The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-12-07
GOVERNOR Phillip HERE

sion man, he to the retailer, and he
to the consumer is as old as the hills,
and will remain, kickers and theorists
to the contrary notwithstanding.
When | went to Madison as COVER
nor, gang of employees who had been
there for fifteen years, were in the
state house and organized to block
everything new and economical which
| advocated. The headquarters of this
gang was in the Office of the senior
senator, and to the surprise of all he
was helped by Mr.. Husting.
We have too many commissions,
which are, under the law, not under
control of the governor or under any
one else, but go through the state
without let or .hinderance.
Since was inaugurated, many COM
missions have been abolished, and my
only regret is that we did not abolish
all OF them.
The game wardens had become so
obnoxious that to mention their name
of some high machine politician.
Vast sums of money were spent in
the northern woods of Wisconsin for
houses and towers reaching to the
were jokes, and for the thousands
spent by the state this way it will take
at least 100 years to begin, even, to
get returns, and small political unit
like this state with 100000 people,
cannot carry this work on. The place
to put this expense and work is on
the federal government.
| will not be a party to spending
thousands of the peoples money on
foolish fire marshals, who do not do
us any good, and this work has been
placed in the hands of another COM
mission, and while / was asked for
$4,000 for fire marshals, I finally
gave consent to the passage of $4,000
appropriation to which the governor
must give consent to spend, and the
money is still in the state treasury
and no fires have yet broke out.
7 found that the forestration com
mittee had bought 1900 acres of land,
with no timber, no growth of any kind,
no value to the land, and yet the state
paid $4,000 for the land, and while
| do not charge anything crooked, |
do say that the men who pulled that
deal off were either extremely unwise
or grafters.
A new bureau was appointed to take
care of the state fair, by consolidat-
ing departments, and the fair next fall
will be more efficiently managed than
previous state exhibitors.
| went outside the state to get some
men fitted to do the work | wanted
As an example put on one man
from Cornell university of New York
Many petty prosecutions, like those
of farmers, had become prosecutions,
and the every infraction of the health
laws are not to be followed by arrests
and convictions, but now the trade
board is a body of advisors, and petty
prosecutions have ceased and the far
mer and everybody else is materially
benefited.
A word about appropriations: The
legislature organized last winter, a
joint committee on finance, which is
right, and they are supposed to know
how the money is spent. | said to the
chairman that | wanted to confer with
them, but | was barred, because they
met behind closed doors and stub
bornly refused to. let me in They
loaded the state with big expenses so
| would go down in history as extra
VACANT and prove failure, and my
promises to the people could not be
kept.
| hired SPECIAL investigator and
paid for him, and as fast as bills
reached me vetoed or cut them down,
and the result was a saving to the
state of over $1,000000 We made a
provision, however, that should money
be needed, this amount could be taken
from the general fund with the con-
sent of the governor, secretary of state
and state treasurer, and the new
scheme has worked out we'll and the
people have saved money
A few words upon the subject of
tax levy showed that the levy for the
state this year is over 100000 less
than it was year ago, and this has
been brought about by the repeal of
vicious laws, cutting down commits
sions and requiring more efficient
work from state employees. Had not
this administration been loaded with
former debts, we could have reduced
the state tax s2,000,000 more.
1t makes no difference who you are,
how hard you try, when you go out
and try to save money, you are splash
ed with muck by Senator LaFollette,
and he can be traced by the stencil
he leaves behind, and he even attacks
women and children. | shall answer
his figures when l have time but must
leave his mud for the people to Judge,
and do not fear their verdict.
/ have been attacked by some for
railroad commission appointments,
and l do not care rap what their
politics. l have no apologies