Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-07-31


The most important work was accom-
plished along the lines Of
Lie insurance regulation;
State control OF public utilities;
Stock and bond regulation;
Primary election revision;
Residence district saloon option;
Form Of election ballot;
Twocent passenger fare;
Substituting comparative negli-
gence7 principle for the old "contribu-
tory negl gence" in personal injury
suits;
Regulating building of new lines Of
railroad so as to prevent unnecessary
duplication of railroad facilities;
Liberal appropriations for the care
of the states charges in the eleemos-
ynary institutions, for the state uni
yersity, for new normal schools and
for the advancement of the states edu-
cat.onal equipment.
Advanced Legislation.
Some of the legislation is of The
kind known as advanced or radi.
cal. Not few of the bills that went
through the mill, some with little or no
opposition, would have had no chance
ten, eight, six, four or even two years
ago. Among such are the following:
l. Providing for the regulation of
rates and of service of water, electric
light gas, telephone, telegraph,
street railway, power and heating
companies.
2. Providing for the regulation of
the issue of stock and bonds of all
public service corporations, giving
to the railroad commission supervisory
control over these issues ard prevent
ing the issue of any stocks and bonds
except for actual value.
8. The enactment of insurance leg
islation affording protection to Wis
consin policyhOlders, making mutual
in name by the abolition of proxy in
companies, mutual in fact as well as
company elections, providing for pub
licity in all the affairs of the com.
panies and providing an account of the
policyholders share in the surplus
and an apportionment of dividends.
A. Providing that slight negligence
on the part of an injured employc
shall not be bar to the recovery of
damages by him if the jury shall find
that the negligence of the company is
greater than his own.
S. Submitting to the people a pro
posed amendment to the constitution
imposing a graduated tax upon in
comes.
6. Providing for the expense AMI
formal ballot for a primary election
at which delegates to national conven-
tons of the various parties shall he
elected. The enactment of a law
which relieves cities other than Mil
waukee from holding primary I'M
less a stipulated percentage of cleo
tors call for primary.
T. Enabling cities and villages to
own their own public utilities and per-
hitting municipalities. when they pur-
chase a public utility, to pay for the
utility out of the proceeds Of certif-
Gates of Indebtedness which shall be
a lien on the property SO purchased
g. Submitting constitutional
amendment to the people, which
would permit the state to engage in
internal improvements, and particu-
larly extending state aid in the con-
structioE and improvement of high
ways.
g. Providing for the humane and
sanitary housing of people in tenement
districts and for the inspection and
regulation Of tenements.
10. The creation of board of i'm
migration and for advertising the OPP
portunities for home-seekers in Wis
consin.
OF First Importance.
The most important of these meas
ures is the public utility act which has
been declared by students of this
class of legislation to be the most per-
feet aw of its kind ever enacted il
any state. 1t places every public
utility except street railways, under
the control of the railroad commission,
and provides for these utilities the
same sort and character of regulation
which the railroad commission act
provides for the steam railroads.
Electric railways, street and inter
urban, are placed under the control of
the railroad commission in sepa-
rate act, and are subjected to practic-
ally the same regulation as steam
roads.
This lar provides that all rates to
be cha ed for service by all public
utilities shall be based upon fair re-
turn upon the actual value OF the
property actually used and useful in
the performance Of The pubic sery-
ice. This provision is So far-reaching
that 1t in a large measure seems
to take the place of the kind Of a
stock and bond bill which may have
been in the minds Of the men who
framed the republican platform. The
great evil in watered stock had been
recognized to be the charging Of
rates by public utilities sufficiently
high TO bring a return on Immensely
Inflated capitalizaticns. BY establish
ing the rule that the rate shall De
based upon actual value Of property.
regardless Of outstanding stocks and
bonds the rev law makes extensive