Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-01-21

rather than allowing them to be idle; and the
Importance to the taxpayer of making crimi.
mails Self-suppOrting rather than n perpetual
burden upon the state. The first of these is tho
most important. An attemDt has been made in
New York to solve this difficult problem by
constitutional provision, and the laws of that
state may well be considered by your honorable
body when the subject comes before YOU.
White considering the effect of convct-la Dor
competition in our own state prison with prod
ucts manufactured in the state. il may not be
unwlSe to consider whether legislation should
not be enacted to protect the manufacturers
Ind labor Of the state against competition with
similar products made by the convicts of other
states. The legislature of New York in 1894
passed an act upon the subject which required
All goods. wares and merchandise made by
convict labor IN any penltentiary, prison, re-
formatory or other establishment in which con
state of New York, shall, before being exposed
for sale, be branded, labeled or marked
As hereinafter provided, and shall not DO
exposed for sale in any place within this
state without such brand, label or mark" The
remaining sections of the act deal with details,
and prescribe a severe penalty for violation OF
its provisions. As the act deals with interstate
commerce, it goes as far pro badly, as the legis
lature can lawfully go in the exercise of the
police power of the state | recommend the in
veStgation by your body either through one of
your committees or through the board of control,
of the results of the system adopted in New York
aud other states Such an investigation may
very well be fruitful of good results. / COM
mend the whole matter to your best thought and
attentloI',
The applications for pardons and commute
tions have so multiplied as to render 1t dlfhcult
for the executive, with the other duties de-
volving upon him, to give to each case the IN
vestigation and consideration which the exer-
else of so delicate and great Lower demands.
With the lapse OF years and Increase OF popuia.
ton, it is not likely that these applications will
diminish either in number or Importance.
The power to grant reprieves, combinations
and pardonS after conviction, for all often,
sos except treason and cases of impeachncnt,"
is lodged by the constitution solely Ill the
executive. OF course, this power cannot be-
lawfully delegated to any other person or tri-
bunal without amendment of the constitution.
| am constrained, therefore, to urge upon
your com <idrration the wisdom of so amending
the constitution to create a board OF par
dons in which, III conjunction with the e%rcu-
tive, or otherwise, THIS power shall be lodged
APPoRNoNMENT.
1t has seemed to me to be my duty to suggest
for your earnest consideration whether the con-
StitutiOu should not be amended so As to more
clearly define the rules which shall govern the
legislature in apportioning and redistrlctlng
the state into senate and assembly districts |
have no reason whatever to doubt that the pres
ent lazy Is a constitutional one, but the manner
given rise, during the last few
years, to litigation, to threats of litigation, aud
to charges and counter charges, for which there
should be no possible juStitlcalon The SUI
prcmo court in decisions overturning two legis-
lat I'VE apportlonment, as unconstitutional, has
formnncr of such dIt'; but uUd"r the Constitu
lioa, even II 50 co"-t urd, mach j. ct nee ',~Ity
left to icgis at we dissection. There j., 40 loWcr
conferred by the constitution upon any one at
the branches, of tine government of greater or
more farreachng Importance ~ the d. la
tive power OF appurtluntuG aud rcdstliclIu" the
state. However CarriullN such Il measure may
De- prepared, 1t Is; so far a. experience has
shown, too much to expect that a ma
j"rity or more of one hundred an',
thirty hree persons, whatever political
party they may belong to, will be able to con
sldcr it aud enact it unintl uenced by partisan
bias, local interest or selfish purpose The new
constitution of New York. carefully considered
an! adopted by a convention composed oi many
men Of great experience and ability, contains
some Instructive provisions upon the subject,
and the system adopted in ONO may h" con
suited with advantage, 1t certainly is posi- ole
to So amend the constitution as to minimize tho
difficulties. which now beset the work
to conserve great popular right and
to prevent n growing popular dis:
trust in the consttutionalty and integrity of
legislative action upon the subject, caused by
those constantly recurring controversies. err
tainly no political party should be permitted 20
take to itself any advantage or power at the eX-
pense of the great principle of prop0rtOhde
representation in the legislature, which undcr
lies our system of government.
LAW COMMISSION.
l know something of the large amount OF
work which dcvolycs upon this body and the
manner in which, especially towards the close
of the session. its various committees are bur
dencd. II 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
already III existence, aud of Il character to IN
crease litigation at public and private expense,
aud to foster sense OF iusta ilitN in the law l
suggest, therefore, that you consider the ques-
ton T appointing n commission of trained men
whose duty it shall bc, when measures have
passed to that stage before YOU body where
their Iinal enactment is virtually assured, to
pass upon the validity of the measures and
make recommendations when necessary, to
brmg measures into harmony with existing
statutes.
PUBLIC LANDS.
l ann advised by the commissioners of public
lands that the work of completing the swamp
land record and the other work i'll connection
with the public lands has so far progressed that
TIL" force of this office can be largely decreased.
In my opinion a wise economy would seem to
dictate that the uncompleted work of the land
Office might properly be committed to one OF
the other departments of the state government,
superviSion of course remaining in Nhe hands
of the three comm issoners provided for by the
constitution of the state, and if no legal OBJ
struction interposes, | recommend that the
legislature take action looking to this end.
STAFF SERVICE.
In this connection recommend that an effort
be made to regulate and bring under some sys-
tenn the state service in the different depart;
mentS in the capitol building. 1t is the general
impression that this service can be improved,
and large saving effected by some kind of
classification of the employees of the various
departments. No state officer, or head of any
department, shoIld have unlimited authority
to employ clerks and other sun bordinates.
classification of the employees fixing the salaries
and limiting the number to the actual need of
each department, would | have no doubt, in
the efficiency of the service, and result in
material sa wing to the taxpayers
There will undoubtedly come before this ses-
sion of your honorable body measures looking
to the extension of the civil service system III
different cities in the state. There is through
out the country and especially noticeablt in our
own state desire for an Improvement of the
present system. Any measure looking 10 that
end while its scope cannot be clearly defined in
this communication, should not be extended be.
You'd a point. whore it will receive the hearty
support of the public. have no doubt that
you in your wisdom will be able to mark the
proper limits of such measures.
CHARITABLE AND PENAL.
desire to call to your attention to the nece~
sty for the establishment of some sort of an inter
mediate prison, to which first offenders may be
sent. In spite of the greatest care which caA
be given by the prison authorities it is impossi
Bile, in state prison like ours, where no dis
tnction is made between inmates who frsa
offenders and those who are known to be hard
ened criminals to reach rcformatory results
which should be- one of the chief objects of i'm
prlSonment. The crowded condition of the
prison at Wnnpun makes clear the necessity for