Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-02-11
DEFENDS THE
PRIMARY BILL
GOV. LA TOILETTE DISCUSSES
ELECTION MEASURE.
AT FARMER MASS MEETING
Executive in Greeting Agriculturists
Talks of Many Phases of Pending
egisIation-othe Important Ad-
dresses Before the Convention
Program of the Day.
Madison. Feb. {

Madison, Feb. g.
Gov La Toilette, in speaking be-
fore the mass convention held in the
capitol last night under the auspices
of the state board of agriculture, took
occasion to answer some of the crit
cisms made against the proposed pri-
q mary election law. He ridiculed the
idea that such a plan was scheme
to defraud the country people out Of a
fair voice in the selection of party
candidates, and he thought it strange
that the city manipulators of caucuses
and convention should be so greatly
concerned over the rights of class
of citizens in politics whom they had
never before shown any great consid-
GRAFTON.
The governor spoke of many other
phases of pending legislation, refer
ring at some length to the wisdom of
teaching the elements of agriculture
in the common schools and the needs
of the university, agricultural college
and the normal schools.
Gov. La Toilette said:
sIt is pleasure to welcome the rep
resentatives of agriculture as you as
semble to consider questions of con-
Germ to your industry. Your pro-
ceedings will be followed with the
deepest interest and your presence
here prove beneficial not alone to you,
but to the general public as we'll.
Whatever is important to agriculture
is equally important to the state.
Whatever the state may properly do
in aid of agricultural advancement
should be done to the uttermost limit.
lin no other direction can it more
strongly and securely build for it's
own future We all rejoice in the de-
velopment of our commonwealth
along every line of human achieve
ment. We are justly proud of it's
high commercial rank. it's stable fl
nancial and business institutions. it's
marvellous progress in manufactures
But welcoming and encouraging all
I.this growth and diversity in every di-
rection, it is still my earnest hope,
/ that agriculture may ever remain the
| foundation of our statehood.
"In no way can government be
more helpful to the great
interests you represent than
by furnishing with liberal hand
the means to thoroughly reorgan
ize and radically improve the district
school system of our state. There is
authority for the statement that at
enhance upon these schools is actual
ly diminishing, and further that flor
every hundred pupils now attending
district school only one pupil reaches
high school" Investigation of this
subject increases the interest and ex-
cites the concern of every thoughtful
citizen and the power and influence of
this organization should be directed
toward uplifting and strengthening
| the district school. In this great
work of reconstruction | trust that
there will be added to the course of
study in these schools elementary
education in agriculture.
"Only little more than decade has
gone by since the work of the farm in
stitute inaugurated in Wisconsin. 1t
will never be possible to measure the
good accomplished by the men, who,
Drawing ridicule and misrepresenta-
ton, gave many years of devoted SER
vice to securely establishing this
traevling school of agriculture. The
elementary principles inculcated, the
better methods adopted, the inspira-
ton and quickening which resulted
from farm institute education has
added enormously to the wealth
of the state Under a very
able management the teaching of
agriculture at our state university is
accomplishing a work the increasing
value of which is now everywhere
recognized. During my course at the
university I well remember that there
was but single student in the agri-
cultural college. Today there are
435. But the farm institute begins it's
work at the top instead of the bottom.
1t must revolutionise established Gus
tom, overcome fixed prejudice and set
tied habit. 1t can reach only the more
ambitious and progressive while at
the very best but a few from each
county can secure the exceptional ad-
vantages offered by the agricultural
college.
For many years to come the dis
trict school must furnish education
for the great mass of boys and girls
born upon the farm. Probably mol
less than IS per cent. of these will
never attend any other school, How
vital it is then that we should make
| these long neglected schools our first
care and bestow upon them such at
tention and such aid as will insure the
results SO essential to agricultural
prosperity and the welfare of the
state.
''The appropriations necessary to
accomplish reorganization and up
building of our district school system.
to provide for the pressing needs of
\ thQ nniVQrGifv oo~o