Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-10-14
A BEAUTIFUL GRAFT.

Those of our newspaper brethren
who slightingly allude to the de-
mand of the people at present for a
larger share of control in home
affairs, which has been so persistently
and cheekily usurped by the ''pro-
gressive" state administration, are
invited to consider the condition of
things, that has been reached in
their own business through the
demand of the state rate commission
that certain kinds of books and
blank forms be used by municipal
corporations, public utility COM
panies and others, in their book
keeping and accounting.
The commission has told such
corporations, boards and companies
Just what kind of books and blanks
they must use, sending young fellows
out from Madison to instruct them
in the use thereof, Tin at least one of
which local instances the states in
structor had to admit that he didn' t
understand the system himself), and
1T has been kindly arranged by the
commission that these books and
blanks shall be furnished by certain
printing establishment which the state
has engaged to do the work, at prices
much higher than it should be neces-
sary to charge for them, the books
and blanks, of course, being paid for
by the corporations or companies
using them.
Here are two or three local in
stances showing the working of the
new regulations: The city of Lancas-
ter has been required to adopt the
new system, very much against the
wish of the council and city clerk.
The books and blanks have just been
received. They of a kind that are
printed in enormous quantities by
the printing company in one of the
cities that has been given the job of
doing this work, because with slight
changes the blanks chat are supplied
for Lancaster can also be supplied for
any other city in the. state. The
prices charged are enough to make
any avaricious printers mouth water
Some of the charges are four or five
times as much as they could have
been printed for in large quantities
and yet yield a good profit to the
printer. The companies and corpora
tions have to pay, of course, what
ever price they are asked, because
thu state gives them no voice in the
matter.
Heretofore they adopted the forms
experience had taught them were
best adapted to the handling of the
business, and local printers were en-
ployed to do the work. We have
the word of city official that the
present lot of stuff the commission
has required them to purchase has
cost the city twice as much as all
the books and blanks it has had
to purchase within the past ten years.
In the case of the Lancaster Light
& Power Co. and the Board of
Asylum Trustees the situation is
substantially the same. For years
the home offices have printed the
blanks used by these institutions and
would be doing so now if they could
place their orders where they wish,
but they have to do the same as the
city has done-buy the blanks where
they are told by the commission to
get them, and pay fancy prices for
them.
Perhaps our newspaper brethren
alluded to have found or can find the
same conditions existing in their
towns. Perhaps they like it. We
don't We think it is rotten. We
think that local affairs are governed
from Madison altogether too much,
ant there are dozen of things just as
unfair, just as glaring and just as
unreasonable as this everywhere to
prove our contention.
There is a chance at the coming
election to put crimp into this kind
of system by voting for Phillip for
governor. And the election can t
come any too soon to suit thousands
of people who are disguised with
Dresent methods