The Ladysmith news and Ingram news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1905-1906, 1905-12-09
such manner as the commission shall

prescribe.
| [ would recommend an amendment ex-
pressly permitting the sale of tickets at
| reduced rates to companies of the Wis
| consin National guard when attending
| the state encampment, inmates of sol
| diers' homes, students in going to and re.
/ turning from educational institutions
and bona fide homeseekers, provided,
| however, that such tickets may be sold
| without discrimination as between per-
sons or classes applying therefor under
| like circumstances and conditions
In this connection / would also recon-
mend that the exceptions enumerated in
section s be enlarged SO as to permit
railroad companies to issue free trans
portation to former employees disabled in
the service and to members of their fam
lilies, and also to the members of families
of deceased employees.
recommend that subdivision b of sec
ton II, chapter 362, be SO amended as to
give the commission power in express
terms to investigate on its own molten at
the same hearing, any or all of the rates
upon q given commodity or class of
freight upon q line of railroad from sta
lions designated by the commission.
recommend that the law be so amend
ed as to authorize the commission to pre-
scribe reasonable regulations in refer
ence to dangerous grade crossings.
Railroad Taxes.
After escaping their just taxation for
many years the railroads violated their
promises, and refused to pay the in
creased amount found by the tax COM
mission to be due. They then brought
suit again the state to enjoin the collec-
ton of the tax. Beaten in the circuit
court. they have appealed to the supreme
court of the state, and announce their
determination to protract the litigation
by ultimately carrying their cases to the
supreme court of the United States.
The railroad taxes now due the state
the large sum of 81 IA ,399.3O. | believe
that legislation can be framed which will
compel the railroads as q condition
precedent to this right to go into court at
all, to first pay the taxes assessed
against their properties The state has
already authorized the railroad COM
panies to sue and recover any unjust or
unlawful taxes levied and collected from
them. This should be a sufficient pro-
lection to their interests.
Authority of Tax Commission.
Your attention is called to manifest de-
recUs in the statutes governing the ac-
tiOnS of the tax commission in determln-
ing the valuation of the general property
of the state.
All doubt in the present law as to the.
authority of the commission to assess
should be removed. But it is manifestly
unjust that the commission, when in :.
creasing the valuation of the property OF
the state should, by so doing, impose adj,
ditiOnai burdens upon classes of property
already assessed at full value, and upon
counties which have fully returned all
taxable property, in compliance with the
statute. In other words, it seems clear
that in adding to the assessed valuation,
the commission should sub-divide and
distribute such increases, showing the
nature and location of the property upon!
which the increases have been made in
order to insure a just valuation of ALL
property and an equitable distribution of
the tax burden.
Nominations by Direct Vote.
| called attention to the objection to-
nominating candidates by a pluralityi
vote, and suggested that provision could;
be made to enable the voter at the pri-|
mary to indicate upon his ballot his first
and second choice of the candidates pre-!
sented for each office. In the event that
no candidate had received majority of
first choice votes then the second choices
votes could be counted, resulting in a.
nomination by majority vote.
This suggestion was repeated to your
honorable body in the annual message in,
January of the present year, and your,
best thought invoked upon the perfec-.
ton of the primary election law.
Since that time the statute has been
given a trial Whatever of honest criti-
cism came out Of the administration of
the new statute in the municipal cleo
lions was directed against that provision
of the law which admits of plurality
nominations. 1t is to this section of the
statute that we should apply our best eff
fort for correction. 1t is here, that the
enemies of popular government will d1-
rect their attack.
If the principle of majority control
can be applied in making nominations
by direct vote at a primary election,
every man in this commonwealth will
agree that it should be done. That this
can be easily attained is very apparent
upon examination. We have but to turn
to the country from which we took the
Australian ballot, for our lesson. Since
1892 the elector there has enjoyed the
right to use what is called the "contin-
gent vote" This is simply the "order
of preference" called into play to assert
the principle of election by absolute ma
jority. This plan provides q ballot upon
which the elector marks his first and
second choice or "Order of preference.
Where but two candidates are in tho
field there is no occasion for the eXer-
else of the second choice in order to in
sure a majority nomination, but where
there are three candidates or more than
three candidates, the ballot provides OPP
portunity for the delegates to indicate
his second choice. If, after the ballots
are counted. no candidate has an abso-
lutte majority of first choice votes, then
the ballots cast for the candidate re-
ceiving the least number of votes on the
list are assorted with reference to second
choice for the remaining candidates.
If no one then receives a majority of
first and second choice ballots, a similar
assortment of the ballots of the lowest
remaining candidates is made on the ba-
sis of second choices and added to the
votes of other candidates. and so on I'M
til some candidate has a majority of first
and second choice An examination of
this subject will make it plain that I'M
der this method it will rarely be neces-
sary to canvass the entire second choice
vote. to secure a majority nomination.
This plan effectually prevents the lowest
or weakest candidates from getting a
nomination on second choice. 1t accords
to the first choice vote it's due impor-
lance over that of the second choice and
secures to the candidate strongest with
most of the voters the majority nomina-
ton. This is simple method of deter
mining by majority vote the nomination
of candidate for each office on the pri-
mary election ballot.
To D,o.,;5o Tor,,, of poJo+