The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-08-04
THE report reaches us that Assembly


The report reaches us that Assembly
man Gettle took a crack at The Re-
porter in his Farmers Picnic speech last
Thursday. While we have no reason to
expect him to say anything good of
titled in including this paper with 9TH
ers he mentioned, viz. The Milwaukee
Sentinel, Free Press and GAINESVILLE Ga
zette, as controlled by "the interests"
although possibly we might be compli-
mented to be included among this class
of journals. We fear the trouble with
Gettle is that since he landed in the
legislature clinging to the coat tails OF
Senator La Toilette his vision does not
extend beyond the halo that surrounds
his patron saint, and even is afflicted
with the same nightmare about ''the
interests" will get you if you don't
watch out. So when Bob sets the pace
bv vicious attack upon President
Taft, "Me Too" Gettle must also take
a fall out of the president whenever the
opportunity presents itself, even though
such language uttered against the head
of the government in Russia or Ger
many would cause him to be thrown
into jail Immediately. Gettle's defense
of the enormous university appropria-
ton bills and of President Van Hise's
conservation investments caused quite
a smoker among his farmer listeners
and he might have kept on explaining
the whole of the afternoon the unnec-
essary restrictive laws, salary raises,
and commission jobs passed by the
most extravagant legislature the state
has ever known. He, however, failed
to mention the binder Irvine plant ap-
preparation or the income tax bills
which are now being dubbed the jokes
of the session. Evidently Mr.. Gettle
does not like the showing up of the
foolish laws and extravaganza of the
legislature which The Reporter has
recently been giving. But wait
until the farmer listeners have
paid their taxes along about the close
of the year and there will be more eX-
planning for Mr. Gettle to do of his
work at Madison. In the meantime
read what his brother assemblyman,
Merlin Hull, has to say of the university
appropriation: "Along last spring when
the University of Wisconsin press bu-
reau was working overtime, stirring up
sentiment and support for the most eX-
travagant appropriation bill that instl-
one of the tunes heard the most fire.
quently was that the great increase in
the number of students made it imper-
ative that money be appropriated to
take care of the new students, provide
additional facilities and keep pace with
the growth, otherwise Wisconsin would
be held disgraced from the lowered
standard of our great fountain of in
spiration. After display of lobbying
which would make railroad or other
corporation lobbyist turn green with
envy, the money was obtained-$3, $780,
900 of it. The very first purpose an
nounced after the legislature adjourn
ed, was that the university would build
an immense addition to the gymnasium,
which was erected only few years
ago at cost of several hundred thou
sand dollars. This new addition will
not be used to care for the increasing
number OF students. Not a bit of it.
1t will be devoted to winter baseball
and football, and have a running track,
etc. In other words, it is another lux
ury added to the already luxurious ac-
commodations of the present big gym
nasium: 1t is simply another instance
like that of the women's dormitory ap-
preparation of 1907. After they got the
money for the dormitory, which prob
ably was needed and should have been
built then, they erected fine club
house and society headquarters for the
students of aristocratic ideas, leaving
the young ladies to secure quarters
about the city as before. 1t is not the
university which the people object
to. 1t is the tactics of the men
who are now bOSSing it. The
worst enemies the university has are
not it's critics on the outside. They are
its ostensible friends on the inside who
are driving it headlong into politics as
a political issue by just such methods. !"