The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-08-14
LONG FIGHT TO SECURE ACT
AL Counties in the State are Consider
ably at Sea as to the manner in which
it is to be Enforced-State Taxes to
Get Funds for the Dependents

The mothers pension bill is a meas
nre which has not attracted great
deal of attention during the last part
of the session, but it is bill that is
going to be at least an experimental
measure for the state of Wisconsin,
which will be watched by the public
from the outside with a great deal of
interest. The bill provides in effect
that the state shall pay not to exceed
So week for the support Of Deepen
dent children kept in their own homes
and the amount Of the pension which
each mother is to receive is to be fixed
by the court, the maximum possible
beinng So per week per child The
whole administration of the bill is
placed in the courts, and 1t was the
question of administration rather than
the question of pensions which made
the bill of interest. The whole fight
was over the question of how the ad
ministration of the pensions should be
arranged
The friends of Gov. Francis E. Nc
Govern were anxious that the admin
istration should be under a state board
of control and that the distribution Of
the pensions should be in charge of
state officers who worked directly un-
der the board of control. The LaFol-
lette people from the first challenged
this plan and were anxious that the
administration of the pensions should
be under the courts and that the pro-
bate courts should have an oppor-
tunity to say how much of a pension
should be paid each person and
whether the applicants for pensions
were worthy or not
The LaF'ollette people finally tri-
umphed in the assembly in securing the
adoption of their Interpretation of the
measure. The experiment., therefore,
will be tried Of distributing the pen
sions through the courts. For the adj
ministration people it must be said that
they We're pretty generous in with
drawing their opposition to the bill
when their idea on the subject was not
adopted and in allowing the measure to
become a law. Had they opposed the
bill altogether it is probable it would
not even have become law in the La
Toilette form, as there was considera-
BILE opposition to the bill from persons
who did not believe in any way in
mothers pensions. Among the strong
est opponents of the bill was Supt.
Spindler of the poor relief depart
ment of Milwaukee, who considered
that the bill opened the door for a
great amount Of poor relief which
might not be wisely expended.
Mr.. Spindler sent a letter to the
legislature in which he said he thought
the poor relief might not be well ex-
pended under the direction of the
courts and gave some illustrations
where such expenditures had not been
we'll directed by the courts The leg
islature, however, thought that these
were only single instances and decided
that the courts could give the time and
attention that was necessary for the
work, and therefore ordered that the
poor relief distribution be through the
courts.
Other states have tried laws similar
to those of Wisconsin, with the admin
istration of the mothers pension
through the courts, and they have not
been an entire success. Perhaps, how
ever, Wisconsin will be able to do bet
ter than Illinois, which has been the
main one of the states to try moth
ers' pension plan, and that the court
administered mothers pensions will
prove more adequate in Wisconsin than
it has in other states that have tried
Ihe plah Inc administration of
mothers pensions to be successful
will require a great deal of care and
attention.
The probate courts, however, have
at the present time the control over
certain officers and it is believed that
these officers can, with the assistance
of the probation officers in each county,
make the necessary Investigations and
see that the moneys which are ex-
pended are not wrongfully expended,
and chat people do not receive assis-
lance who are not entitled to it. The
mothers pension system IS hard