Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1915-02-04
FORMER SENATOR
WHITEHEAD SPEAKS
Tells of the Work of the
Legislature and How
Laws Came About.

head of GAINESVILLE addressed the Mon
day night Night club on Tuesday even
ing at the high school building and in
introducing the speaker, Superintend-
ent A. G. Kingsford said that Mr..
Whitehead was known the state over
as one who had opposed the "Wiscon-
sin Idea" and was always consistent
with conservative legislation. Some
weeks ago DR.. Mccarthy of Madison
addressed the club on the advantages
of the Wisconsin Idea" and what was
embodied in the term The lecture on
Tuesday evening was to give the other
side of the question.
In the opening the speaker said that
much of the past legislation in Wiscon-
sin would have been enacted if La
Toilette had not been on the ground
and that he should not have all the
glory for what was done through the
series of years when the commissions
and other features became permanent
departments of the state government.
The Ten Amendments.
Mr.. Whitehead then took up some of
the ten amendments as they came be-
fore the voters last fall. He said the
recall was 1873 years old at least, this
feature going back to the continental
times in the history of this country.
Ten years before the Declaration of In
dependence it was found in Tennessee
and gave other instances to show that
it was not wisconsin Idea"
The initiative and referendum went
back to the time of the bill of rights
and others were ancient ideas, the
speaker declared.
He said that the anti-pass legislation
came up during Governor Schofield's
administration and that the credit for
this law really rested there. 1t was in
force three years before it became
part of the constitution.
The Mary Ann Law
He said the Mary Ann or second
choice law ought to be repealed on the
ground that it was useless appendage
to the election laws and not only con-
fusing to the voter but that it did not
bring expected results. The speaker
was opposed to the popular vote for
senators and related many things about
the Stephenson campaign. Mr.. White
head would bring back the convention
system as it was twenty years ago. He
acknowledged that he himself aided in
passing the primary election law, even
assisted DIR. Mccarthy in drafting the
measure and did not believe that Sena-
tor LaFollette and the doctor of philos-
ophy should assume all the credit for
the legislation.
The University
AS to the university he would not
tolerate extravaganza, would not per-
nit the students to attempt to live be-
yond their means, would erect buildings
simple in architecture, would have ita
usefulness and influence continue to
grow and would have it servant of
the people and not the people SER
wants of the university. He said that
it belongs to US and not we to it.
The Commissions
Mr.. Whitehead acknowledged that
he did all that he could for the
creation for a number of the COM
missions which have now become
permanent factors in our state govern
ment. Some were better in theory
than practice but they have probably
come to stay. He discussed them in
turn, telling of the legislation which
brought them into being, of their
Cor+in,,od IN 7 amk Pa~0