Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-01-19

| humane system of compromising work
men injured in the course Of their en-
/ ployment He says
Losses due TO Industrial accidents to
workmen now fall in the first instance
| on the injured employee or in case of
| death upon his widow and orphan chill
/ dren. This burden can be shifted to the
| shoulders OF the employer and thus upon
/ society as a whole only by means of a
lawsuit. As the law now stands, in order
| to prevail in such an action, the plaintiff
must show that the injury for which he
/ seeks redress was due to the negligence
! OF the employer. Even then his action
may be defeated by showing that he was
guilty of contriDutory negligence no mat
! ter In how slight degree, that the acct
| cent was due to the ordinary risks of the
| employment which the law says he as
| sumed when he went to work. or that it
/ was due TO the fault OF q fellow servant.
| Tested by these rules probably in not
| over fifteen per cent. of these personal
| injury cases does a valid right OF action
/ exist
| The present system which bases the
| right OF recovery in these cases upon
! litigation should so far as possible be
abolished altogether and a system. Of
just. promnt and certain compensation
OF all wage-earners injured in the course
tuted for it
1T seems TO me that of all plans thus
Tar put in operation, the German system
Is the best. It is compulsory and re-
quires no contribution from employees in
| accident cases. So long as the constitu-
TONS Of the state and nation remain as
they are, any system of workmen's COM
pensation established here, unlike that of
Germany, cannot be compulsory but must
De optional or elective. have faith that
even with this exception and in the face
OF constitutional difficulties, the ingenu-
~ OF the legislative mind will find way
Tor the enactment of a statute which
VIII do for US substantially what the
| German law has accomplished
Conservation of Natural Resources.
'The conservation of the natural re-
sources Of the state Is question of vital
public interest. It is a comparatively
new subject, having received but little
attention until a few years ago. The
general movement in favor of conserva-
ton, nationwide and alI-embracing as it
now is, has found expression in this state
IN more sober and sensible attitude rel
alive to the preservation of the fertility
Of the soil, the care Of our forests and
the utilization of our water powers The
time has come, therefore, for the adop-
ton of a definite general policy in Wis
consin concerning these subjects to take
| the place OF the special and sporadic leg
lslation characteristic of the past
Income Tax
Governor McGovern recommends that
the proposed sixteenth amendment to the
constitution of the United States, which
confers on congress the power to enact
an income tax law. be approved, and also
| that state law taxing incomes be en-
acted. The enactment of such a law,
+ I,1
great wealth who now in a measure es-
| cape performance of their public obliga-
lions to contribute their just share to-
ward the support of the government. Con-
Guiding this subject the executive says:
To what extent an income tax may
become substitute for our present per-
sonal property tax, or any part Of it,
probably time alone and experience in
the administration of such law can
tell. Until we have had such experience,
1t may be well to proceed with caution
in the matter of the immediate abolition
or Reconsideration of the present personal
property tax
The present method Of taxing auto
mobiles is. according to the governor ut
terly inadequate. The present plan Of
advalorem taxation is not adapted to
them. Instead. there should be provid-
ed a license fee based upon weight or
horsepower of these cars, and the rev.
enue should be applied to highway pur-
poses.
Minerals
The taxation of minerals is a subject
which should receive attention and the
laws relative thereto possible revision.
says the governor The mineral wealth
of the state under the present law prac-
tically escapes all taxation. This situa-
ton may be met by taxing the lands as
we now do without regard to their min
eral deposits~and then levying upon the
latter an occupation or privilege tax
when they are mined, proportionate in
value to the amount Of ore removed.
Telephone Companies,
The state treasurer reports that under
the present method Of taxing telephone
companies on their gross earnings, fifty
eight companies paid no tax whatever
last year while forty-f1ve other com
panies paid less than one dollar each.
The satisfactory results obtained by the
taxation of railroads, street car and teIe-
graph companies on an advalorem basis.
seem to the governor TO justify an ex-
tension Of the advalorem 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.
6iib FNCICTCHoQTFls
The great task OF the time is how TO
make and keep the government really
representative Of the people. The initia-
tive, the referendum and the recall have
been proposed effective means for ac-
complishing this result, says the COVER
nor. They have engaged the thoughtful
attention Of the entire country, and In
the recent campaign in this state receiv-
ed the endorsement of all political par
ties.
Concluding an exhaustive discussion Of
these measures. the governor says:
These measures, intended as they are
to bring the government closer to the
people and make it more flexible in
strument in their hands for the promo
ton of the public welfare, cannot be in
troduced in Wisconsin by mere legtsla-
tive enactment. Under the constitution
Of this state all legislative power is
vested in the senate and assembly and
any attempt to confer such power or any
part Of 1t, upon others, even upon the
people themselves. without an appro-
pirate amendment to the constitution
would be Intellectual Believing. as 7 do
in the wisdom and practicability Of these
reforms I most earnestly urge the pas
sage of a joint resolution by this IegisIa-
ture for the submission to the people of
amendment to Section l. Article 4. Of
the constitution of this state, so drawn
as to permit the exercise by the people
of the powers to which I have here re-
ferred''
The governor next takes up the subject
Of home rule for cities. On this subject
he says:
Every consideration Of good citizene
ship, efficient local administration and
wise public policy suggests a change in
this regard, and the enactment Of legis-
lation which will confer upon cities full
powers of local self-government includ-