The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-04-07
Life of State Commission Is In
v0lved in Bitter War.
SITUATION HAS BECOME ACUTE
constitutionality OF the Civil Service
Once and for All Is TO Be Test
ed-Speaker ingram Saves
Freight Rates Bill.


A bitter fight to the bitter end is on
in Wisconsin involving the life and
future of the civil service commission
and the merit system in this state.
Senator LaFollette is a strong advo-
cate of the merit system and it was
during his term as governor that civil
service became so strongly established
in the Badger state. Strange as it
may seem, some of the men who today
are expressing discomfort and dissatiS
faction with the workings of the civil
service commission and the operation
of the merit system are prominent La
Toilette men, among them being Sec
rotary of State James A. Frear. Mr..
Frear and other state officers seriously
and strenuOusly object to system
which practically reaches every office
in the state service. Positions of pri-
vate trust are not exempt, and officials
find that in appointments of decided
ly personal character they must look
of the civil service commission for
persons to fill these places.
tee hearings on bills relating to The
merit system and the work of the
commission that the commission is 60
ing beyond it's statutory authority in
the matter of. political activity on the
part of state employees under civil SER
vice. This, however, is denied by F.
E. Doty, secretary of the board, who
int q
of the law on political activity denies
no employees of the state under civil
service the right to show reasonable
activity in matters involving political
principles. The law does prohibit
any employe from soliciting or re-
ceiving campaign funds, he said, but
beyond that it denies nothing There
is a bill before the legislature which
proposes to have commission COM
posed of non-salaried commissioners.
and Secretary Frear spoke kindly of
that bill.
The situation has become SO acute
that LaFOllettes magazine in an eG-
itorial cautions the legislators not to
strike at the foundation of civil SER
off" Mr.. Frear referred to the editor
| ial as the work of a youthful editor"
| The constitutionality of the civil SER
vice once and for all is to be tested.
| The commission has taken steps to
secure a mandamus from the Supreme
court of the state calling upon Secre-
tary of State Frear to show reason
why he refused to audit certain &C
counts of the commission. In a re-
cent opinion by Attorney General
Levi H. Bancroft, Mr.. Frear Is eau
toned not to audit any more accounts
presented by the commission. In his
opinion Mr.. Bancroft says that the
secretary of state will audit further
accounts at his own peril and the per
il of his bondsmen.
The big brewers of the state ale
making a brilliant fight to defeat GER
tain legislation aimed at the liqucr
traffic in Wisconsin. It's most active
lobbyists, Henry F. Cochems and
Charles A. A. Niece of Milwaukee.
are two of the most brilliant debaters
ever graduated from the state univer-
| slty. Mr.. COchems in his college days
| won great renown as football player,
| and Mr.. MCGEE also was prominent i'll
| various lines of college activity. One
| of the many bills that is especially an
noying to the liquor interests is one
by Assemblyman Gettle Of Edgerton
which will prohibit any woman from
frequenting any place where beer or
any other intoXicant is sold This
would hit hotels, cafes and even sum
mer resorts where beer is sold as the
| popular drink. Milwaukee Is especial
~ interested in the defeat of the bill.
Mr.. Gettle said that there is nothing
so disgusting to the decent woman
! man. Mr. Cochems, chief argumenr
against the bill was:
Most of the bills aimed at the LID
uor traffic in this state are hosed rn-,
Oh the actions of fool, an idiot cr 4
harlot. The average action Of fha
average person is not considered. The
most extreme pictures are painted
!. 4 !.
! Speaker ingram of the lower house
Pi6Seu Tie HcIo Tole the C'HeF udS
in saving the Onstad bill which pro-
vides that no change in freight rates
shall be made by railway companies
until approved by the state railroad
| commission The same bill was up
i two years ago and defeated by close
! vote Speaker ingram left his chair
! to speak for the bill. Under the On.
| Stad bill the burden of showing that
| the change is reasonable rests with
J the companies while under the present
system that burden rest with the ship
per- Mr.. Ingram showed that while
/ the state has been fighting hard to
suppress all favoritism in rates that
/ some of this sort of thing is being
! done. That Onstad bill was killed by
tbo acconoh1v hit through tho efforts