The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-10-22

W0ulu give any flgnt ol nome rune w
municipalities 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 anything it pleased in the line OF
conducting it's local affairs thus max
ing patchwork of the laws of this
state, every community differing from
its neighbor, one community covering
the private affairs of the individual, E,
another conducting all the business Af-
fairs of the people. 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 It's own governmental affairs
| without the aid of outside influence in
a lawful manner without the interfer.
ence of any board or governmental bur-
eau.
VII. Is to amend the constitution,
permitting municipalities and boards
to condemn and take property either
adjoining or in the neighborhood OF
any park or street, under conditions to
be prescribed by the legislature, wheth-
er necessary for the public good or
otherwise. The effect of this amend
ment is to permit park boards and mu-
inequalities to deprive individual own
ers of the right to hold and enjoy their
real estate, to speculate in the real es-
tate with public money and is long
step toward socialism and in effect
| would withdraw from the burden OF
taxation any property so taken and held
| by said board, increase the burden OF
taxation of all other property owners,
| and every mans home and business
| property would be subject 10 be taken
by boards composed of faddists and eX-
| perimenters. 1t means large increase
! in taxes to raise funds for various
boards to purchase real estate.
| VIII and IN. Amendments aud .
are proposals to more easily amend the
constitution. by the one an amend
ment passed by single legislature
| would be sufficient. BY the other, II
any member of the legislature file a
petition of ten per cent of the voters,
| of the whole state for an amendment it
| would be submitted; or II an amend
ment pass by bare majority OF the
| lie gislature with five per cent OF the
electors. Bear in mind the constitu-
tion is collection Of principles of gov
| ernmept not collection of statutes.
.4'nese principles should not ~c chs-ngcI
| in haste, but only on due de)iberation
and consistent with the principles OF
| republican government. These amend
ments proposed would permit a general
change of constitution on the motion OF
one legislator with petition of ten per
cent of the voters, perhaps all residing
in one large city, ard the expense and
the trouble of voting thereon would fall
on all of the people.
If these amendments are adopted any
| fadd!st or eXperimenter with any kind
of freak legislation could put the peo-
pie to the trouble of voting thereon
| and engraft on our constitution any
| kind OF fad that may sound plausible
and be wholly impractical, and there
it must stand until another amendment.
The foregoing amendments wholly
destroy our representative form of gov
ernment, render our constitution as
easily changed as the state laws, in
stead of bill of rights containing the
principles of government to guide us, a
constitution consisting of series of
enactments rejecting simply the fads
of politicians, Office holders, expert.
menters and theorists.
Y. The last amendment provides for
a recall from office. There is already
a remedy to remove dishonest, incom-
petent and corrupt officials. This re-
call means but continual political tur-
moil and render the officers more SER
vile instead of fearless and energetic,
permitting few disgrunted people
and petty politicians to continually
keep in political turmoil any and all
communities multiplying the govern.
mental expense and destroying good
government.
We respectfully suggest to the voter
who has his own and the states well
fare at heart, regardless of party affi-
iations, to vote mo" on each one of
the proposed anne endments. None of
them is for the benefit OF the working,
industrious citizen and tax payer, and
can benefit only the politician and Office
holder and all are the products of the
political taddist, experimenter and
theorist who exploits constitutional
amendments and laws for his individu-
al notorety and benefit. None is
needed, none demanded, none is desir.
able, none the product of statesmen
and the Home Rule and Tax Payers
League, composed of practical citizens
who are neither politicians, office seek
ers or theorists, respectfully requests
the electors to vote mo on each and
all af the amendments.
HOME RULE AND TAX
PAYERS LEAGUE
Madison, October l5, 1914