The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-10-27
VOTE AMENDMENTS DOWN.

ILL., To amend the constitution and
empower the legislature to decrease the
number of judicial circuits in the state,
to authorize the election of more than
one Judge in each circuit. What is the
object of this? The only effect can be
to authorize the legislature to re-district
the judicial circuits of this state, to in
crease the number of judges and to GEN.
tralize the judicial power to the detri-
ment of rural communities, place the
bench under the power OF the legisla-
ture.
~ Amendments four and five au-
thOrize the state to engage in the busi-
ness of fire and life insurance and grant
annuties. This amendment would in
crease very largely the number of of
fices and employees in the state, and
past experience has demonstrated that
this state can not carry on any kindsof
business economically and efficiently.
In addition to that, the officials of
the state would be authorized to con-
tract in the name of the state, large
Indebtedness and would burden the
taxpayers of tlie state with the cost
of insurance far beyond the real worth;
would burden the majority who do not
insure, with the cost OF insurance by
the minority; would burden the farms
and lands not covered with expensive
improvements, with the insurance and
risks of large and expensive buildings;
would place the people for all time in
the power of an expensive useless horde
of officials; would cucumber and bur-
den the people with political machine
that in time would become burden
some as the yoke Of an absolute mon
archy.
Think of giving to a political officer
authority to grant annutleSl The fore
going amendment would mean another
commission with more employees than
any we now have, and still greater ex-
pense to the taxpayer, and at the
same time cut from our income nearly
million dollars. now paid by insurance
companies as taxes. One great fire, like
that at Chicago, Baltimore or San Fran
siseo, would bankrupt the state. The
first compulsory insurance, the first
step toward the destruction Of fraternal
and farmers insurance, and long stride
toward Russian bureaucracy.
V. This duplicate of four. Seems
to be the purpo O, those interested, if
they fail in one, to slip over the people
another, shows the sinister motive Of
the willy politician and experimenter,
and should be rejected.
VI. Giving to cities and villages the
power to amend their own charters and
to enact all laws and ordinances relat-
ting to the municipal affairs, subject to
the constitution and general laws of the
state. The laws of the state now pro
vide that all cities and villages now or
hereafter organized which desire to
change their charters. must come under
the general charter law. just. how this
amendment to the constitution would
give anyright of home rule to municipal
tiles other than they have now is very
difficult to understand. We presume
the legislative bureau had in mind to
give to each city the right to do any
thing it pleased in the line of conduct
ing it's local affairs, thus making
patchwork of the laws of the state,
every community differing from its
neighbOr, one community governing the
private affairs OF the individual, another
conducting the business affairs of the
people. Another unrestricted license
as to public conduct and personal af-
fairs. No one could tell what rule would
govern his action without daily inyes-
tigation of the ordinance and charters
of every village. This is not home rule
contended for by the Home Rule and
Tax Payers League. Home rule is the
permitting Of each locality to manage
its own governmental affairs without
the aid of outside influence in lawful
manner without the interference Of any
board or governmental bureau.
g.. ioso hoo in,