The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-22
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be compelled to bear his and its just and
equal share Of the public expense.
Throughout the campaign Mr.. La Toilette,
who AS a campaigner is not eXceled by any
public speaker in the northwest, if in the
country. stood sqLarely upon this platform
and expounded and advocated its principles.
No republican raised his voice in opposition
to it until after the election.
The legislature convened in regular session
in January, 1901, when the governor in his
message recommended the legislation to
which he and the party stood pledged.
., The "stilI Hunt"
| 1t. then for the first time, dawned upon the
governor ana his friends that the old political
machine which for a generation had nomi-
mated the candidates and distributed the pat
ronage, and had fought his nomination until
routed from the field. had Immediately fGrned
its attention to secure by 4 still hunt" the
nomination and election of members of the
legislature, who believed or could with prop
er kind of argument be made to believe, that
1t was to their interests to- desert the platform
| upon which they and the governor had been
elected This element had It's strength in the
| senate consisting of only thirty-three mem
bers, two Of whom we're democrats. num-
Der of senators had before the legislature con-
vened met in Milwaukee spd, it seems, agreed
to oppose the governor and defeat the primary
! election law.
In Wisconsin, as in tooan1any of the west
ern states, strong railroad lobby hovers
continually about the~iegislature. This was
especially true in 19el,-as the governor in
| line with the report Of the state tax CONF
mission had recommehdeiy that the taxes i'm
posed upon railroads and other public service
corporations be increased to equal the rate
borne by other property. The tax commits
sions rel ort, laid before the legislators
found after thorough investigation, that the
rate Of taxation of railroads was not much
mere than half that Of other property, and
! that to place them on IAN equality the rails
road tax should be increased at,least 81 900 900
yearly.
An Unlikely Alliance.
| 1t was not long before unholy alliance
was formed between the senatorial malcon-
tents and the railroad lobby, and as result
primary election reform and tax reform both
met with defeat.
The men who thus betrayed their trust as
| representatives are among the leaders in
the boilers league. The rank and file of
the party are as strongly in favor of Governor
La Toilette as two years ago, and the fact
that they. were trcked out of the fruits of
their victory makes their zeal more intense.
On the part of the old machine 1t is death
struggle. They feel the grasp of the younger
cleaner and more progressive element of the
community upon its throat, and in their dire
distress they have resorted to the method OF
the scold.
At the close of the last session of the legis-
lature one of the machine lobbyists boasted
that no legislation opposed by the railroads
had passed the Wisconsin legislature for six
teen years. He might with almost equa
/ truthfulness have said that no measure ad.
vocated by them had failed to pass.
Railroads Without Regulations.
! In Wisconsin the railroads are practically
without regulation. All attempts to Great,
a railroad commission like that Of Iowa OF
4 Minnesota have been defeated. Rates in thi
4 state are much higher than in Iowa and some
4 what higher than in Minnesota under sinlila
circumstances for the same distances. Ado
to this the fact that the railroads escape thei,
4 just share of taxes and maintain at Madison
l during sessions of the legislature a lobb!
that has become notorious for its corrup
methods, and it is not strange that publ,
sen timent on the subject is becoming FESTIVE
1 The howl of ''populst'' aud socialist. il
4 freely INDUCED in by the self-styled econ
\ servatves," who usually keep their privat
4 axes on the public grindstone The railroad
\ have been, sowing the proverbial wind 80
! years and rich crop of whirlwind ought no
to be. beyond their reasonable expectations
! Thus far the measures presented have Ger
i tainly kept we'll within the range Of fairnes
d to corporate interests. Wisconsin is neithe
populstic nor socialistic. 1t is eminentl,
Z conservative, and at the same time progress
sive. -
The great advancement In those agencies
A like railroads, street cars. etc, which max
{ for the betterment of human conditions II
: modern society," has placed it in the power o
enterprsing and not always scrupu!ous mel
I to iespoil the public and enrich thense1ye
q by securing the ownership for little or moth
q ing of public franchises. We find, for in
\ stance, the street railway company of Mil
4 waukee, by what is now pretty we'll known I
4 have been corrupt influences, secure frpp
3 the common council extension of its fran
! chse at scent fare until 1885. For genei
y alton, at least, the people of Milwaukee mus
E endure this extortion no matter how muc
4 the cost of maintenance and operation ma
Z be reduced by improved methods. At tn
I same time. and it was only half a dezen year
4 ago, the same company secured the IoWerin
9 of its taxes by the legislature, and increase
4 1.-the stock and bonded indebtedness by severn
hundred per cent. Henry c; Payne, now PCS
master general, has until recently been tn