Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-03-03
WEEK OF HARD WORK.
Legislative Committees Had
Many Hearings.
Business will be Ratified OFF Very
Quickly Now.

portant measures and paved the way for
for q considerable amount of inside legis-
latien in the near future. No very i'm
portant measure has been put upon its
passage, however. The week has been,
remarkable for the committee work,
some of the hearings having been almost
sensational. A bill was reported to levy
u state tax, as recommended by Gov.
ScefeId iii his inaugural message.
The Legislature is now old enough to
have it's character determined, and it
can be truthfully said that it is far
igence and ability. 1t is composed Of
better class Of men than usually sit in
the legislative halls of this state, and it
is not likely that a better class could be
found in the Legislature of any other
state The so-called bum element,
which has sometimes dominated past
Legislatures, is almost entirely lacking
III this, and there is none Of the carous-
ing which used to be expected at every
session. 1t has been demonstrated that
the majority of the members are honest,
upright men, who have the welfare of
the state at heart, and who want to act
on business principles. They may make
mistakes-it would be strange if they
did not-but it is certain that they will
not consciously do what is wrong,
and the chances are that they will pass
few laws that will not be for the benefit
Of the people.
Politics is not going to cut SO much of
of Il figure in the legislation of this
winter as it usually does. Already it
has been shown that neither the admin
istration nor the Legislature desires to
subordinate the good of the people to the
good of the party, as has often been the
case particularly under Democratic ad-
ministrations. Proof of that is to be
found in the governors recommendation
for a state tax for the next two years,
and the readiness of the Legisla ture to
accept the suggestion. In the past the
lodging of q state tax has been re-
garded as a star play politically, and
man who was q politician pure and
simple would be likely to regard the levy
ing of a tax for expenses as a very bad
move from a party standpoint. With
Gov. Scofeld and this Legislature that
cuts no figure. They recognize the ne
cessity for the tax to put the state treas
TRY on a sound financial footing, and
they will levy it without giving a thought
to its political effect. Their fearlessness
in the matter and their manifest desire
to have the state finances run as they
should be run will, it is believed appeal
to the peoples sense of business, and
what may look like poor politics will
turn out to be good politics.
The business-like methods of both the
administration and the Legislature are
also shown by other things, like the in
vestigation of the university and the
state offices. The university has already
submitted two reports which would
have afforded opportunity for white
washing, if whitewashing had been the
game, but the Legislature is still not sat
listed. 1t has appointed q committee
sod Of 81 h I,o-.L
two houses to whom the reports are to
be submitted and who have authority to
make such further investigation as they
may see fit to make. They will see what
the reports mean and what there is back
Of them, and when they make a report
the Legislature will know what if any
thing, should be done in the matter.
Friends Of the university believe that
nothing wrong can be shown, but they
admit that III view of reports that have
been in circulation for years the inyesti-
CATION ought to be made.
The committee appointed to investi-
gate the state Offices has not yet made a
report, but it is prosecuting its work in a
thorough manner and when it does report
the condition of every state office will be
FULLY known. The committee is taking
the offices one after the other and inyes-
tigating each thoroughly 1t is looking
into not only the number of employees in
each, but the work that is DONE and how
it is done. 1t will be able to fell the
Legislature just how much is required of
every man employed by the state and it
can decide intelligently upon the changes
that ought to be made. 1t is the general
opinion that it will not find it necessary
to reduce the force materially except in
one or two offices, but it is believed that
it will recommend quite a revision in the
matter OF salaries.
Business principles are to be applied to
the State Agricultural socity matter also
A good many people advocated the pas
sage of the bill appropriating $4,000 to
the society, under the SuDpOSitiOn that
the society owed that amount, or nearly
it. In fact, it was stated that the debts
Of the society announced to something over
$500, but it is now said that the actual
Indebtedness of the society amounts to
considerable less. The present plan is to
pay the Indebtedness and nothing more A
bill will be framed, it is said, authoriz-
ing the state treasurer to pay all claims
that are proved against the society. That
will take the matter out of the hands of
the society entirely. If it is shown that
the actual Indebtedness is much less than
$4,000 the effect upon the Legislature will
not be good.
The future Of the society seems to be
problematical. Il does not follow that
because the Legislature has refused to
appropriate SSOUO TO the society the or
ganiZation will be wiped out. Many
members are in favor of that course, it is
true, but many others are not in favor of
it. A good many do not like the agri-
cultural board plan outlined in Mr..
True's bill and there appears TO be a
good deal of indecision about the best
plan to pursue. Most of the members
seem to think that the state ought to
take the society's property and hold it,
and not few believe that the best so
I1olo 4
low the society to continue its existence
and let the state lease the grounds to it
for a nominal sum. 1t is believed that
before the matter comes from the com
mittee on state affairs plan that will be
satisfactory will be found.
Everybody who has occasion to go
before the Senate committee on judiciary
is struck by its business-like methods.
There IS no dilly-dallying and no waiting
for executive sessions. Matters are
taken up and disposed of as they come
and if anything is laid over it is for a