Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-01-16

| u great many farms and homes. and will
| eliminate the troubles constantly growing
out of cases in which the state has the legal
title and the Indian has the permanent right
of occupancy, which has led to controversies
over timber and other values.
1t has seemed to me that the popular will
| uDOn the pass subject says the governor
can only be expressed by legislation which
will destroy the system root and branch
| and eliminate from it. at least SO far as
state officials are concerned, as far as it can
| be done by legislation, the possibility of any
favors directly or Indirectly IN the matter
| Therefore. | believe that the legislation
should not be restricted TO the giving Of
passes by the corporations indicated, or
their acceptance by q public Official for his
own use but that the prohibition should ex-
tend to any person upon the request of pub
lie officials. In this view the law should
prohibit the granting of passes, or the &C
ceptance of passes or franks, to or by pub
lie officials and also the granting of trans
portation Of franks, or facilities of any kind,
| to any person, directly or indirectly, upon
| the request of any public official. One of the
platform declarations is sufficiently broad
| to extend the prohibition to the
granting to or acceptance by, may
ors, aldermen and ether II r. public OIL +
upon the subject in its relation to state Off
cials certainly applies to all municipal au-
thorities who have duties to perform legis-
lative or otherwise, with reference to
| local franchises. [ recommend that an
adequate constitutional amendment be sub
mitted to the people in order that, II adopt
| ed the DrODlDlLl0n SIln1l Do part Ol Tie per
manent law of the state beyond reach of leg
/ islatiye modification or repeal and that
there be promptly enacted Legislation cover
| ing the same ground, to De III lofce until IL
! shall have been superseded by constitutional
! amendment.
Both the leading political parties in con
vention also declared for the enactment OF
| legislation adequate to destroy what is called
/ the legislative lobby and to protect the MEM
| bers of each body from malign influences. 1t
! is not supposed that it was or could be in
| ,IJ1I 4% alIJdn ii go n
| do by legislative enactment, the people from
| communicating to their representatives,
either at the capitol or otherwise, their
wishes or wants as to legislation. Every
citizen has the right, which cannot be taken
away from him or her, to ask for or to OPP
! pose legislation, and to present in a proper
| manner the reasons for his or her COnten-
ton The platform declarations are evil
IDENTIFY not intended to isolate the legislature
from it's constituency TO do so would be
| to destroy in a considerable measure its rep
| resentative capacity. Members of the legis-
| lature like the executive, are but agents OF
| the people. charged with the duty of carry
| ing out, within the limits of the constitution,
! the viii Of the people properly expressed
The evil sought to be reached is to remove
| from the Legislature the supposed danger OF
undue influence resui ting either in the defeat
of needed legislation or the enactment of
vicious legislation. Just what form OF eff
cient legislation for the purpose Indicated
can take without doing harm as we'll as
good [ confess my inability to at this time
which will prevent persons from coming to
or residing in the capitol city during the
| session of the legislature, The legislature
many years ago passed laws. still in force
intended to protect legislation against not
only corrupt influences, but against infsu-
ences not strictly corrupt but sinister be
cause secret These the governor quotes and
adds It is quite clear that the penalty pro-
vided is inadequate. No greater 0ffenSe
against our system of government, unless
it be treason, can we'll be conceived than the
deliberate corruption Of public servants
Such an offense, when proven, is not ade-
quately punished by fine. One convicted OF
it should be made to bear the degradation
of imprisonment. The statutes exclude from
the right of suffrage every person convicted
of bribery. The enforcement Of portion OF
these statutes, in so far as they relate to
legislation, depends very greatly upon the
cooperation of members of the legislature
Ordinarily the offense of bribery or improper
influence is secret. Those who bride OF are
brbed are not likely to tell of it. Those who
are unduly or improperly influenced, II they
are conscious of it, are not likely to give
publicity to the fact. The best deterrent, 50
far as it relates to public officials. is the
certainty of prompt exposure and PUNISH
ment Each house has the matter mainly
in it's own hands. Every member Of the leg
iSlature improperly approached snoulQ IN
heStatingly make it known as not only an
insult to himself, an offense against the peo-
pie, but an attack upon the dignity ana
honor of the body of which he is member
Every member of a body charged with the
duties of legislation, who knows OF the exer-
else of undue influence, or has good reason
to believe it, owes a solemn duty to h1mSelf,
to the people, and tC the house of which he
is a member, to make known the fact, and to
set in motion the Investigating powers OF the
body The concealment by member OF such
a body of the fact, or well-grounded suspi-
cion, of corruption or attempted corruption,
is not a much less heinous offense against
popular government than the otfense OF be-
ing corruptly Influenced
It is entirely within the province of each
house to determine who shall be admIt 51;9e
to the floor and who shall be excluded. The
exercise of that power by each house is
| evidenced by the standing rules or eacn pody.
| 1t is within the power Of each mousse to modl-
| fly and strengthen or weaken these rules at
| will and manifestly the power to enforce
! them and the extent Of their enforcement
rests with each house. After all, aside
from the fearless exercise OF the powers
| given to each house to protect its honor ana
| dignity and legislation against undue or
| improper influence, the surest safeguard is
| to be found in an enlightened public opinion
| among the people and the election of men to
| public trust beyond question OF undouDted
| integrity and of ability to enable them TO
detect the approach of insidlous influence
and to spurn it. I am not aware OF any
| ground for impeachment of legislative lnteg-
| rity | necessarily leave the whole matter
/ to your honorable body to devise sucn iuf-
| thor measures, if any are deemed necessary,
as to you may seem best, with the assurance &c
of my earnest cooperation within the limits
of my constitutional authority in the prem
After declaring that in time Of gen
eraI prosperity like this there is more need
| for a close scruity of appropriations and a
watchfulness of public exp 1ditures than
when a general financial stringency makes
the necessity for economy to each an indi-
vidual matter, Gov. Scodeld concludes a
document of remarkable length and com
| pIeteness.
Yesterday both houses organized at
noon for the 44th session Of the legis-
ture and the states as agreed upon at
the republican caucuses Tuesday went
through. L. w Thayer of Ripon was
chosen president pro tenn of the senate,
G. A. Pettibone Of Oconomo-
woe sergeant-at-arms and w
Houser of Mondovi chief
clerk. There are only 2 demo
Gratis in the senate and they named no
candidates. The usual standing COM
mittees were appointed, the judiciary
being headed by Lamoreux, state af-
fairs by McGillivray finance by
Roehr, railroads by Withee, education
- ct4o,,+ oorio711turo hv Wh419n and