Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-10-08


fish purposes have INSTRUCTED the earlier
fulfllment Of these party obligations.
-
foundation OF all security for property
and peace and good order in every COM
munity that there shall be maintained
the highest regard for law. In republic
where all laws come from the people,
where the observance of law rests with
the people, where its final enforcement
must depend in tue last extremity upon
the will of the people, how important be-
fore all things else TO the state and to the
citizen that wholesome respect for law
should be the first, the highest standard
of good citizenship in every community.
For every reason the rich should be the
last to disregard this rule They would
be the first to suffer in times of violence
and disorder. Their property interests
rest secure only in the popular respect for
law. The strong arm of the state is
strong only as it symbolzes the majesty
of all the people Wealth should venerate
the law: wealth should defend the law;
wealth should obey the law.
| say then in conclusion upon this
branch of the argument that the Legisla-
ture did exactly right in following the
recommendations Of the tax commission,
and enacting the bills 10 insure a more
complete assessment Of all taxable prop
eFty and a more uniform valuation of az
the property assessed.
Legislative Inaction Criticised.
.. come now to a consideration Of
the great wrong committed by the Leg
islature in refusing TO follow the recon-
mendations Of the commission and pass
the bills increasing the taxes of the rail
road companies and OF the other public
service corporations.
l pause for a moment to direct atten-
ton to one of the most significant fea-
lures of this most extraordinary cam
paigH,
Il is worry recent political history, and
must be admitted, that with a large Re-
publican majority in both branches Of
the Legislature, the pledge to compel
each individual and every corporation
transacting business in the state to bear
a justly proportnate share Of the taxes,
was not kept except as to individuals.
Recent Milwaukee Convention and Its
Platform.
But, mark you, the convention which
assembled in Milwaukee on the third day
of this month adopted a platform which
contained no hint or suggestion of criti-
cism of that Republican Legislature for
violating its promises to make railroads
and other publc-service corporations pay
Marvellous spectacle indeed; In a state
convention the most important legisla
tive proceeding in a generation Of time
legislative action which had saved the
railroads more than million dollars a
year at the expose OF the other taxpay-
ers of the state--is barred from all men
ton by an impenetrable wall of silence.
Was not that q very strange proceed
ing for a poll -lcal conYentioni Can a
similar instance be found in all the POI
litical history of the entire country! 1t
is quite apparent that someone sought TO
have Incorporated in that platform a con-
domination of the Legislature for not
passing the railroad and other corpora
ton tax bills. Ii is equally plain that
the influences which were protecting cor
poration interests in that convention com
PEELED it to perform hari-kari with the
resolution as originally drawn. 1t was,
as anyone can see by consulting the
seventh resolution of that platform, writ
ten in the beginning tpmitting the prelim-
mary Introductory words as follows:
During the two years Of control of
the legislative machinery no effective
steps have been taken for the establish
ment OF a system of equal taxation"
But it would not do to leave it in that
form. That would stand as a criticism
Of the men in the Legislature who had
helped kill the railroad tax bills. That
must be changed. They had agreed 10
be quiet about the Legislature. and
abuse the governor" Both objects could
be attained by just writing in after the
word taken the words by the gov
ernor," so that the resolution when
amended would read as follows:
During the two years Of control of
the legislative machinery no effective
steps have been taken by the governor
Tor me establishment Of a system of
equal taxation"
In this way it could be adopted with
out criticising the Legislature for defeat
ing railroad taxation.
This convention IL entitled TO great
credit and originality for To discovery
that the governor at any time mad con-
trgl or the Legislative machinery"
What revelation these lin - Of the
platform make. They tell the whole
story. They force the question home 10
every man who reflects: -, as that an
old-time Democratic conven ion, facing
its political rival, quick to see eud point
out and mistake, any wrong. doing1
For eighteen months the Democratic
press Of the state had sounded a rin.
ing note OF rebuke TO the Legislature
which had failed 70 keep its promises.
and when there comes the day and the
hour for the crystalizatiOn OF all this
criticism in political platform, pro-
claiming from the hOusetOp that broken
pledge, the bad faith Of that Legislature
then, then, when the Democratic ear
is strained to catch the party slogan,
this Milwaukee convention for come De-
culiar reason is as silent as the house Of
the dead
Whit does It mean? What Is its real
siguihcancef This omission, this silence,
cries trumpet tongued - heaven" for
explanation. He.e was an opportunity
that would not occur again IN the aver
age lifetime OF a DeiaOcrat, for--dis-
ciplined as II has been by that expert
ence-the Republican ,! Fty Of Wiscon-
sin viii never again break It's platform
promises. Here was a hance such as
would have opened the q IS OF a Demo
cF4t. dead In his grave. And yet not
word. not a whisper about it, in all the
platform declarations Of that convention.
Ihst speaking silence which c0nfesses,
which prOclaiIns to all the world, that
controlling force in the convention was
IN full fellowship and sympathy with the
legislative action defeating railroad taxa
tiou, win, before this campaign ig over.
open the eyes Of every living Democrat
in the state.
This question viii force itself upon
every member Of that party; it viii come