Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-01-17

1
duty than that of perfecting and writing
upon the statute books of Wisconsin d
primary election law. It is a fundament-
al principle of this republic that each
citizen shall have equal voice in govern
ment This is recognized and guaranteed
to him through the ballot. In a represeE-
tative democracy, where citizen cannot
act for himself for any reason, he must
delegate his authority to the public Off
cial who acts for him. Since government
with us, is conducted by the representa-
| tives Of some political party, the citi-
| zen's voice in making and administering
the laws is expressed through his party
ballot. Hence, to preserve his sovereign
right to an equal share in government, he
must be assured an equal voice in making
his party ballot.
| It is the essence Of republican govern
ment that the citizen should act for him
self directly wherever possible. In the
exercise of no other right is this SO i'm
| portant as in the nomination Of candir
| dates for Office. 1t is Of primary inn
portance that the public official should
| hold himself directly accountable to the
| citizen. This he will only do when he
| owes his nomination directly to the citi-
zen. If between the citizen and the Off
| cial there is complicated system of eau
cuses and conventions, by the easy ma
nipulation of which the selection of can
| didates is controlled by some other agen~
| cy or power, then the official will SO rem
| der his services as to have the approval
| of such agency or power. The over
whelming demand of the people Of this
| State, whom you represent, is that such
intervening power and authority, and the
complicated system which sustains it,
shall be torn down and cast aside. This
it is your duty, and high privilege as
well, to accomplish in the session before
you.
Education.
When the educators of the State agree
on the proposition that the district
schools are inadequate for their work,
and are steadily losing in usefulness and
depreciating in popular favor; when this
judgment is confirmed by decreasing at
tendance upon the district school and
corresponding removal to the cities for
better common school advantages; when
the best authorities give assurance that
'for every hundred pupils now attending
district school only one pupil reaches
high schooP'-then it must indeed be time
to pause in praise of our colleges and city
schools long enough to emphasize the ne
cessity of more generous support and Of
more successful supervision for the too
long neglected country schools.
Plainly our educational system is get
ting out Of balance and requires read
justing. / believe that legislative action
to meet this emergency in the life of
district schools cannot be too strongly
recommended If, in your judgment,
such action is found to be necessary, l
am confident the exercise of a more rigid
economy in other appropriations for edu-
cational purposes, in order to meet this
new demand, will find justification in
final results as we'll as in immediate pub
lie approval.
Trusts and Monopo.ies.
The evils to be reached by legislation
on trusts and monopolies are such COM
binations and considerations as are or
ganized to control prices, create monop-
olies and destroy competition, or which,
in their practical working, have that eff
feet. 1t is not because corporation has
a large capital or transacts large and
profitable business that it is an injury
to the community or menace to~lts pros
perity The wrong is done and the INJURY
inflicted when such combinations of cap
ital are enabled, by means adopted for
that purpose, to control prices, stlf1e com
petition and create monopoly.
The decisions of the highest courts of
the United States, and of the several
States, leave no room to doubt that the
power Of the legislative branch Of the
government is ample to redress all
wrongs so done to society. The decisions
of the courts are practically uniform to
the effect that no one has any right to
enter into any agreement or combination
when the purpose or the effect is to con-
troll prices or create a monopoly. Further,
it is also apparent that the right to pro-
hibit such contract or combination is
clear. when the object is to control prices,
even if it is not intended unreasonably
to increase prices.
Evils of this kind exist and are IN OPP
Grafton in every State. Their extent
and harmful effect may or may not have
been exaggerated in the public estima-
tion. but all must agree that there is
much that ought to receive the considera-
tion of the legislative branch of the State
government The present law OF TINS
State on the subject is principally con-
tanned in chapter 357 of the General
Laws Of 1897. I regard it as entirely inr
sufficient either as a remedy or re-
straint In the first place it only applies
TO corporations. 1t is entirely plain,
however, that partnerships and individ-
nails may enter into agreements and com
binations, which, in their results, will be
lust as disastrous to the public inter-
ests as can any confederation Of corpo-
rations. Furthermore, the only remedy
provided or suggested by the present
statute is a proceeding in the courts to
yacate the charter and annul the exist
ence of the offending corporation. Sucn
remedy is to a great extent lilusory.
CORPORATIONS must of necessity act by
officers and agents, and it is submitted
that one efficacious way to control the
corporation is to act upon the individ-
nails who control it's affairs and shape its
1;o- recommend to the Legislature