The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1915-07-23
fractional Politics Causes Defeat of
Administration Bills.

Gov. Philips effort to save the tax
payers money through the creation of
a consolidated commission to take over
the work of the board of control, the
board of health, the dairy and food
commission, oil inspector and treasury
agent, failed in the senate on Wednes-
day. The usual La FOllette-DemOcrati
combination with the help of Senator
Arnold, Socialist, served the purpose
of furnishing sufficient votes to prevent
the passage of this bill 1t was a part
of the La Toilette combine program to
defeat the passage of the measure and
the plan succeeded.
This bill to effect consolidation en-
braced more opportunities to save the
taxpayers money in administrative cost
than any measure before the legisla-
ture
The activities carried on by the vari-
Gus agencies in 1914-1915 cost the state
1921, 166, and the estimated cost under
the proposed plan showed a saving in
administrative expenses alone of over
800, 900, as shown by the second in
vestigating committee. This figure
does not include tbs saving sought to
be made in the readjustment of the af-
fairs of the state board of control and
the conduct of affairs relating to the
various state institutions under the
charge of that board.
The average Individual, of the tax
paying sort, interested in legislation
and it's results as a taxpayer, may won
der why this welfare bill and other
measures strenuously advocated by
Gov Phillip and his supporters have
been defeated. The answer is to be
found in one word, politics. Not poll
tics big and convincing, but politics of
the party, conniving sort to punish and
to defeat possible objects of the gov
ernor who for the time being stands in
the breech between the tax eating,
money consuming army which infests
the state capitol and the plain every
day sort of taxpayer who has and
does protest against continuation of
the present system.
The La Toilette factionalists with the
help of few Democrats who act as
Observation-Disclosures for what they deem to
be future Republican prospects and
with the aid of a few other senators
who pride themselves upon maintaining
an independent attitude, but who really
during the session have been the cats
paw utilities upon whose instability the
La Toilette politicians have traded and
counted, have managed to defeat every
measure which Gov. Phillip and his
supporters asked in the interest of less
cost to the taxpayer.
Upon carefully considered estimates,
arrived at by men who worked many
months to show what these bills would
accomplish in the way of money saving
and without harm to the service of the
state, the taxpayers would have sew
eral million dollars less to pay under
the proposed plan than they will be
obliged to pay under a continuation of
the system. The La Toilette senators
have managed to defeat Gov. Philip S
plan to save this money. They are
welcome to whatever of an issue thus
created. Their settlement must and
will be with the people at the earliest
opportunity. Senators who came to
Madison under the same platform and
personal pledges as were made to the
people by Gov. Phillip, will have LOT
of explaining to do in the remaining
months of the summer and during the
pre-primary campaign next winter ano
spring. &C. E. Vandercook in Evening
Wisconsin.