Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-03-28
County of Rivers Bill.

Member Of Assembly H. Wipperman
was home over the Sabbath. While
here we ~enquired into the status of
Assembly bill No. 522 creating a new
county out Of territory taken from the
counties of Wood, Clark and Marathon.
He SAID this bill would come up before
the committee on Thursday April 4th.
1t would seem, with the opposition
against this bill from the three counties
interested as indicated by their repre-
sentatives in the legislature, that
further arguments against the bill would
be unnecessary, but we would suggest
that a strong delegation from the cities
and members of the county board go
down to Madison and be present to
argue this question before the commit
tee. The result is a foregone conclusion.
The bill will be killed as it should be.
However, these schemers have another
move on foot which they hope to
accomplish. The Wausau Torch shows
them up as follows:
The new plan evolved from the fertile
brains of the schemers is one that is
worthy of tie source from which it
springs. 1t is proposed to attempt to
pass the bill as it is, error and all.
Then the plan is to move the county
seat from Grand Rapids to Marshfeld,
thus making the latter place a seat of
government of a large county, instead
Of a little one-holse affair made up of
Fragments. With the new territory
would go a population large enough, it
is believed, to out vote Grand Rapids
and Centralia, and it is hoped by the
projectors that the counties 10 be
affected by the bill will, under the
impression that the mistake has proved
fatal and that it will no longer be worth
the while of Marshfeld 10 attempt to
force its passage, neglect to make any
effort to kill it off, and that the passage
will be accomplished with very little
trouble, by default.
1t goes without saying that there will
be "a slip between the cup and the lip"
in this case, for the territory to be
affected by the proposed change in
county lines is not DESTROYS of a
change. Clark, Marathon and Wood
counties all have permanent public
buildings and improvements that have
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would be the height of folly for them
to enter into a scheme that would tax
them for the same things all over again,
and give them no advantages over their
present condition. While the people
along the line have aided IN building
the court house, Jail, asylum, ETC., in
this county, the people of the city have
also aided in building roads and bridges
until the accounts are about squared.
The improvements are made and are
permanent. A new county would
furnish Offices for half a dozen extra
men, and public building in Marshfeld,
for which the people of the territory
incorporated into the county would
have to pay again, after having paid for
the buildings now standing.
All that is necessary to make the
opposition to the scheme open and
active is to let it be known hat the
plan has not been abandoned, and the
petitions that have been SO literally
signed against the measure will be filed
where they will do the most good. Not
a member of either house from the ter
ritory to be effected by the bill is III
favor of its passage, and it should be
expeditiously and permantly killed.