Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-10-25
NEEDING

clearly and forcibly. He took oc-
caslon to quote from letter of
September Is, 1912, sent out by
the Wisconsin Manufacturers As
ISOLATION, of which the Democra-
tic candidate for lieutenant Gov
ernor is vice-president. This let
ter assails the progressive Repub-'
llcan administrations in Wiscon-
sin as an exasperating medd-
ling by officious and frequently
incompetent officials with private
and corporate affairs. /" 1t con-
|cludes with this appeal. We
will require some good men on
guard at Madison to watch and
advise. This will cost our assoc
iation considerable money.
And Governor McGovern re-
marks, Thus the program is very
clear. The special interests Of
the state, having failed to defeat
the men, who during the past ten
years, have loyalally stood for
the public welfare as opposed to
special privilege; having failed to
prevent the enactment of the leg.
islation to which | have referred
and having been beaten in their
opposition to the establishment
of boards and commissions to en-
force these laws, now propose to
hamstring the execution of them
by withholding appropriations and
| if possible by abolishing the COM
missions. Thus emerges>one of
/ the concrete issues of the present
campaign. 1t is the old issue.
When the Railroad Commission
was established to compel the
railroads to give reasonable rates
and services, without discrimin-
alton or favoritism. the special
interests raised the cry Of med
ding When the Civil Service
| Commission was entrusted with
the duty of filling public positions
with competent employees select
ed solely for fitness, and remoy-
ing government appointments
from politics. the bosses and their
henchmen again complained
about meddling. When the
Dairy and Food Commission was
given adequate powers and be-
gan to ENFORCE progressive laws
for the protection of the public
against fraudulent, impure, and
even poisonous food stuffs, there
was once more a clamor about
'meddling. When the Tax
Commission began to work out a
system of distributing the expen-
ses of government, state and To-
cal, so that the big, favored cor
porations and the rich individuals
were compelled, for the first time
to contribut their just and proper
share Of public expenses. anoth-
er cutlery was raised about
'meddling. And now it isl
'meddling' to establish High
way Commission to administer
state aid in the building of good
roads; it is 'meddling' to create
an Industrial Commission to..make
certain that damages in injury
cases really get into the pockets
Of the hurt workingman and hlsl
dependents, and so to supervise
the business of manufacturing
that the danger of accidents is
lessened and the general condl-
tons of labor are made better for
lal oring men and women. 1t IS
vicious meddling : to call IN re-
nowned experts to help perfect
those measures demanded by the
people for giving voters more
complete control over their own
government and for administer
ing, wisely and efficiently, those
laws designed to put into pracu-
cal effect the principle OF equall-
itv of opportunity in politics, mi
farming and industry. t Is the
old. old protest of special inter.
osts that have been deprived OF