The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-07-07
What's the Matter With the Legis-
lature?

A wave of radicalism has swept over
the country. The cure-all for our po-
litical evils is something new, so new
that not a man in the Wisconsin 1egis-
lature from Gov. McGovern down, has
any practical experience back of him
to prove whether or not this new fan
gled measure is devised on purpose by
a lot of unbusinesslike men to hamper,
hinder and Cypress the conduct of bust
ness.
The law making power of the state
is turned over to lot of men who made
a so called republican platform under
the dictation of LaF Gillette, which plat
form they stuffed with mass of raw,
improved theories and schemes Tor so
called reform legislation. Their party
and platform received plurality from
the voters of the state who like Saul OF
Tarsus thought they were doing Gods
service by stoning somebody.
The ruling thought with the radicals
in the legislature is not whether their
laws are for the welfare of the business
interests of the state. Talk to them
about those interests and they will say
to YOU in effect: Business be damned;
we tell you that the men who are car
rying on the business of our state are
gang of pirates, robbing Gods patient
poor and some other people. We are
going to pass laws that will rip the
Vitals out of business in behalf of the
common man." AS though the COM
mon man was not interested IN the
steady promotion of business whereby
he, as we'll as other men, except these
crack Drained lawyers In the leglsla-
ture, can earn their daily bread.
There never was such mass of half
digested crudities passed as laws in the
history of this or any other state. 1t
will take a quarter of a century to re-
pair the injury, the annoyance, the set
backs to the conduct of all kinds of
business, which the present legislature
of Wisconsin has been guilty OF estab-
fishing in the name of reform. George
w. Perkins in the Worlds Work says:
'Myriads of laws have been enacted
for the restricting, limiting and cur
failing of business. While the inventor
has been explaining the businessman s
opportunities, the law maker has been
endeavoring to contract them. The
clashing of these two great forces IS
largely responsible for our present con-
ditions. While laws have been enacted
having as their purpose the prevention
of business of getting together, we
have had the uses of steam and cleo
tricity so perfected that the business
world has been irresistably drawn to-
gether and the attempts of men to
make laws that will nullify conditions
that have come about through the con-
quest of the mysteries of Nature will
never permanently succeed. One might
as well attempt to legislate against
lightning. The day has come
when we need craftsmanship in bust
ness and more business-like statesman
Ship"
That is the trouble with the Wiscon-
sin legislature today. 1t is in the hands
of cheap lawyers and politicians, each
trying to ride into fame and place on
this La Toilette move of radicalism
and humbug reform. Every man jack
of the gang thinks he sees a chance to
be governor, congressman or senator If
he can get his bill to reform something
passed. Poor cheap thinkers of costly
machinery they are, but they must
carry out their platform, they say. The
people will soon wake up to see what a
curse is this radical politics they have
turned loose upon themselves and when
they do they will repudiate these crea-
lures of their own making.
Hoard in Jefferson County Union.