Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-01-17
MESSAGE. IS SENT
TO LEGISLATURE
GOV. MGOvERN MAKES RECON-
MENDAT1ONS TO WISDOM
SIN LAWMAKERS.
MUCH SPACE TO INCOME TAX
Governor Urges Lawmakers to Pro-
coed Slowly in Any Proposed Re-
vision of Law-Mothers' PEN
slot Bill Given Approval.

Madison Coy McGovern's mes
sage to the, Wisconsin legislature, in
part, is as follows:
Before passing on to a consideration of
the purely putlie matters that / am about
to present to you, permit me to greet you
warmly and in the name. of all our people
to welcome you to the capitol.
have frequently commended the work
or the last legislature and congratulated
the people OF Wisconsin upon the amount,
high quality and enduring character of
the legislation then enacted. / have felt
and still feel that too much cannot be said
in its praise.
LABOR LEGISLATION.
NO topic occupied more of the time and
thought of the last legislature than the
! rights OF labor. On this subject it took
advanced ground. It generously fulfilled
! the platform pledge that i'll all matters af-
| fectIng workers Wisconsin should be plac-
| ed in the lead 1t enacted the first valid
effect IN America. 1t regulated the hours
! of employment of women 1t amended and
improved the statutes relative to child
! labor and street trades Most important
of all, it lifted the whole subject of the
relation of employer and employee to Il
! nSw and higher plane by establishing the
| Industrial Commission modelled after the
| Wisconsin Railroad Commission that has
| deservedly won such widespread common
| dation. Through this new commission as
| through its prototype the public interests
are now adequately protected and the poor
are enabled to get justice without having
practically to buy 1t in court in an u
| adversares
The legislature of 1911 was rightly eau
| tious in granting to the Industrial Com
mission very much discretionary power in
/ dealing with exceptional labor conditions.
Instead rigid rules were laid down re-
/ speeding child labor, women's hours of en-
] ployment and other similar subjects. But
| In the administration of these laws the
commission has found variety of con-
ditions in different industries that seem
to call for greater elasticity. In the en-
/ forcement of the women's labor law, for
instance, it has been found that there is
wide difference between the light work on
a rural telephone with frequent periods
! Df rest and the nervous strain at a city
switchboard. Inharmonious provisions in
| the law have also come to light, such as
an hour for. dinner in the womens law
and only half an hour in the child ren's law.
! In respect of these and similar matters
| It would seem to be advantageous to make
the law more flexible by authorizing ex-
| ceptionS from the strict letter of the stat
| ute as at present laid down in every case
where the Commission shall find on pub
| lie hearing the requested notifications to
| be within the spirit of the law and not
to be affected by it. The law may be
1 permitted to stand as it Is but the legis-
! lature should now, in view Of the known
methods of administration employed by the
/ Commission and the marked success that
has attended them, consider the wisdom
| Of authorizing greater opportunity for the
i exercise OF uIScFeIlOn IN clearly eXceptlOHal
cases. This principle of greater adapta-
| bility should apply to the laws concern
ing child labor, street trades, women's
hours of employment and possibly other
| similar matters committed to the In
| dustrial Commission for enforcement.
workmen's Compensation.
! The workmens compensation act has
| been fully vindicated by experience. On
about 10000 employees had come within
Its operation. During the month OF No
vembeS, 1912, A per cent of the accidents
reported TO the Industrial Commission
were subject to compensation under this
! plan. Thus nearly half OF all Industrial
hazards are already. covered by the act.
/ When it was passed the defenceS of as
sumption of risk and the negligence of
! fellow servant were taken away from en-
Other states like Massachusetts, Kansas.
! Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey. Rhode Island
| and Illinois in legislating on this subject
abolished not only these two defences but
surance rates in these states are now found
I to be about the same for those within
/ laws, and a marked tendency is manifest
/ to come under them. With this object
| in view, it seems to me the defence of
contributory negligence should be wiped
/ out here also. That no hardship will re-
/ suit from this course is shown by the
| fact that among all who accepted this
humane enactment only one employer has
| thus far taken advantage of the oppor-
/ tunity it affords to withdraw from the
operation or It's provisions.
| A number of states. including Nfchi-
! gan New Jersey, Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island, have made provision for
| compenSating employees for specific in
jurieS such as the loss of an eve or hand
| by requiring payment for a definite time
on the basis Of Il certain percentage of the
wage received when the injury occurred
/ Our la.t fixes the amount to be paid on
! the basis of actual loss of wages only.
/ This is not always just and / recommend
an amendment which will provide for the
/ cd An sinh auS nf a
/ followed IN other StateS.>
AS tks law now Is no employer can be-
| come subject to its provisions without first
fling with the Commission notice of his
! acceptance. and after he has given such
notice wee.kmen in his employment are
presumed 90 accept the law unless they
/ specifically notify the Commission to the
contrary. The rule applicable to employ
ers should aow be revised so as to har
monte with sha requirements imposed up
on workmeR. At certain date fixed by
] law all employers in Wisconsin should
| be deemed to be within the scope and
operation OF the workmen.s compensation a !,
/ have notified the Commission in writing
to the effect that they do not wish to
do so.
TAXATION
+, Taxation is one OF the most important
/ subjects with which legislators have to
/ deal Whether heavy or light the aver
age citizen IS ever sensitive TO its weight
equalize the burden. The demand of rural
communities for better roads and schools
the requirement of rapidly growing cities
| for streets, sewers and sidewalks and for
more and better parks and Fairgrounds
| inevitably call for increased EXPENDITURES
/ which must be met by increased taxes
/ The problem of distributing this burden
so that each shall contribute his just share
/ is by no means either simple or easy to
| solve.
The Income Tax.
/ The Wisconsin method of taxing prop
| erty has long ranked among the best in
the country. but it necessarily shared the
/ defects inherent in all systems of general
property taxation. The selection of as
| SCISSORS every year, the difficulty Of val
| uing many classes of property and the
| hostile attitude of large numbers Of peo-
| pie well able to pay, resulted in the prac-
| IDEAL breakdown of personal property tax
| alton Thereupon the people of the state
| demanded q substitute and the legislature
| Of 1911 took long step in advance by
/ enacting an income tax law.
/ In the language OF Chief Justice Wins
Dw who delivered the opinion Of the court
/ in the Income Tax case. this law marks
! vary iun0rfant change in the taxation