The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-02-22
COMMISSION FORM DISLIkED
Many of County Board Members Are
Opposed to Reduction of Size of the
Boards and Would Stick to the Old
Plan of Representation

Kenosha county is going to have
part in statewide movement for the
organization of county boards and at
the initial meeting Of the organization
held in Madison on Wednesday after
noon County Clerk Jones was the dele
gate of the Kenosha County Board.
Fifteen counties, nearly all Of them in
the southern part of the state, were
represented C. the meeting. G. A.
Clark of Sank county, was named as
chairman and j. r. Prentice of Water
town as secretary and treasurer. Tt is
expected that representatives of every
county board III the state will ! be
brought into the organization before
the end of tie year.
The new organization plans to take
up lot of problems connected with
the legislative movements in Madison
and it came into being as a result Of
suggestions made at the recent sessions
of the county board of Kenosha
county and rther counties in this sec
ton Of the state Members Of these
boards held that the county governing
boards should keep a closer tab on pro-
posed laws presented to the legislature
and it was held that this could be
done only by having a strong organi-
cation at Madison. One of the first
bills considered by the members Of the
organization on Wednesday was bill
which proposed to legislate out of ex-
istence the present county boards and
substitute FOR them a commission form
for county government. This plan was
opposed by practically all of the repre-
scntatives at the session on Wednes-
day. 1t was held that it would not
offer nearly as representative body as
the present county board system.
Commission form government for coun-
ties has not been discussed to any
great length in Kenosha county, but it
is known that some of the leaders in
the county board have been favorable
to this form OF course, the passage
Of the law would legislate out of Office
a large number Of men in the various
counties who have held offices in the
past. 1T is understood that the new
organization will make a vigorous pro-
test to the legislative committees
against tile assage Of this bill,
"'Fhe plan for the new organization
is along the same lines of similar or
CARNATIONS formed by other county
officials in the state" said Clerk
Jones this morning. "There was a
great deal of interest shown at the
meeting and it is certain that if all
the counties can be brought to see
the need of being represented that the
organization will be one which will
have considerable effect in the state.
The county board of Kenosha county,
and the same thing is true in other
counties in the state, is interested in
many pieces of legislation 1t would be
costly matter for each county to
have representative at the legisla
tive sessions, but with dues of but
three dollars a year this organization
can take care of all Of this work at a
minimum of expense III had no
authority to name Kenosha county as
a member of the organization, but the
matter will come before the board at
the next November session and be-
leve that our board viii be pleased to
cooperate Highway, legislation, in
heritance tax division, income tax
management and a lot of similar ques-
tions may be considered by this organi-
zation with profit to the counties and
with the idea of centralizing the op-
position to certain bills which are held
not to properly subserve the county Is
interest. Men present at the meeting
showed that the southern part of the
state was awakening to the desir-
ability of these counties taking a real
interest i'll the legislative program for
Che state. There is no doubt but that
tde northern counties will be fully
represented when this new organiza-
tion is ready for active work. Those
counties have always taken an in
terest in such work and / was glad
to see a similar interest shown bv the
southern countless
it is stated that more formal an
nouncement of the plans of the organi-
cation will be sent to the mem
bers of all the county boards later