The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-10-12
PROGRESsVES PASSED LAW
Governor Asserts That Vacation Law Is
Simply Following Laws in Other
States and That Tt Had the Support
of Men Now Fighting It.

Kenosha people will be interested in
the opening speech of the campaign OF
Governor Philip at Waukesha on Mon,
day evening as in this address the Gov.
ernor punctured the arguments which
Burt Williams, the Democratic candidate
for Governor, made against the Wiscon
sin law for track elevation in Kenosha
on Saturday night. The Governor
went into the matter in detail. He said
in part:
Gin 1909 a law was passed giving
the railroad commission authority tc
order a separation of grades upon pc
tition Of a municipality or upon it's own
motion and to apportion the cost there
of between the railway company and the
municipality.
! "The law of 1909 was prepared by
the railway commission consisting of
/ B. Fl. Meyer, Halford Erickson and
John H. Roemer. The bill passed the
senate unanimously, having the support
of such Democrats as U. S. Senator Hus-
ting and now U. S. Marshal Randolph
and all the Progressives in the senate
including ex-senator Sanborn of Ash
land.
"The law is generally regarded as a
just one and if [ remember clearly was
upheld by the supreme court of the
state. Other states that have legislated
upon the same subject have made SINH
lar provision. I will call Mr.. Will
iams' attention to the statutes of
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Michigan,
Kansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indi-
ana. In all Of the states named the cost
is divided upon the sum basis.
In number OF states the percentage
borne by the municipality is higher
than that assessed by the commission of
Wisconsin. In the state Of New York
the railways pay fifty per cent, in Yer
mont sixty per cent; Massachusetts,
sixtyfive per cent; Ohio, fifty per cent;
Indiana, seventy five per cent; Virginia,
fifty per cent. In our own state and
in the cities where grade separation
have been undertaken the municipalities
have been assessed from twenty to
thirty per cent.
81 hearo of no objections to the law
during the last session of the legisla-
ture, and SO far know no bill was seri-
ousIy considered to repeal it, I call
especial attention to the fact that this
law relates only to main tracks and such
side tracks as are used by the general
public.
"The very recent discovery Of Mr..
Williams of this Ubiquitous law is an
other evidence of how political necessi-
ties do change things. Before the pri-
mary the commissioners who promoted
this bill were held up before the people
as personification of efficiency and
far-sightedness when it came to cues
tions affecting the people and I was
criticised by the element that fought
ne then for having substituted other
men for Commissioners Roemer and
Erickson. Now comes the Democratic
candidate and tells the people that he
canno+ understand why the railroad
commissioner could ever promote so
ubiquitous an institution as this grade
separation law.
An amendment which has passed in
1915 is also used to awaken anti-admin-
istration sentiment. This bill relates
only to sidetracks to industries where
reconstruction is made necessary by
track depression or track elevation.
The bill came to me with the provision
in it that the city might be assessed in
part for such construction on the theory
that the burden would be too great for
the '-1rstry.
cit must be borne in mind that be-
fore this law was passed TIE railway
was not obliged to pay any part of
such sidetrack construction. main
tsin that the city should not be made
party to the payment unless it could
be shown that it received a benefit, and
| declined to sign the bill unless it was
so amended. The legislature amended
it to- conform to my suggestion and as
the law now stands the city will not be
assessed by the commission unless it
can be shown that it derives the bene-
fit.
No assessment has been made under
the statute and the chances are that
none will be made for the reason that
it is improbable that any situation will
arise where it can be maintained that
the city is beneficiary.
Again I say that the democracy
must be hard pressed for issues when
it brings forth this class legislation to
prove that my administration has been
TOO friendly to railroads >,