American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-02-25
WISCONSIN IDEA, KILLED
AT THE POLLS.
Taxpayers and Citizens Disguised
With Pa%ternalistic Reforms.

The following article, taken from
Leslie's should be read by every mem
. Der of the Idaho legislature and by ev-
cry citizen of Idaho. The editor of
Lelie's, commenting on it, says: THE
result of the recent election in Wiscon-
sin, is or ought to be, of tremendous
Importance to the people of the other
states In the union, for it marks the
n of experiments in legislation which
have been heralded far and wide as
the wisconsin Idea,- which swelled
the cost of state government in Wis
consin from "a, 900, 900 in 1910 to $751;
100000 in 1914. Radical p~aternalistic
legislation has been given a smashing
rebuke in the land of its birth"
John Loomis Sturdevant.)
To obtain a clear conception of the
situation in Wisconsin a glance into
the past is necessary. In 1900 and
1SCr some years prior thereto, the vo-
mrs were divided into two political
parties Zach with lines closely drawn
and the contests, while sharp, we're
always good natured. Each partisan
believed his opponent to be honest,
though mistaken.
With the election of governor, that
year, however, a new element, that
of suspicion, was injected into Wis
consin's politics. Men who opposed
the radical legislation suggested were
branded as enemies of popular gov
eminent, or as bought by the Gin
terests," that vague Doggy which has
been SO useful in recent political
campaigns. Men in both parties, I'M
less they supported the radical lead
ers, were publicly read u of those
parties.
A statewide primary law was
one of the first panaceas for all
he ills of the body polite. I'm
der it party lines were obliter-
ated and party organizations
shattered, until to be called a re-
publican meant little different
from being called a democrat.
Voters were classed as followers
of some individual and not as
belonging to any party. AS a
consequence they lost interest in
state affairs, and the total vote,
though the population increased,
not only did not materially gain,
but during the past six years, has
shown a decided falling off as the
following figures will show:
Total vote for governor, 1896, A.
o91; 1900, 4O,S97; 1904, 449, $50; 1908,
Asst; 1910. 319,462; 1912, 393,651;
1914, 325,430.
Males of voting age, 1900, 570,715;
1910, 6S3,743; 1914, (estimated), $780,
900.
In 1914 the total vote was AZ per cent
of the possible vote. allowing 5 per
cent for those DISTINGUISHED by rea-
son Of absence, illness. etc.
The primary law was followed
by a long line Of Legislation, not
all Of which was bad, but all Of
which was presented under the
guise of the "uplift" movement,
~purporting to be a effort to bring
the government closer to the peo-
pie but in reality for the purpose
Of giving the faithful" jobs at the
taxpayers expense.
These laws, grouped together. form
what Is known as. the Wisconsin
Idea" the basic principle of which is
that the people hold property only in
trust for posterity, and that therefore
every line Of endeavor should be regu-
lated, supervised and inspected by
commission; these commissions and
their employees to be experts who are
trained in the University of wiscon-
SIN AS legislature after legislature
passes these laws. Wisconsin came to
be known al the Laboratory for eI-
~perfmental legislation" The leading
advocates Of this system. having a lin
tied vision, set forth these laws as
principles, when As q matter of fact
they were methods only.