Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-05-30
GOV. LA FOLLETTE'S RINGING MESSAGE.
The Outlook For Nav.

The Outlook For May.
Wisconsin is this year the center of
the most important political conflict
now being waged over State issues.
After contest of four years within
the dominant party, the State at last
has as Governor the leader of the
forces that demanded the overthrow
of ring rule and monopoly rule. The
programme of these forces was clearly
defined. Monopoly rule was to be
destroyed by restoring the principle
Of equal taxation fol corporate and
individual property, thus at the same
time relieving the mass of the people
from their excessive burdens and
taking away from the mOnOpolies
the motive for their heavy eXpendi
lures to corrupt political life. Ring
rule was to be destroyed by giving
directly to the people the right to
choose their party candidates, who for
years have been named by the rings.
In the platform upon which Governor
La Toilette was nominated both of
these reforms were pledged in the
most explicit language possible; yet
last week we had to chronicle the
Legislatures repudiation of the pledge
to equalize taxation, and this week
we must record its repudiatiOn of the
pledge to establish the popular nOmi-
nation of party candidates.
Fortunately for Wisconsin, both Of
these failures OF the Legislature have
been chronicled for the people of that
State in two veto messages which excel
in intellectual yigor and moral earn
estnesS any executive messages we
have read in recent years. The tax
alton message was briefly reviewed
| in our columns of last week.
The direct primary bill which finally
| passed both branches of the Legisla-
| ture, and which the Governor has
returned with his djsapproval, limited
| the direct primary to the choice OF
county officials, and made its
employment even here permiSSive
and not mandatory. The Governor,
in vetoing this mockery of the party's
pledge that all candidates for State,
| legislative, Congressional. and county
offices be nominated at primary
election upon the same day by direct
VOTE" puts his reasons ina convincing
| form. "More than four years ago"
he reminds the Legislature, "the
contest fer nominations by direct vote
| vi Ullc DCOJlC DcSdl III UulS bOUdUC.
| The principle was then clearly defined,
and the plan under which it could be
accomplished was then fully presented.
: *From platform and pulpit, before
agricultural societies. good govern
ment clubs, political clubs, debating
societies, in the school-houSeS and
public halls, wherever men were
gathered together, the dangers which
| threatened representative government
were discussed, the cause plainly
| traced to the selection of candidates
by the bosses, and the vital importance
of election by the people by direct
vote. and the necessary provisions OF
primary law. were fully and fairly
presented. The plan was so over
whelmingly approved by the voters
| that both the great political parties
of the State, the Democrats in 1898
and Republicans in 1900, adopted
| without qualification or limitation
| the principle Of the nomination of all
candidates by direct vote of the people
at primary election, in lieu Of
nominations by delegates through the
machinery of caucuses and conven-
| ,iOn X \ -
! In the legislative contest this year
not one candidate expressed himself
as opposed to the platform which he
was nominated to support, yet says
| Governor La Toilette, upon the
presentation of a bill framed to
comply with the party'S pledge, 'a
systematic campaign Of miS-repreSent-
alton began to be waged. An army
of Federal office-holders, joining with
certain corporation agents and the
representatives. of the machine in the
regular legislative lobby, moved upon
the capitol, took possession of it's
corridors intruded into the legislative
! halls, followed members to their
hotels, tempted many with alluring
forms Of vice, and in some instances
brought them into the capitol in a
state of intoxication to vote against
the bill n \ With the defeat Of the
original bill the friends of primary
elections offered to pass as a measure
subject to approval by the people,
This the opposition refused. A
| further concession was then offered.
applying the primary system to the
municipal legislative and county
officers. This the opposition refused.
A last effort was then made to submit
the limited bill to vote of the
people. This the opposition rejected.
And after having refused 30 pass the
bill promised, and having refused to
let the people pass upon it, mockery
of platform pledges and judiciouS
legislation alike is offered in the form
of this bill which l am unable to
approve"
The Governor here takes up in
detail the main features of the
measure which finally reached him,
and shows thai even if it received his
signature the law would still be void
| by reason of it's careless or over-care-
full provisions that the people should
vote upon it in the spring elections,
| though some municipalities had no
spring elections, and that the canvass
ing of votes at the primaries would
not be mandatory until the elections
for which the primaries were
preparation had already taken place.
A more farcical bit of legislation
has rarely commanded the approval
of even the anti-reform elements in
two legislative bodies. Thatit was so
farcical shows that the corrupt forces
in Wisconsin are likely to lose in the
way corrupt forces unusally lose-by
overeStimating their strength. and
producing a reaction by their excuses.
| The Senate to which the veto was
sent has replied by a resolution of
cenSure upon the Governor for his
''inSult" to coordinate branch of
the State Government: but the
resolution of censure, us the dispatches
indicate, has simply brought home to
= l. L. = r.