Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-10-14
Mr.. Philips SPEECH.

made an address upon the political
issues of the campaign, at Hatch's
opera house, last Thursday evening,
TO a fair sized assemblage that
would have been much larger had not
the rain made the roads very bad,
greatly hindering farmers from at
tending.
Mr. Philip reviewed his attitude
toward the affairs of the state, his
early pronouncement in favor of so
changing the methods of govern
naent as will cut down expenses to
actual needs and do away with any
needless boards and commissions
which, with an army of over 5000
state employees drawing big salaries,
hundreds of them for work that
should be unnecessary and which
. gOodly proportion of them
are incompetent to properly per-
form, has so added to the burden
OF high taxes that it has created
revolt from the taxpayers in every
section of the state against the pres
.ent administration of affairs.
He pointed to the fact that the
appropriations for carrying on the
state government in 1900 were only
about four million dollars, while in
1913 they were nearly fifteen million
dollars, an increase of approximately
400 per cent, while the population of
the state had increased during the
same period only about IL per cent.
He showed how much of this
money was being wasted, and pledged
himself as being earnestly in favor
Of cutting the expenses of state
government down to the lowest figures
possible by an economical administra-
lion of affair the interest of the
people, retainine all of the present
boards that it can be shown are wise
and needful, but ruthlessly doing
away with those that are not needle d
and only result in pIling up necessary
expense.
He declared himself as having
from the first favored and advocated
substantially the same policies as those
setforthin the resolutions adopted by
the nOn-partisan Taxpayers Protect i've
League, in their convention held in
this city last spring. While uphold
ing the state university and favor
ing its being literally dealt with, in
the way of appropriations, be de-
nOuncd its active participation in
politics and pointed out the desira-
5ility of curbing some of its ambitious
extravagances and placing the affairs
and those of our ten state normal
schools in the hands of one board,
instead of having separate boards of re-
gents for each, all of whom are ask
ing for big appropriations for their
particular separate purposes. He
thought one board, planning for the
Needs of one complete system, in
4eluding the now neglected district
schools, would be much better, wiser
and cheaper.
Special attention was paid by the
speaker to the dangers concealed in
several of the proposed amendments
70 the state constitution which will
be submitted to vote of the people
OF Wisconsin at the November cleo
't5on. The one by which it is propos-
'ed TO hereafter make it more easy to
amend the constitution, by requiring
action In that direction at only one
session of the legislature instead Of
making it necessary to receive such
action in two successive legislatures,
as rs now the case, was denounced as
particularly dangerous, and his hear
eEs were warned to vote against such |
amendment on November 3.
One or two others of the proposed |
amendments were also discussed and |
their Objectionable features pointed
: Out, showing the insidious manner in
which it is being planned to make |
It more easy for shrewd and tricky |
politicians to carry out their schemes
and benefit themselves ct the expense |
Of the people, before the people know
anything about it. He might have
gone farthe into this subject. A
careful study of the complete bun ch
of proposed amendments-ten of
-hem-which will be submitted to
vote at this election, shows "a
joker in most Of them and justifies
the earnest warning and advice to
vote NO upon them ALL and make
sure thing of killing the worst of