Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-01-15

rournsre. Nuin~rou. plans have ben sur.
| gested for sbseut voting or balloting BY
msiL In Australia. Tasmania Kansas and
elseW here some OF these plans have hsen
put In operation and have been found TO
| work well. / most respectfully recommend
the enactment Of similar legislation for
| Wisconsin
THE INITIATIVE. REFESUNDUM AND
RECALL.
] The proposed Initiative. referendum and
4 raoall amendments TO the Constitution are
| before Yer for fnal passage before sub
/ The ideas embodied in them are no longer
new In their present form taey are,
/ believe the best resolutions un6n these
subjects adopted BY any state legislature.
/ All parties are pledged 90 the conStitu-
| ti0nai changes they propose 1 therefore
recommend that they be passed at this ses-
| si0a without unnecessary delay.
THE COUNTRY SCHOOL.
4 Education is one Of the principal func.
| tons OF government That the people OF
/ Wisconsin are not indifferent e the claims
/ i has upon them Is strikingly shown by
% the state is incurred on this account
In 1910 there were 7S0ISI children OF
! school age In this state. nearly squalls
those between seven and fourteen years
OF age in the country twenty per cent at.
tended no school whatever while only
about tive per cent absented themselves
!
Of many that might be adduced TO show
that the country school Is inferior 60 the
more highly organized city educational sys.
tenn
Since the adjournment Of the last lesis-
lature various committees and boards have
been active in the Investigation Of rural
school problems with the view Of making
recommendations for enriching the courses
Of study. WALKING the instruction aud Sc
curing better results.
In November, 1911, the Board Of Pub
lie Affairs invited the Training school for
Public Service OF the Bureau Of Municipal
Research or New York City 10 conduct an
invest CATION Of the country schools ~ Wis
eonsin. IN response 10 this invitation and
az very triting expense Ia the state this
investigation has been made. 1t included
a general examination Of educational cen
Hluons IN twenty seven counties in widely
separated portions Of the state and more
detailed examination Of the facts concern
ing lS1 schools in thirteen counties. The
report Presents vivid piciude Of all
phases OF rural school life. fiscal eduea-
tiOnal and sanitary. IL is a vigorous. un-
biased statement of the facts as the eN-
perts OF the Training School saw them, in
clear, untechnical language. The recon
mendatiOns given at the end Of the re
port represent also the Judgment of lead
Tug Wisconsin educators and the members
OF the Board of Public Affairs. ] most re
spectfnlly recommend this report to your
careful study and consideration.
/ am personally well satisfied that no
greater service can be rendered the cause
time than the establishment by lar OF the
county board system Of school administra-
tion, This Is the key TO the whole prob
lem--the point at which an effective re-
form must begin.
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION,
Among the educational institutions of
America none more frequently calls for
the unstinted praise of thoughtful men
who live outside our borders than the
University OF Wisconsin. This preemin
ice OF out University Is due not to Its
age, its size. nor the richness of its en-
dowment. but principally TO its willing
ness to serve all the people of the state,
especially those who have never been with
in its walls as resident students.
The example of Wisconsin in organic
ing extension work upon a broad aud IN.
elusive basis has already been followed by
more than 20 state universities and was
recently copied by a number Of privately
endowed institutions, such AS C0lumhig
and Harvard.
AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION.
The federal census OF 1910 showed
substantial increase in the total popula-
ton OF the state. This increase however
was not uniform but was due largely TO a
gain in the population OF cities aud towns.
Many country districts actually lost in
population ana others made but slight
gains. Nineteen counties. mostly devoted
To farming, declined in total population
and twenty nine In rural population. Mean
while the city of Kenosha, largely devoted
70 manufacturing, doubled in numbers and
center of Wisconsin, increased more in
population than all the rural districts of
the. state combined But the city ward
drift Of population is not confined 10 Wis
consin or any particular section of the
country II is nationwide and is due to
numerous and complex causes. Some of
these represent social progress but others
indicate the existence Of serious defects In
the economic and social conditions OF coun-
try life.
So far as IL is within our power there
for eta ehn nn oEa tn MI 10
who live in the country To improve their
business methods, their systems of mar
ketng and their credit facilities--in short
their general economic AMI social condi-
ton
The legislature OF 1911 took this matter
az in a very e0mmendabe way. 1t erea-
ted the state Board Of Public Affairs and
directed il to make an Investigation of co
operation aud marketing. This work has
been done Among ofh'r things il covers
cooperative buying anu selling and CO.
operative credit.
Cooperative marketing is not new In
Wisconsin Its history is part of the In
dustrial history of the state. With US 1t
has been group movement. not cen-
tralized coordinate undertaking aud the
success or failure Of each group has de-
| pended almost entirely upon the Initiative
resOurcefdincss and business ability Of the
members themselves.
CO-opERATIyR RURAL CREDIT
There is real need for agricultural CO.
| operative credit The farmer often finds
| it difficult to secure loan TO tide over
tine period between seed time and harvest
| to buy stock and machinery or to make
| permanent improvements upon his land. IL
Is even more difficult for him 30 buy and
| pay for farm, especially In the thickly
| settled sections of the state. indeed this
| task is so hard as to DISCOURAGE many and
drive them to other states wlere land Is
| cheaper or 20 other occupations where more
! immediate IL less substantial rewards are
offered for their labor.
AT the present time the average farmer
| is denied the credit advantages enjoyed by
| the merchant or manufacturer. even though
| be be equally honest, equally Trustworthy
| and equally able 20 meet his financial obi
| cations. His credit moreover : always an
! Individual matter. Until recently the col.
| lectiye credit OF group of farmers haze
not been thought of In America, and even
row II Is employed only to limited extent
| in Ope or two states In Europe this prob
/ lem IS solved by system OF rural banks
Under the auspices Of the Southern Com.
mercial Congress aud the international In
| stitute of Agriculture delegation made mp
of two representative from each state in
/ the Union with 90 abroad in April OF this
/ year to study the operation Of rural banks
and cooperative agricultural credit societies
1 send representatives Believing as 1 do
1 that agricultural cooperation Is one Of the
| big things Of the future. too large and sig
/ uffcant to be ditched by It's short sighted
friends and destroyed by It's own uomen-
| tum. ! recommend the appropriation OF "a
/ sufficient sum of money Ia defray the eX
penses Of two delegates from this state, as
requested by those who have the matter la
charge. ] believe we have sufficient in
\ formation to enable us 70 make beginning
| in the organization OF land mortgage banks
4 to be operated along lines similar to those
1 Of the German Landschaften These asso-
/ Citations should be under the supervision
/ and control OF the state banking depart
ment and their powers should be carefully
| limited TO what Is necessary 10 accomplish
| the purposes here mentioned,
PRICE DIsCRININATIoN
Equality Of opportunity in industry ana