The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-04-13
SEEKS COURT TEST
FOR INSURANCE LAW
STATE TREASURER JOHNSON
SEEKS FRIENDLY SUITS
OVER FUNDS.
ASKS FINAL DETERMINATION
Attorney General Owen Appealed to
to Avoid Repetition of For
estry TangIe in These
Departments.
Madison, April 9, 1915.

State Treasurer Henry Johnson has
asked Attorney General Owen to bring
friendly suits to determine the valid
ity of the laws relating to the state
life insurance fund, the fire insurance
fund and the teachers insurance and
retirement fund.
In his letter to the attorney general
Mr.. Johnson says that he is not promp-
ted by any opposition to the laws Gre
ating these funds, but that his request
is made with view to securing a
final determination so that the state
may not be Inundated in the future
by finding itself again in the situation
which has resulted from the decision
in the forestry case.
Whether the state may engage in
the business of insuring the lives of it's
citizens; whether it may engage in in
surfing property outside its own against
fire; and whether it may appropriate
common school funds to be used in the
payment of private persons for private
purposes, are the questions which
State Treasurer Johnson raises.
Under the life insurance act the
state recently became liable when Dr.
George keenan, died, as he held a pol
icy of 81 900 in the state fund. This
claim against the state has not been
paid, and it may be made the subject
of a suit to test the validity of the law
although nothing to this effect has
been given out.
AS to the matter of the fire insur-
ance fund.- it is pointed out that while
the original law was only for the pur-
pose of creating fund for emergency
in case of loss of state property by
fire, it has since been enlarged so that
the state now is engaged in the bust
ness of insuring the property of coun-
ties and municipalities Whether the
commonwealth may properly do this
under sanction of the fundamental law
is the question Mr. Johnson would
have determined.
In the matter of the teachers insur-
ance and retirement fund it is pointed
out that some $4,000 annually is taken
from the funds arising from the mill
tax, raised for the common schools,
and is credited to this fund Mr.. John
son wants to know if this may proper
ly be done and urges that now is the
time to find out.
Consider Several Bills.
A subcommittee of the assembly
committee on education, which has
the bill in hand, will, during the Eas-
ter vacation, draft a new bill which
will be presented to the committee
when the legislature again convenes.
President Van Hise is also drafting
bill which he will present to the
committee. These measures will be
considered and it is possible they
will be taken up in hearings which
Will be more in the nature of a gen.
eral discussion of the round table
fashion than formal hearings.
1t is again possible, after such con-
ferences, other bills will be drafted,
until something all agree will be
practical, working plan, has been
secured. That something along this
line will be passed is now admitted.
1t is demanded by the people. Indi-
cations of this demand are reaching
the legislators continually. One thing
the people want, however, is that all
the educational activities of the state,
from bottom to top, from the COM
mon schools to the university, shall
be included under the control of the
proposed state board.
Board Memberships Important
One question that will cause much
discussion is the makeup of the
board, whether it shall be composed
of unpaid members who will engage
subordjnates to give their entire time
TO the work of management or paid
members. 1t has been admitted in
the hearings that if the right kind
of men could be secured, an unpaid
hoard might bring about the best re-
suits, but it would be a question of
getting the highest class of men for
the board. If this can not be done,
it was further admitted, the plan of
a paid board would be better. This
question will be one to be thrashed
out in the later conferences.
Single Board Plan Big Issue.
Members of the legislature and
others are realizing the state board
of education measures proposed by
Gov. Philip is the biggest thing of
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