The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1912-05-09

1
after by the members of the PLATFORM con-
| vention OF each party instead of by the
| delegates to the national conventions
The foregoing suggestions cover all that
| ca ton OF the call at the time 1t was issued
| But during the past few days persistent
| and general demand has been made for the
| enactment of non partisan election bills for
| the city and county OF Milwaukee,: aud the
| subject has aroused so much public interest
that | feel l should not pass it by unno.
ticed.
In recent years there has been steady
growth of sentiment here and elsewhere In
| favor of non partisan city elections This
development Is based fundamentally on the
| fact that many OF the functions of eity ad-
ministraton have to do with neighborhood
| affairs and the business interests of In
dividual communities as distinguished from
governmental policies or the exercise Of
delegated state authority. Hence 1t is
| claimed that the issues that divide political
parties in the state and nation Law, at best
| only remote relation to the problems of To-
| cal government. The experiment moreover
has been tried and seems to work well.
| Prompted 81 these views aid encour-
| aged by this experience the people of Mil
| waukee have repeatedly tried to secure the
| nactment OF a law that will permit non
partisan city elections. Such bill was
introduced In the legislatures of 1909 and
| 1911 and was strongly supported. 1t failed
| of enactment at both sessions. But public
sentiment In Milwaukee during the recent
| municipal campaign nevertheless persuaded
|
state to forego making nominations and
to unite by means Of tmprovised expedients
In support Of non partisan city ticket.
These eXpedients were extra legal. crude
and unsatisfactory, and subjected the city
| to all the dangers Of selfish manipulation
| and ring rule But the sentiment In favor
of non partisan elections was strong
| enough to induce the people to overlook
| these drawbacks and even to approve the
rough and ready methods that were en-
| ployed.
they be relieved Of the necessity Of again
resorting to such devices and they will
| present at this session request for the
enactment of a non partisan city election
| bill Those Of you who entertain doubt as
| to the wisdom of the principle of non
partisanship in city elections should con-
slider that the question is no longer whsth-
er or not Milwaukee should have non parti-
san elections. 1t is rather whether such
elections and the making of nominations
leading up to them shall hereafter be con
Quoted openly or clandestinely by the
many or by the few; pursuant to lawful
| authority exercised In an orderly way so
every one may have an equal voice or by
manipulation in the interests of those who
| self already decided the other question,
1t Is true that strictly speaking this Is
not an emergency measure. Before another
municipal election will be held in Mlwau-
| Legislature at which this bill might be con-
sidered. 1t is true also that this subject
was not thought of when the call for this
special session was made. But some of the
language OF the call appears nevertheless
| to be broad enough to include 1t. SO the
problem is here. Believing as do In non
| partisan city elections | recommend the
| enactment Of this legislation at the present
| time.
| Springing from the same source as tie
city bill, and backed In part, by the same
! sentiment, but not supported as 1t seems
to me by the same logic, is de-
partisan election bill for the county of
Milwaukee. This proposal l cannot en-
| sentially an administrative subdivision
of the. state. Its officers as a rule exercise
state functions onIy. A comparison Of the
and the attorney general of the state, of the
! clerk of the circuit court and the clerk of
| the supreme court, of the county clerk and
the secretary of state, of the county treas
urer and the state treasurer will satisfy
any one that county government Is only a
| subdivision of state government established
| tor convenience In administration. The sher-
| If and coroner are indeed tia principal
executive officers Of the state as well as of
the county. This being true non partisan
| ship In county elections cannot be advO-
Gated logically or consistently without de-
| claring also for non partisan elections in
| the state No one seriously proposes the
| latter.
| Another insuperable obstacle In the way
OF non partisan county elections arises
| from the circumstance that county officers
| are elected in the fall on general election
| day. Then not only county officers. but
members of congress and the president and
| vice president of the United States are
chosen 1t is the one day In all the year
that Is openly and frankly partisan, for
| eminent by parties. How at such an elec
ton it Is expected that non partisanship In
| respect to county Offices can be perma-
nently maintained is not explained For
| / Il
nizing this tncongruity, 1t be proposed to
| change the time of county elections to the
spring so as to permit county officers to be
chosen at the same time city, school and
| judicial officers are elected, the obvious an
swer Is that this cannot be done by pass
Ing. statute and so to amend the consti-
| tuition will not alter the nature OF the func-
lions county officials perform nor the char
| acter of the county itself as an administra-
| tive subdivision OF the state. So long as
state elections are partisan, county elec.
tons will be so also
| AMENDMENT OF FISH AND GAME
LAWS.
Some of the laws for the protection Of
| fish and game should be amended In
practice few of these laws have been
| found to be inconsistent while others are
| mbiguOus. Especially should the author
ity of the Game Warden to take rough or
| destructive fish from the waters of the
state be made clear and explicit. There is
determined opposition In some quarters to
continuing the plan Of licensing fishermen
to remove these fish by means of seines,
In many instances where this method la =
been employed In the past game fish have
| been destroyed duck shooting has been
impaired and the vegetation In the bed
| of shallow lakes has been ruined Too
often commercial gain has been the ons
dominant motive; and as might be ex-
pected there has been little regard maid
| to other considerations.
After careful investi cation and a public
hearing upon this subject at which all In.
terested persons had an opportunity to be
| present and fully hear,, the State Game
Warden decided to discontinue the plan
of issuing these special permits or iicenses
| and proposed instead that wherever there
waters of the state the work should be-
done under his supervision and an interest
| In the profits derived from the venture
should De reserved TO the state. Before
putting this plan into general operation he
tried 1t tentatively in two places. The ex-
periments were made during some OF the
coolest weather of the past winter and
under many disadvantages imposed by the
necessity Of fishing under the Ice. Never
theless about months trial OF this plan
In two fishing streams resulted In larger
net Income to the state than the aggregate
Of all the proceeds of licenses issued dur.
ing the preceding year. These results In
the Judgment Of the head of this depart
ment justify an extension Of the plan.
to the legal authority Of the Game Warden
to take rough fish In this way. In order
| that this doubt may be removed | recon
mend the enactment Of Legislation that viii
unquestionably give effect to section 4560f-
| 10 which plainly intends that he should
| have this power,
The Inconsistencies In sections 456Oa 3s
| and 4560d should also be removed. They
are the result OF inadvertence In amending
pre- existing statutes. SO also should sec,
| ton 4565c-5 be amended 80 as to har,
monte with other provisions Of law upon
the same subject.
| Further recommendation ara for an