvements of
this class clearly demand the continued and
more vigorous support of Federal authority.
THE RAILWAY COMMISSION.
In pursuance of an act of the last Legislature
entitled AN act relating to railroads, express
and telegraph companies" 1T became my duty in
May last to appoint Board of Railroad Commits
sioners Conscious of the responsible duties
Signed to the commission under the law it was
my earnest endeayOr to so constitute the Board
as to avoid any just suspicion OF political par.
either the public or the corporations. 1
believe every one familiar with the facts
Will concur with me in bearing cheer
full testimony to the impartiatv and ability with
which the work of the commission has thus far
been performed In addition to the ordinary du-
ties Of.smllar commissions, the act clearly i'm
piled the necessity of prOtracted investigation
impossible of satisfactory completion within the
few months intervening between the organization
! of the Board and the meeting of the Legislature
Sufficient progress has been made, however, to
assure us that the Commissioners have laid broad
and strong the foundations of future progress and
more intelligent legislation.
RAILWAY CONTROVERSY.
Immediately previous to the organization of the
| Board of Commissioners formal communications
were forwarded to me by the Presidents of the
! Chicago, Milwaukee q st. Paul Railway Com
pany and of the Chicago 81 Northwestern Rail
way Company, notifying me. the in words
and the other in effect that the requirements of
| the law in important particulars would be disre
| garded by these corporations and assigning rea-
| sons for this determination.
Under these circumstances no alternative
| presented me. The Constitution declares that
! the Governor ''shall expedite all such measures
as may be resolved upon by the Legislature, and
| shall take care that the laws be faithfully ex-
| ecuted' This Constitution had solemny sworn
| TO support. [ possessed no opportunity and no
power to determine the merits of the law. 1t is
| not within the scope of my official authority to
revise the action of the legislative branch of the
| Government to consider objections to the
| performance of duties it had required. Nor
/ is it permissible that corporations, because
vested with extraordinary responsibility
and influence, rightfully await the progress of
protracted judicial investigation a condition of
| obedience to public authority. Such an assump
ton is subversiye of all law. In this respect the
| obligations of a powerful corporation no
greater and no less than those of the humblest Cit
| izen within the jurisdiction of the State. And |
Col