Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-01-18

WV
pay at about $4,000. They actually
paid last year $19.26.
Upon presentation of this situation
to the last legislature, the law was
not altered except in reference to a
single corporation, the American
Telegraph and Telephone company,
which has since been taxed upon the
basis of the ratio which it's revenue
from Wisconsin business bears to it's
entire income. The results of even
this slight change in the law are so
striking as to justify a further altera-
ton in the method of taxation of all
telephone companies. Prior to the
law of 1909 this particular company
paid, during a period Of eleven years,
an average tax of 1924 per year.
These figures moreover measure it's
entire contribution to the support of
government in Wisconsin, as it paid
no local tax whatever. But under the
new law it's tax for the year 1910 was
| $8,030.61, or almost 800 times as much
as it had been accustomed to pay un-
der the old rule. Meanwhile it's num-
Der of poles and miles of wire and the
value of it's property remained prac-
tically unchanged.
This example and the satisfactory
results obtained by the taxation of
railroads, street car and telegraph
companies on an ad valorem basis,
seem to me to justify an extension of
the ad valorem system to all telephone
companies in the state. In this way
these companies will be taxed upon a
basis just and fair to all and many
thousands of dollars will be added to
the public revenues.
Initiative, Referendum and Recall.
The great task of the time is how to
make and keep the government really
representative Of the people. Power
full forces are constantly at work to
pervert it, This is the initial prob
lem which must be solved before real
progress along any other line is pos
sible. In the final analysis everything
else Of political nature is either in
cidental or auxiliary to it.
The initiative. the referendum and
the recall have been proposed as eff
fective means for accomplishing this
result. They have eneaeed the
thoughtful attention of the entire
country, end in the recent campaign
in this state received the endorse
ment of all political parties They
are closely related to each other, have
a common object and embody really
but one idea-that Of placino the neo-
pie If actual control of public affairs
The most important Of these re
forms is the initiative. As its name
implies, it contemplates giving to the
people the mower to initiate, that is,
to propose hills directly end without
the intervention of the legislature,
and to enact them into law. if they so
desire. And so also of amendments
to the constitution. This power of
original and affirmative action in leg
islation by the entire electorate of the
state, is not likely to be exercised ex-
cept in reference to matters of great
public Importance, and then only after
the legislature has been shown to be
unresponsive in giving effect to popu-
lar demand.
The initiative is not designed to
abolish repres entative government or
even to limit it's scope, but rather to
perfect and improve it. 1t should not
be employed in reference to too many
questions at one time. But I do not
approve the notion that the scope of
the initiative should be so narrowed
as to exclude any subject, however
special or local it may be. In my
opinion no such limitation is defensi-
BILE or practicable
A smaller percentage should be re-
| quired to sustain a petition for the
submission of a law to a referendum
vote of the people before going into
effect. Unlike the initiative, the refer
e.dum is negative in it's operation,
acting only as a check or brake upon
unwise or corrupt legislative action.
| 1t is, nevertheless, a most valuable
and highly desirable expedient. More
t. an any other device thus far sug
| gested it is admirably calculated to
do away with corruption in public af-
fairs, or at least to put a powerful
check upon it.
The recall will be more restricted
in its operation. In certain sense it
is an extension Of the power of i'm
] peachment, with the people them
selves as the tribunal. The mere fact
! of the existence of such a recourse
in the case of recreant or dishonest
public officials, and the possibility
that it may be invoked at any time,
cannot fail to react with tremendous
force in inspiring higher and more
disinterested feeling of responsibility
to the people on the part of all who
occupy official station
These measures cannot be intro
duced in Wisconsin by mere 1egisla-
tive enactment. Believing, as I do, in
the wisdom and practicability of these
reforms, I most earnestly urge the
passage Of joint resolution by this
legislature for the submission to the
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