The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-01
GOVERNOR OODGES ALL BLAME
Will Declare That He Was Not Close
Enough to Majority Of Legislature to
Prevent Big Appropriations Being
Made at the Recent Session.

Appropriations will be the issue in
the coming campaign in Wisconsin. If
there are any of the political leaders
in the state who think to the contrary
they want to begin at once taking a
course in reading the country papers of
the state. Since the amount of the
state tax levies has been transmitted
to the various counties Of the state
there is hardly country paper which
has not commented on the appropria-
ton question and the chorus is very
harmonious in criticism Of the high
state tax. For once republican, demo
cratic, progressive party, half-breed,
stalwart, ultra LaFollette, independent
and, in fact, all kinds and classes of
newspapers are Ginning in unison and
the burden of their song is that some
thing must be done to reduce taxes in
Wisconsin, and that at once.
the question cannot help but breed pub
lie opinion there can be no doubt. and
the public speaker who attempts to de-
fend the Wisconsin legislative appro-
priations in toto is likely to find that
he has a mighty thankless task and that
his audience is in no way responsive
to his effort. The opinion is becoming
strong and deep seated among the vot-
ers that Wisconsin has become an ex-
travagant state and that there must
be very decided reduction in its ex-
penditures.
What is more, local political leaders
In every county are realizing by the
talk which they hear on all sides in
regard to the burden Of the taxes this
year that the appropriations are destin-
ed to be an issue and are fastening to
inform the leaders whose banners they
follow that if they desire to get out Of
the political wet that they had better
once very promptly disavow any
friendly feeling to such excessive legis-
lative appropriations and promptly
pledge economy as to state expenditures
in the future. The McGovern people
have heard echoes of this sentiment
against the appropriations from various
parts of the state and friends of the
governor declare that Gov. McGoyern
has already laid the ground for his ar
gument on that question in his state
ment sent to the legislature at the time
he signed the budget or general appro-
priation bill in. which he declared that
were it not for the fact that it would
render the state without funds to carry
on It's proper business he should veto
the bill for the reason that there were
many appropriations made in the bill
which he opposed, and with the further
statement that if the budget system
was kept in force in Wisconsin that
there must be constitutional amend
ment which would make it possible for
the governor to veto any section of a
budget bill which he considered unde-
sirable.
In his speeches the governor will de-
clare that If he had been in position
to prevent, there would have been
many of the large appropriations which
he would have curbed, but that he was
not in a position to do anything in
the matter for the reason that when
the large appropriation bills, including
the budget bill, reached him the as
sembly had practically left Madison
and that it would have been impossible
to get members back there again to
pass a bill on lines which would have
met his approval.
The democrats will, of course, make
the appropriations one of their major
issues in the campaign and they may
make the answer to the statement of
Gov. MeGovern that he should have
vetoed the budget bill anyway and
brought the assembly back under a
call of the house to pass a revised
bill rather than allow the state to suf-
fer under such an appropriation burden
as it was weighted with by the last
legislature.
If the University Of Wisconsin in
sists on using the building appropria-
tions it will come heavily under the
ban Of the taxpayers, as there is a
great deal of criticism of the univer-
sity taxes in most of the counties of
the state and there will be a great deal
of feeling against the university unless
it gives ear to the call which is in the
air for economy and postpone building
the proposed medical building and the
liberal arts building until another bien-
NAL eriod. 1t viii be just as well for
the university, too, if it does not try
to improve its proposed new athletic
field for some years TO come, as Camp
Randall is amply fitted for the athle-
tic purposes Of the university for sew
eral years to come
Speaker Merlin Hull of the assembly
will undoubtedly use the appropriation
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