Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-10-07
NUMBER 9.

| increased facilities, and the legislature,
| approaching the necessity, passed bill
! giving it the money. This new act pro-
| vides that tax of oue-tenth of one mill
| shall be levied on the assessed property of
| the state for the university fund income,
| Tor a term of of six years. This money Is to
be used in the erection of the three new
new buildings, the dairy building, the law
| khool building and the armory, and for
| such other extensions and improvements as
| may be necessary. 1t Is thought probable
| that there will be enough of the appropria-
tlon left after completing buildings to make
| SOME necessary improvements in the old
| bhlldlngs as well as carrying out num-
| Der of plans for the advancement of the in
stitution. The income of the university in
| 1891 from state tax was $l40,36S.3 81 and in
| 1890 it was S.4, l1134. While II part of this
| increase is caused by the increased value
of property, the bulk of it is due to the
action of the legislature In providing for tho
institution those facilities 1t needs.
| The action of the legislature of 1891 on the
subject of education will not suffer by COM
! parison with that of the Republican bodies
for the years preceding. The legislature of
| 1881 appropriated the munifcent sum of
| 1850 for the university. The regents
asked for an appropriation of S25,OO0--Sl5,-
| 600 for remodeling the entire building, S.
600 for the agricultural department and
| $1,000 for improving the system of water
works. which supply the university build
| ings and the capitol These were tho pro-
visions of the bill introduced, but the legis-
| lature granted only 81, 800 for the water
works improvement.
| In 1882 the appropriation amounted to
| ,atY,
hall and providing it with heating and
ventilating apparatus A bill to provide
suitable ground for military drill and GYM
nastic exercises was killed. The legislation
relating to the university in 1888 was tho
passage of bill by which the university
was given a tax of Il of 1 mill instead of
| 1-l0 us before The increase of a over 1-10
was to be used in the establishment of II
| chair of pharmacy and materia medica, and
| the establishment of an agricultural expert
mental station. The balance, if any, was
to be used for general purposes. The bill
| expressly provided that this was to be
! deemed compensation In full to the uni
| versity for the university trust lands.
| Another sample brick in the history of
! Republican care for the educational In
| terests of the state is the treatment accorded
| the university in the Legislature Of 1885, tho
next session after the destruction Of tho
science hall by fire. The regents, according
| to a report made by the board of the legisla-
| ture in 1887, asked for an appropriation Of
| S245,000. The legislature finally appro-
priated $4,000 and allowed the insurance
of $41 900, and this was done through the
efforts of a Democratic United States SEN
| ator, William. f. Villas.
Senator Villas was in the assembly that
year and he took charge of the university
measure. He worked hard and there was
every prospect that 1t would go through.
The committees had cut off the armory ap-
propriation and had reduced the others q
| trifle, but there was every reason to hope
| for the passage of the amended measure
On the day before it was to come up for
third reading, however, Senator Villas be
came aware that the Republicans In the
senate were working hard among their
brethren in the assembly for the defeat of
| the measure but even then nothing serious
was apprehended. But the evening before
the day on which the bill was coming up,
| the Republicans of the assembly and the
| senate held caucus or conference and de-
| cided to defeat the bill or at least to cut it
down SO that it would be practically useless
to pass it. AS result of this conference
their support to the bill, went back on their
| pledges and announced that they would not
support It, Senator Villas learned of the
real situation only short time before the
| legislature met on the day the bill was
coming up. He changed his course of action
| entirely When the bill was reached he OBJ
| tanned the floor and delivered mastery
speech and it was effective. 1t was moro
powerful even than party caucus and the
bill was ordered to n third reading. Sen
ator Villas followed up his victory. He had
| all rules suspended and the bill was put on
its final passage. A reconsideration was
moved and the motion laid on the table so
| that there was no opportunity to 90 back on
the action. Mr.. Villas triumphed over the
Republican bosses who sought to defeat the
measure because they feared the Democrats
| would get too much credit from it.
| Yet it is claimed that the Republicans
are the sole friends of public schools.
Nor is this all. 1t must not be forgotten
that while "the little red school house" was
under Republican protection liberal slice
of its patrimony was distributed without
compunction among the barons who stood
nearest to the throne.
To advance the cause of education the
general government decided to the state GER
tain timber lands which were to be used for
the support of public schools. 1t has been
understood for years that the lumber barons
were being paid for their support by rob-
bing of the pine lands of the state which
was winked ct by the state administrations.
So great was the cry against this outrage
that in 1876 the legislature appropriated
$1,000 annually for the protection of these
| lands. Timber agents were appointed
Most of them pocketed their salaries and
kept as far away from the reservations
they were supposed to watch as possible.
The few honest ones when it was found they
were getting troublesome were choked off
by higher authority through the influence
of the Sawyer ring, and the stealings went
on just the same.
The extent Of the depredations was
| learned in part when the Democratic ad-
ministration came into power. Then it was
found that over Il, 600, 600 feet of pine had
been stolen in the fourteen years since the
| legislature appointed guardians for the
lands that were to furnish support to the
| public schools. How much was stolen be-
| fore that time no one knows and never will.
The stealings discovered by the Democratic
officials amounted to 100000. They do not
pretend to have discovered all. OF this sum
minor fraction was recovered by the ener-
getic action of Governor Peck's adminis-
tration. OF the 400, 4S6 feet stolen in 1891.
before the thieves discovered that an honest
administration was in power, Iii $50 feet
were recovered by the activity Of the land
commissioners and the schools had the
benefit. The earlier thieves, whose depre-
dations were winked at by Republican adj
ministrations, were found to be either IRE
sponsible or outside the jurisdiction of the