River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-16

court are worthy of the custody of their
| children and ordinarily it should not be
made unless found necessary to save the
| children from neglect This aid to needy
| but deserving mothers should not be re-
| garded as charity, but rather as the rec
| 0gnition of an obligation actually due them
| in return for their service to the state
| as bearers of children.
PRISON LABOR.
One of the subjects investigated by the
Board of Public Affairs during the past
| year is the ACCESSIBILITY of abolishing the
present system of prison contract labor
| at Waupun.
| The objections to the present arrange
| ment seem to me to be serious enough to
deServe your earnest consideration. In the
hrst place, the prison should be self-sup-
porting. There is no good reason why
Ihe. laW-abiding people OF Wisconsin VINO
nave once suffered injury. by infraction OF
| thelr criminal statutes should be further
CRIMINALS after they have been caught ana
sentenced. Under proper conditions the
porting, but the convicts. should be made
TO work hard enough aud at employments
productive enough to enable the instltu-
| year.
During the past year under the terms of
u law enacted at the last session of the
legislature plant for the manufacture OF
binder Irvine was established at the state
prison. RMS industry has been probably
conducted in the penitentiary of Minnesota
ana elsewhere and there is no reason why
it should not also be success here. If so
d portion at least of the prisoners at
Waupun will be profitably employed at
work at which they may derive skill and
training that will fit them later for use
lul employment In another part of TINS
message l have recommended the employ
nenC or some of the cOnvictS at Waupun
IN an experimental way in the work of
road building. But better than the legis-
Ialive selection of any specific employment
or industry would be the enactment of a
statute which would confer upon the Board
OF control discretionary authority to en-
ploy the convicts i'll such manner as Will
conduce to the advantage of the state, the
| WelIare OF the prisoners and their proper
training and equipment for honest employ
ment when their sentences have been serv-
ed. 1t is not wise or prudent to attempt
TO remodel an institution of this sort all
at once The change must be made grad
ually and the transition from the contract
labor system to manufacturing on state
account or for state use, according as one
| or the other may be preferred by the leg
| iSlature or by the Board of Control, should
be effected gradually in order that all the
| prisoners may be kept employed at some
useful work all of the time.
BOARD OF CONTROL.
When the State Board of Control was
created twenty-five years ago there were
SIX institutions under supervision. Now
there are ten. Meanwhile the inmate pop
ulatlon of these institutions has more than
doubled. AS a result the work of the
Board has greatly increased. 1t spends
now over million dollars year. In adj
d1tion to the management OF these 1nst1-
| dustrial School for Boys, the Wisconsin
State RefOrmatory, and the State Prison
| 1t administers in part the probation law
It is also charged with responsibility for
| the proper business management OF the
new binder Irvine plant at Waupun. All
| these duties new and old have crowded
| upon the members of the Board until they
are OverwOrked.
/ respectfully recommend that the law
be SO amended as to authorize the Board
agents or deputies as may be needed at
fixed salaries, to make inspection of these
| county and local institutions under it's
| direction.
SETTLEMENT OF FARM LANDS.
The settlement of unoccupied farm lands
| in the northern part of the state is a
problem that has engaged the attention
of the Board of Public Affairs for more
| than a year. There are about 10000, 600
| acres of such land, once in forest but now
practically stripped Of its timber The The
| idle lands together for the betterment of
both We should not only invite settlers
| to Wisconsin but should encourage and
| they have come here in order that they
may become successful farmers and indie
| pendent, self-reliant citizens.
The prime need of new settlers is CAPT.
! tai. For the most part they are men of
| small means and the banks and other
| lending agencies about them are either I'M
willing or united to supply them with ne
! cessary funds to enable them to farm their
! lands in proper manner. The state should
relieve this condition by encouraging the
| development of agricultural credit insti
| buttons, whether private or cooperative,
| especially organized for making long time
loans to farmers on the security of their
lands. Sc II os
Farm Tenancy.
During the life of the present genera
| ton there has been o marked, almost an
alarming, increase in farm tenancy in all
the older states of the Middle West. Hith-
ertO it has been thought that Wisconsin
! was not affected by this tendency but there
1 to- holt hiatt has cl1
! ed some of the older counties of the state.
| The last federal census shows that in fiji
| teen counties IN southern Wisconsin from
| twenty to thirty four out of every hun
dred farms are operated by tenants or
renters as they are called. The evil
| effects of a general system of tenant farm
munity in which he lives are too well
| known to need discussion. The problem
| is how to avoid them.
| Undoubtedly one of the chief causes of
| an increase in the proportion of renters
| to proprietOrs among the farmers of the
southern part of the state is the steadily
| increasing price of farm land. When the
| value of an average country home reaches
| $4,000 or more it becomes exceedingly
| difficult for a hired man or renter OF small
| means to buy farm of hts own the
| terms customarily offered. Some system
| of long time loans should be developed to
enable capable farm. laborer or renter
| to borrow the money he needs to eStab-
| lish himself as a farm owner. CO-opera-
tive land mortgage societies organized to
lend money for long periods might help
| loans suggested for use in settling the
| wild lands of the northern part of the
| state might also be used to supplement
| cooperative credit. Whatever may be done
we should not fail to recognize that the
| increase in the proportion of renters
among the farmers of our state is a Sc
| riOuS menace not only to the prosperity
! and welfare of our rural communities but
| also to the efficient use of the agricultural
resources upon which we are all depend
| ent for our food supplied.
ABSENT VOTING.
The rapid increase of transportation ia
| cilities in recent years, the steadily grow
| ing tendency to conduct business upon a
large scale and hence over wide areas,
| lower railway fares and better accOmmO-
| dations have greatly increased the amount
of travelling done and the number of per-
sons therefore who are necessarily absent
! from home on election day. Travelling
| statesmen, railw9y employees, mail clerks,
and many others are now compelled to
! choose between sacrificing two days of
| election week from their employment Or
| losing their votes. Many who are away
/ from home at the beginning of the week
are required to travel hundreds of miles
| or submit to diSfranchiSement. This con-
| dition of affairs has become more marked
each year and should not be permitted to
continue. Numerous plans have been sug-
! geSted for absent voting or ballOting by
mail In Australia, Tasmania Kansas and
elsewhere some OF these plans have been
put in operation and have been found TO
the enactment of similar legislation for
| Wisconsin.
THE INITIATIVE, REFERENDUM AND
| RECALL.
| The proposed initiative, referendum and
recall amendments to the Constitution are
/ before you for final passage before sub
mission to the people for their approval.
| The ideas embodied in them are no longer
/ new. In their present form they are,
/ believe the best resolutions upon these
subjects. adopted by any STATE, legislature.