Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 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 nstl-
tutions were placed in charge of a CEN
trail board of education, instead OF hav-
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.
The board of regents of the normal
schools also are an influential Dody.
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 aVal4-
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.
| l 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-
| tons 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 ap-
preparations now in force under this
system amount to nearly $8,OOO,OOO.
| This large amount suggests the neces-
sity of a complete revision Of these
appropriations, and a reduction in the
amount to conform to more econom-
ical policy.
Water Powers.
The development and bringing into
use of the water powers within the
state is a matter 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
/ the owners of adjacent banks, and 1t
will be manifestly to the public adj
/ 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.
j 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
water power bill was passed which de-
! clared that water powers belonged to
and were the property of the state and
|
development and use of such powers
| so 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
new water power law which, while in
form recognizing ownership of water
powers by riparians, provided in sub
e'ance that IS q condition Of granting
to water power owners permission or
consent Of the state to the eSectiOn
of dams necessary to utilize their prop
erty, such owners should agree in ad-
vance to surrender it 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 it will result i0 cities and
towns springing u9, as well as in CIV
ing to the settlers of our wild lands
a market for 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 it seems desirable to pass a gen
eral law authorizing the Railroad Com
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