Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-08-29
OPENING SPEECH
Gov. Davidson Declares His
Position on State Issues
STANDS ON HIS RECORD

Il am glad to be with you tonight
and renew my acquaintance with the
good people o. Milwaukee. For more
than twenty-five years | have enjoy
ed personal business relations with
many OF your wholesale merchants.
1t would please me exceedingly if
had the time to form the acauaint-
ance of the multitude of workers
whose brain and Drawn have made
this one of the noted manufacturing
Centers of the world
Il do not feel that Wisconsin is in
q condition that needs alarm its citi-
zens, or that something has got to be
done, and done quickly, to save the
state from destruction. / am neither
alarmed, nor an alarmist, and see no
good reason for attempting to fright
en- the people of the state who have
this whole matter in their own hands.
Whatever they want, and whatever
they demand, they can have, for there
is none to deny them.
IF they elect g BOD men. and strong
men, and devotcu men to the legis-
lature: men who not only have minds
of their own, but disposition to
think for themselves, and pledge
these men to make the laws that are
necessary to be made, holding them
TO accountability for their steward
ship, the affairs Of the state will be
all right, and the people win get what
they want in the way Of legislation
And / want to say to you that
believe that whatever is wrong in the
government of the state, and in the
government of the cities of the state,
and in the relations of the corpora
tion--big and little-in the relations
Of the railroads and OF the numerous
small public service corporations
with the government, is because the
people have permitted 1t to be- For
people have their ballots. and they
have, in our state. the selection of
their own candidates for office
"They must control by their ballots
or they can not control ali all; and
representative government must
stand or fall by that testN Talk OF
physical revolution is the idle talk
of the demagopue, the anarchist, the
dangerous citizen.
Men who live in a self-governing
community have no excuse f~r citing
that Is theirs to do is left undone.
Men find fault with themselves. and
with what is their duty to do. but
leave undone, when they find fault
with their owr government
People Must Govern State.
"The people II the state govern the
state-not the corporations unless
they are permitted to do it; not the
machine unless It is permitted to
do It, not the boss, unless he is ner,
mitted to do 1t.
II have confidence in the people OF
wisconsin; in their intelligence; in
their stability of character; in their
| patriotism and devotion to the we'll
being ot the state believe them to
| be pretty generally honest. whether
Trey agree with me in all things or
MOTOR | make no claim to infaili-
bility, and acknowledge that there
may be such a thing--sometimes-
that I may be mistaken In myself
II believe that the people Of Wis
consin, of whatever political affilia-
tons or factional differences, are, by
a large majority, in favor OF honest
government and of keeping their GOV.
eminent in their own hands. No line
of cleavage can be drawn through
the republican party. dividing It, as 1t
has been divided, on the issue OF the
right OF the people to run their own
government.
Il have not found It to be necessary
20 repeat TO the people of Wisconsin,
on every possible occasion that I be,
iieve in their right to govern them
| selves, for I have presumed that they
| know how ] stand or that as well
! as on many other questions.
| Il am not recent convert to the
doctrine that the state has the pow.
er to control every corporation Il has
created or that il permits TO transact
| business within its borders.
Taxation Reform Not New.
THE movement for an equalization
I of the tax burden, and for the regula
| ton of the corporations in Wisconsin,
dates back much farther than three
or four ears ago, and / supported
these reforms before they had become
as popular as they are today. Twelve
years ago, as a member Of the assem-
| bly, | gave my voice and my vote for
bills to regulate express companies;
relating to taxing railroads; to estab-
lish railroad commission; providing
an income tax; creating the office Of
bank examiner; to regulate mutual In
suFance companies; to prevent I'M
! just discrimination by insurance COM
panies; to tax express companies; 10
regulate telephone charges, and to
create tax commission.
"At the next session Of the legisla-
ture, I gave such support as / was
able to bills providing for the estab-
/ Hshment of a board Of railroad com
missioners, with power to prescribe
rates: 10 authorize and direct the in
| vestlgation into the returns made by
! the railway companies Of gross earn
iDgs which were the basis for taxa
ton to provide for the taxation OF
owners and the lessees Of palace cars
and sleeping cars; to define express
| companies and prescribe the method
Of taxation and the rate OF charges;
relating to teles raph companies: to
regulate railroads, relating to main
I tolning railway stations, and relating
! to taxation Of railroad property. and
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