Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1915-01-20


counties he should be given assistants
according to the number of schools.
Central Board Of Education.
A systematic development of our
educational system would be better
accomplished If our educational insti-
tutions were placed in charge Of a CEN
trail board Of education, instead of hay
ing a number of boards as at present.
The board Of regents of the university
have been very successful in securing
appropriations from the legislature.
I The board Of regents of the normal
/ schools also are an influential body.
/ The common schools, which are the
/ schools Of the masses, are not thus
represented, and do not receive their
fair proportion of all the money avail
able for educational purposes.
| The result is that We are building
/ our educational system from the top
/ down instead of from the bottom up.
! This system is wrong, and needs to be
| corrected in the interest OF the people.
A single board of education, represent
ing all of these interests, would give
better business management, would
cause the monies to be more equitable
| apportioned and correlate the states
education activities.
/ recommend that the board of re-
gents Of the university and the board
of regents Of the normal schools be
abolished, and that there be created
instead central board of education.
Continuing Annual Appropriations.
wish TO call attention to the policy
Of making continuing annual appro-
priations for the support of numerous
public and private institutions. This
financial policy has tendency to keep
up the expenditures of these institu-
tions to the amounts made available
for them by the appropriations regard
less Of their actual needs.
There should be frequent reconsid-
GRAFTON of all state appropriations, and
they should be governed by the neces-
stiles of the case and the ability Of
the people to pay. The annual APP
propriations now in force under this
system amount to nearly $S,0O0,000
This large amount suggests the neces-
sity of complete revision of these
appropriations, and reduction in the
amount to conform to pIore econom-
zeal policy
Water Powers.
hC 4CfClOpAAlDAI anu Lu6lDE lutO
use IF the wster powers within the
state is a Tatter which should receive
your careful attention. Most If not all
powers of considerable magnitude are
located upon navigable streams. AS to
such streams the public right of navi-
cation is superior to any other, but
the state has no proprietary interest
in the water powers. They belong to
a - Z
will be manffestly to the public ad-
vantage to have them improved and
put to use in operating mills, factories
and for other beneficial purposes. In
the interest and for the protection
of navigation it has long been the
policy of the state to permit the cree
ton of dams or other works in navig-
able streams only upon consent of the
state, and this policy should be ad-
hered to.
For nearly ten years there has been
no substantial improvement of water
power properties because of the unfav-
orable legislation proposed and en-
acted during that period. In 1911 a
water power bill was passed which de-
clared that water powers belonged to
and were the property of the state and
contained provisions respecting the
development andIuse of such powers
SC framed as to carry out that view
This act, being challenged before the
supreme court, was held unconstitu-
tional for the reason, among others,
that it denied the private ownership
of water powers.
In 1913 the legislature enacted a
new water power law which, while in
form recognizing ownership of water
powers by riparians, provided in sub
stance that as condition of granting
to water power owners permission or
consent of the state to the erection
of dams necessary to utilize their prop
erty, such owners should agree in ad-
vance to surrender 1t to the state at
any time after thirty years without
receiving the compensation which the
constitution provides that every citi-
zen shall receive when his property is
taken for public use.
1t would seem to be the part of wis
dom to promptly enact a water power
bill which will encourage owners to
develop these powers and use them for
the purposes to which they can now
be put, making at the same time ample
provision safeguarding the rights of
the state and providing that when the
state or any municipality shall require
the powers for any recognized public
use they shall be available therefor
upon payment of the constitutional
compensation. If they can be used to
operate paper or pulp mills or other
factories 1t will result in cities and
towns springing up, as well as in Civ
ing to the settlers of our wild lands
a market fo- their forest products and
the produce of their farms.
Formerly franchises for the erection
Of dams and the improvement OF
streams were granted by special acts,
but 1t seems desirable to pass gen.
eral law authorizing the Railroad Com
mission to investigate each application
and grant permits or franchises under
such conditions as the legislature shall
prescribe.
Too Many Laws.
Permit me to suggest to you that
there is no demand in this state at
this time for much new legislation.
The legislatures that have assembled
here in recent year. we're evidently
possessed with II - lea that every
human i'll can be cOrrsVted by statute
The last legislature seemed to be par
ticularly active. II remained in ses-
sion for eight months and passed us