Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-12-11

of the ballot upon both government
and party. The public official who
can count on party loyalty to CARR
him through, grows Indifferent and
dishonest in the public service. The
political party which is strongly in
| trenched in power behind a blind par
tisan majority, scorns public opinion
and claims it's share of graft to en-
rich bosses and maintain the party
machine. To control the selection of
candidates for Office, to hedge the
party organization about with SEN
timent that the party is sacred
thing, to so arouse partisan feeling
in the campaign as to fuse the mass
Of voters together, and make them
vote as one man, has made possible
the era of official dishonesty, which
seems to have taken possession of the
public service everywhere. Out of it
there came to political bosses a sense
of security which made them bold in
dealing with the agents of the cap
tains of industry, who have found 1t
to their interests to make politics and
government a matter OF business.
Whatever conduces to make the voter
as he enters the election booth free
to exercise an independent judgment,
to consider the public welfare, the in
tegrity of the state and the country
first of all, will at once establish
higher party standards and better pub
lie service"
The Capitol.
Of the several acts requiring revl-
sion the governor says,-and this mat
ter is first in his message-one Of the
most important is chapter SIG, which
provides for the erection of a capitol
by sections, as the needs of the state
may require. Examination of this act
makes it plain that several of the i'm
portant features of the law prescrib-
ing the powers and duties of the COM
mission are of very uncertain mean
ing and necessarily require construc-
ton. With all the conflicting inter
ests involved and the tendency in
those who compete, as architects or
contractors to become embittered if
they meet with disappointment, this
would be exceedingly dangerous The
commission ought not to be left to
grope in the dark. In carrying out this
great work it is right that their powers
should be restricted. 1t is absolutely
necessary that they should be clearly
and accurately defined. Nothing, says
the governor, should be left to conjec-
ture or be involved in uncertainty.
Then he calls attention to many am
biguities Of a technical but dangerous
nature.
Much Attention is Given to Insurance.
ct is a shocking disclosure of the
demoralized business integrity of
the country he says, when the admis-
sions of the highest officials entrusted
with the savings which the people have
invested in life insurance and charged
with the management of these funds
show habitual violation of their trust
to enrich themselves at the expense of
policy holders. 1t ought to be neces-
employee of any insurance company
should be personally interested in the
purchase or sale of any securities of
that company, or any personal or pc
cuniary interest in the making Of any
loans of the funds of the company.
The disclosures of the investigation
of the New York legislative commit
tee have demonstrated that the policy
holders of at least three of the largest
of the companies of the country have
been Systematically plundered by the
operations of the officers of those com
panies." 1t appears from the testi-
mony taken before the New York in
vestigating committee that one of the
great sources Of evil is the improper
affiliation Of insurance companies with
other business enterprises, both
through the personal connections OF
insurance officials with such enter
prises, and through the holdings OF
stock and other voting securities of in
dustrial and transportation companies
by insurance companies. A conser-
vative estimate places the par value
of securities owned by insurance COM
panies, which carry with them voting
power, at over one hundred millions
of dollars To the extent to which
securities represent voting power in
surance companies, acting through
their officials, participate in the man
agement of other business enter
prises. This is beyond the legitimate
province of life insurance companies.
The governor thinks it questionable
if insurance companies should invest
in securities Of this character at all,
but if investments in selected shares
of unquestioned value be exped1ent
the voting power that they may carry
should be vested in a public official
not connected with an Insurance COM
pany or any industrial or transporta-
ton company.
The governor details some OF the
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