Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-01-22

the taxes of the public-service cor
porations for many years. 1t is their
due, it is due to the state, that these
wrongs should end here and now. The
past cannot be recalled. The wrongs
inflicted cannot be repaired. but there
is lodged with this legislature the full
authority, and upon it rests the bind
Ing obligation to deal justly with these
corporations and with the people. This
duty is not one which may be shirked
or evaded or postponed.
recommend that the bill formulated by
the tax commission in accordance with
their report, pursuant to the law ere
ating that body and presented by
them to the Legislature. be passed
promptly. and that there may be no
uncertainty I now say that measure
creating a board of assessment to de-
termine the value Of railroad proper
ty, and applying to railroad compa-
MES and other public-service corpo-
rations the same rate OF taxation
which other taxable property pays IN
this state will be promptly approved
by the executive, if given the oppor.
tunity."
The governor gives many tables OF
comparative freight rates of railroads
in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, show
ing that Wisconsin shippers are COM
PEELED to pay eXorbitant rates. Upon
the necessity of the establishment Of
a commission to protect the shipping
%1o NJ
says: '"There would seem to be no
need of argument. The rates in them
selves make the demand stronger than
any form of words can express it."
The governor renews his recommen-
dation fo~ the enactment Of primary
election law, saying:
EVERY established practice and Gus
tom which tends to impair in any de-
gree the citizens right of suffrage sub
verts the principles of representative
government and undermines the foun-
dations of democracy. Scarcely a
score Of years has passed since the sa-
credness of the ballot was made a
prominent issue in national campaigns,
| and, doubtless as a result, there fol-
| lowed much of the legislation which
effectively guards the casting and
counting of the ballot in the general
elections. When the voter
enters the election booth to exercise
that right he finds prepared for him an
official ballot upon which is printed
the candidates Of each party for the
offices to be filed at that election.
The voting of ticket at the
general election in the making of
which he has had no voice, robs him
of his voice in the election. He has
simply been an instrument in the
hands of those who prepared the bal
lot, in casting which he records not his
will, but their will.
''It is no longer open to dispute that
the nomination of candidates for Of
fee has in a very large measure passed
out of the hands of the citizen. If the
caucus and convention system operates
to exclude a majority of the voters
from taking part in making the NOM
ination. it abridges the right of suf-
|
| and affection for the state, it inStills
apprehension and suspicion with re-
spect to that government which the cit
izen comes more and more to feel is
not his government. and deprives the
state Of that loyalty and devotion
which is nourished in unifcation of in
terests born out of the largest measure
of direct personal participation posi-
BILE in a representative democracy.
The nomination of all candidates by
direct vote under the Australian bal
lot should appeal to the patriotism Of
all legislators and lift them above par
tisan and personal prejudice, in a
united effort TO give the people of Wis
consin a system of electing public Of
fcials truly representative of public
interests: in restoring to the people in
full measure this principle of pure
democratic government. This is re-
quired particularly of Republicans. by
every obligation which can be made
binding upon the honor of the repre-
sentatives of any political party in the
public service. I submit,
therefore, that it is not for us to de-
termine what shall be the scope of a
law to nominate candidates by direct
vote. This has been settled by the
people of Wisconsin, to whom the mat
ter has been referred and referred
again. They have determined that all
candidates for state. legislative. con-
gressional, and county offices shall be
nominated at a primary election upon
the same day by direct vote under the
Australian ballot
| The Office of Governor.
1T is apparent that the office Of gov
ernor is one in the filling of which
special interests. and especially the
railroads. will more and more desire
to exercise an influence as the years
go by. How effectually they can. in
any ordinary contest for the guberna-
torial nomination, accomplish this
through the manipulation of conven-
ton delegates. when they have many
millions of dollars annually at stake