Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-10-30


Surveyor-WILLIAM II. GOWEN.
Republican Leaders Propose to
Organize a Machiue deStruc tive OF
Local Self Government
The republican state platform con-
tains plank that reads thus: I'VE
favor the enactment of appropriate leg
islation at the earliest practicable mo-
ment extending state aid for the con-
struction and Improvement of the high
ways of the state" Now to provide for
an appropriation for the repairing and
the building of roads, an amendment
to the state constitution was passed by
joint resolution, which amendment pro-
vides that the state may engage in the
work of building highways in the state.
This amendment is published by the
secretary Of state-'to provide that the
state may appropriate money in the
treasury, or to be hereafter raised by
taxation, for the construction or the i'm
provement of the public highways of
the state.'
Now, the proposition is so plain that
he who runs may read. The republican
leaders propose to organize powerful
political machine consisting of a state
public highway commission appointed
by the governor and seventy-two
county highway commissions appointed
by the state commission.
Now, democrats, many of you have
expressed disapproval, in no uncertain
terms, of the existing game-warden
machine. What, then. would you think
of the proposed money-squandeling ma
chine? DO you not see that such ma
chine would be fearful menace to free
Institutions? Can it be justly said that
such gigantic, self berpetuating ma
chine would not act as does the Russian
bureaucracy? Would it not be a close
corporation? Would it not lead to lin
told high-handed proceedings on the
part of its chief engineers and manipu-
lators? Would it not tend to perpetu-
ate in power the party creating it? If
so it would not be close corporation?
And would it not squander, annually,
hundreds of thousands of dollars of the
peoples money, not in improving the
highways of the state, but in its con-
slant political activity and high-handed
manipulation of governmental matters?
The democratic platform, adopted at
Madison, says that the democratic
party.is in favor of good public high
way and it stops there" Democrats
are in favor of good public roads. But
democrats 10 not believe in tyranical
Institutions. Democrats do not believe
in the organization and maintenance of
fearfully expensive political machines.
Democrats believe that the people
should have the unquestioned right to
regulate their own local affairs to as
large an extent as is compatible with
the American idea and theory of gov
eminent. Democrats, we repeat, favor
the improvement of the country high
ways, but they believe that the repair
ing and the building of roads should
continue To be done under the direction
of the taxpayers themselves; i. e., under
the direction of their immediate repre-
sentatives-the town board and the
county board.
Under this democratic system the
roads of Wisconsin have improved from
year to year. The farmers and other
taxpayers have had the privilege of
working ont their road taxes. And the
roads in every township throughout the
state have been steadily improving I'M
der this system of local self-government.
Now democrats, will you stand for the
abolition of the state system? Will you
stand for the exchange of the right of
local elf-government for the establish
ing of a great big money-squandering
machine? Farmers do you favor an
enormous Increase in the annual rate of
the state tax? And do you know that,
after you have been deprived of the
right to work out your highway tax
you may be required to pay a heavy
road tax for long series of years before
your town or district would get one
cent in return from the state and county
commissions?
Each county highway commission
would be merely part of the big politi-
cal machine. Those manipulating the
machine, while very much alive politi-
cally, would be dead TO the interests of
the people at large. Whether or not
the roads you have to travel most would
be repaired and improved under the
system proposed by republican leaders,
would, of course, depend on the degree
of your political activity in behalf of the
machine.
Farmers, vote against those who pro-
pose to establish the tyrannical system
in question. Vote against those who
would introduce a system of feudalism
in this state. Stand for the continuance
of local self-government.
AS candidate Awkward has well point
ed out, the roads in any given locality
correspond pretty closely with the ap.
pearance of the houses, barns, fences,
etc. of that locality. The highways 10
any given township improve, as rule
with the same degree of rapidity as do
other improvements in that township.
The proposed system would be solely
in the interest of the idle rich las far as