River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-04-30
Legislative Anportionmenr.

Legislative Apportionmenr.
The action of the late democratic
legislature of Wisconsin shows how
dangerous IS power when absolute in
/ the hands pf d single individual. The
victory og last fall' 5 campaign was I'M
dOubtedly rs much of surprise to the
democrats as to the republicans. Not
expecting success the democratic party
field as candidates for the legislature.
The surprising thing Is that these men
when elected acknowledged their
utter unftness to care for the state 10y
proper legislation. The sharp and
shrewd chairman of the democratic
central committee, an expert railroad
lobbyist of several years standing,
encouraged the belief that it was to
his able management of the campaign
that they owed their election, and
that the party welfare would be best
secured by practically placing the
powers of legislation in mis- hands.
Mr.. Wall went to Madison at tue
opening of the legislature, and was,
although not a member furnished a
seat upon the floor of the Assembly
chamber, where he could and did
issue 10 his partisan nincU npOops
orders how to vote. The vote of the
majority and the rulings of the
speaker were ali dependent upon the
dictation of Boss Wall" There
has been no such instance of boss rule
in any state as that which has dis
graced the legislature of Wisconsin the
past winter. Mr.. Wall owned the leg
islature and the Milwaukee and St.
Paul Railway owned Wall. This
accounts in our view for the out.
rageOus gerrymander of the state
under Walls management. lie went
deliberately TO work to rob the coun-
! try districts of their just share of
representation and place for the near
future, apparently at least, the control
of legislation in the state in the hands
of the cities.
Fearing that some future legislature
might be elected and enact legislation
Objectionable to his railway employers
Mr.. Wall started his apportionment
10y giving to the city of Milwaukee
several members of Assembly more
than she is entitled TO under the cen
sus. 1t is well established fact that
the members from the cities are more
likely to do the bidding of corpora
tions than those representing country
| districts. 50 throughout the state
this purpose of rObbing the country
for the benefit of the city is apparent.
In some instances one district is made
10 contain four times the population
of another district. This is undoubt-
eddy in direct violation of the letter
and spirit of the state constitution
which requires that the districts shall
be as nearly uniform as possible.
But there seems small prospect of
being able TO correct this outrage upon
the people of the state until too late.
the appOrtionment being purposely
made not to take effect until near the
time of the next election. The ten
dency noted above is apparent in our
own and adjoining districts. A small
district consisting of the city of Hud-
son, with its railroad shops and city
tendencies, the city of New Richmond
and the northwestern towns of ST.
CrOix county, containing in all some
1900 population is given a representa-
tive. All the eastern and southern strict
ly agricultural towns of St. Croix Co.
and the two northern tiers of towns of
Pierce county except Ellsworth and
Trimbelle, also agricultural and con-
tanning in all nearly twice the pOpula-
tiOn OF The former district is given only
the same voice in legislation as the
Hudson district. Why farmer in the
town of Troy or Oak Grove shall have
only one.half the voting power of the
resident of Hudson it is difficult to
perceive. But Wall has ere this
sought his Milwaukee home and re-
ceived his reward for faithful service
and all railway legislation in Wiscon-
sin for the near future may be consid.
cred as successfully checkmated by
the astuteness of the political wire.
pullers of the corporations. We do
not believe that party interest alone
prompted this theft upon our people,
for, while admitting that it is likely
to result in democratic majority In
the legislature in 1892 and the conse.
| quent election of democratic L. S.
Senator, we have too much confidence
in the instructive political honesty of
Che average citizen to think that such
crimes as this will find endorsement
in the state. Pierce county naturally
forms an assembly district alone. 1t
has more than the requisite popula.
ton. Why then run district dig
Oually across the two counties from
the northeast corner of st. Croix to
the southwest corner of Pierce giving
1t a population even larger than that
of either county unless some nefarious
purpose was in view! y majority of
the population of Wisconsin follow
! agricultural pursuits, but by one
stroke of the pen Governor Peck has
in signing Wallis apportionment bill
transferred the control of legislation
in Wisconsin from the agricultural
majority to the urban minority.
The late legislature of Wisconsin
has been the most direputable which