The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-01-09
senator Buck and the Legislature.

Senator Buck and the Legislature.
State Senator George i. Buck Of
Racine, who has gone to Madison to
represent Kenosha and Racine counties
in the state senate, hasn t been in
politics long. He is going into Office
with ideas of service which are just
a little unique to memF ers of a Wis
consin legislature. He has been free
to admit that he is a "little green
at the business of legislating and that
he is Of the opinion that he is going 70
need sono help to make his services
count for al they should count for the
people of The two counties.
It's a decidedly altruistic political
situation. That servant Of the people
should feel that he is not already fully
advised on all the needs Of his district
and that he might be able to get adj
vice from some Of the people back
home is just little different from
things political in Wisconsin.
1t is to be hoped that the people of
Kenosha county will take the senator
at his word and take him into their
confidence. To stat suggesting things
that he could suggee at Madison is
easy. To fnis' up the suggestion b.
telling how he can get away from
hackneyed methods of the Iegisla-
tor and secure the enactment of these
suggestions into law is another and
a harder matter
Most members of the Legislature
never look at financial balance sheets.
They do not know much about who
supports the state and who lives at the
expense of the state. Some of them
represent counties who have been
teaching it off of other counties for SO
long that their main service in the
legislature is to see that the teaching
process is rot disturbed Others are
more interested in getting support for
county line road than they are in
the advancement of the state. Petty
things take up the time Of most of the
men who 90 to Madison as members of
the legislature because they are petty
men. The salary of legislator is not
enough to make being member of
that body appeal to high grade man
as a business proposition. Most men
are mo- efficiently patriotic to leave
the idea Of profit to themselves and
take up the altruistic idea of pro-
fit to their fellow man through their
service in orc of tho houses of the
legislature
AS far back as runneth the memory
of the oldest citizen, great section
of Wisconsin has been overlooked.
Every Legislature has spent more time
talking over the development Of the
water power of some sparsely settled
northern county than it has in discuss
ing the safeguarding of the heasse4
of more than half a million people
living along the lake shore by MAX
ing proper legislation to prevent the
pollution Of the lake.
The lake shore Counties have usu.
ally paid the bulk of the state taxes
and much, if not most of the money
secured has been used as a fund for
pioneering for the development of
northern counties. We want the state
developed, but it is pretty difficult to
see just why money earned in Kenosha
eouRty should be taken to clear far
in Iron county, or to build roads in
Ashland county. The men who pio-
neered Kenosha county took the bur-
dens of the pioneers. They had no
friendly legislatures to hand the
money by the millions for develop
ment purposes. They developed the
county by the work of their hands and
their hearts and their brains. OF
course we may have new idea of
being brothers. keeper, but we do
not want to do all the keeping. If
kenosha and Racine counties together
with Milwaukee county, are to pay
most of the expenses of the state,
these counties should have something
IN return. The members of the legis
lature must learn that Kenosha is not
part of Illinois and that it is the
second biggest county in the state
when it comes to paying and that its
wants and it's needs should be of first
consideration to the Legislature. To
secure this consideration means more
than to secure any one piece of legis-
lation which might be suggested.
If Senator Buck can go to Madison
and pull Racine and Kenosha counties
of the map Of "Illinoiso and put
them on the map Of Wisconsin. rg't
in the prominent place they deserve,
he viii have established mighty good
basis for an overwhelming majority
when he wants to go back for Sec
ond term and in that second term he