The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-01-19

| ions As the act deals with interstate COM
islature can lawfully go in the exercise Of
| the police power of the state.
recommend the inyeStig CATION by your
body either through one of your committees
or through the board of control, of the re-
suits of the system adopted in New York
! and other states Such an investigation
| may very we'll be fruitful of good results.
] commend the whole matter to the best
thought and attention Of your body.
The Subject of Pardons.
The applications for pardons and commuta-
| tions have so multiplied as TO render it diff.
| tcult for the executive; with the other dn.
| ties devolving upon him; to give to each ease
the investigation and consideration which
| the exercise of so delicate and great a pow:
| err demands With the lapse of years and
! increase of population, it is not likely that
| these applications will diminish, either IN
number or Importance.
The '.power to grant reprieves, commute.
tons and pardons after conviction, for all
Offenses except treason and cases OF i'm
Parchment" is lodged by the constitution
| solely in the executive. OF course, this
| power cannot be lawfully delegated to any
| other person or tribunal without amend
nent of the constitution.
] am constrained, therefore, to urge upon
| Your consideration the wisdom of so amend
| ing the constitution as to create a D0ar0
| of pardons, in which, in conjunction with
| the executive or otherwise, this power shall
be LODGED
The Question of Apportionment.
| 1t has seemed to me to be my duty to sug-
| gest for your earnest consideration Wheth-
| sr the constitution should not be amended
| SO as to more clearly define the rules which
shall govern the Legislature in apportioning
| and redistrcting the state into Senate and
| Assembly districts. / have no reason what
| ever to doubt that the present law is
constitutional one. but the manner in which
| his important duty has been performed by
| he Legislature has given rise, during the
| asst few years, to litigation, to threats OF
| litigation and to charges and counter
charges for which there should be no possi
| Die justification.
The Supreme court in decisions overturn-
| ng two legislative appointments as uncon
| stitutional, has laid down the general rules
| governing the performance of such duty,
| out under the constitution even as so con-
| strued, much is of necessity left to legis
atlVe discretion.
There is no power conferred by the con-
| stitution upon any one of the branches of
| he government of greater or more far
| 'eaching Importance than the legislative
power of apportioning and redistricting the
state. However carefully such measure
may be prepared, it is, so far as experience
las shown, too much to expect that ma
| GRITTY or more of 1873 persons, whatever po-
l. ltical party they may belong to, will be
able to consider it and enact it uninf1u-
| snced by partisan bias local interest or sell
| ish purpose.
The new constitution of New York. care
July considered and adopted by conven-
iion composed of many men Of great ex
| 3erience and ability, contains some in
structiye provisions upon the subject and
the system adopted in Ohio may be con
| 1t
| Sible to SO amend the constitution as to
minimize the difficulties which now beset
The work of apportionment. This is i'm
| Dortant, both to conserve a great popular
| eight and to prevent growing popular dis
trust i'll the consttutionality and integrity
Of legislative action upon the subject
caused by these constantly recurring CON
troyersies.
Certainly no political party should be per-
mitted to take to itself any advantage or
power at the expense of the great principle
Leo
stature, which underlies our system Of gov.
eminent.
A Law Commission.
/ know something Of the large amount OF
the manner in which, especially toward the
close of the session, its various commit.
tees are burdened. 1t is this condition OF
affairs which makes possible the criticism
frequently made that under the severe
pressure of work laws are enacted which
may not only be out of harmony, but many
times in actual conflict with statutes al
ready in existence and of a character to in
crease litigation at public and private ex
oense and to foster sense of instability
n the law. | suggest therefore, that you
consider the question of appointing a com
mission of trained men whose duty it shall
be, when measures have passed to that
stage before your body where their final
enactment is virtually assured, to- pass upon
the validity of the measure and make rec.
concentrations when necessary, to bring
measures into harmony with existing stat
uteS.
Public Lands.
am advised by the commissioners of
public lands that the work of completing
the swamp land record and the other work
in connection with the public lands has so
far progressed that the force of this Of
flee can be largely decreased.
In my opinion wise economy would
seem to dictate that the uncompleted work
of the land Office might properly be commit
ted to one of the other departments of the
state government, supervision, of course,
remaining in the hands of the three com
miss.oners provided for by the constitution
Of the state, and if no legal obstruction
nterpOSeS, | recommend that the LegiS
ature take action looking to this end
The State Service.
In this connection / recommend that an
effort be made to regulate and bring under
some system the state service in the diff
ferent departments in the capitol building.
1t is the general impression that this serv-
ice can be improved, and a large saving eff
fected by some kind of classification of
the employees OF the various departments;
No state officer or head of any department.
should have unlimited authority to employ
clerks and other subordinates. classif-
cation of the employees, fixing the Salari"
and limiting the number to the actual ne
Of each department would, have no dou 4,
Increase the efficiency of the service and
result in material saving to the tax
payers.
There will undoubtedly come before this
session of your honorable body measures
looking to the extension of the civil-service
system III different cities in the state. There
S throughout the country, and especially
noticeable in our own state, a desire for
an improvement of the present system. Any
measure looking to that end, while its
scope cannot be clearly defined in this com
munication. should not be extended beyond
4 point where it will receive the hearty
support of the public 1 have no doubt that
you in your wisdom will be able to mark
the proper limits of such measures.
Revised Statutes.
BY law passed in 1895, Messrs. A. L.
Sanborn and j. r. Bergman were appoint
ed committee to prepare and report to
this Legislature bills for the correction of