River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-12-01


ages since the people have been served
by government. Nevertheless. it is
some ones duty now, here in Wis
consin, to point out that we are get
ting our moneys worth, and then
some; and that if we demand the inn
provements which an advancing civil-
cation offers we should pay our score
like men.
1t is fortunate that the issue has
been shifted by the Governor from
the constitutional question of the ex-
ecutive's power to pardon in a con-
tempt case to the question of whether
the sheriff or the Governor has been
coerced in the controversy between
nm and Judge Reid. The constitu-
tional question was most interesting
one, and not lawyers alone but the
interested public generally were eag-
er to know which of the two, the Gov
ernor or the judge was in the right.
As to whether the sheriff was coerced
or someone attempted to coerce the
Governor is of little interest along
side the other question.
Invitations and the program for the
public ownership conference now
being held in Chicago contain the
name of Lieut.. Gov. Comings of this
state as one of the principal speak
| ers. Lieut.. Gov Comings is one of
| the most earnest, as he is one of the
| most interesting of speakers upon
| questions with an ethical bearing.
| Whether one wholly agrees with him
or not he will always be impressed
with the mans sincerity and zeal.
In all forty seven papers Or addresses
are named on the program so that the
thfee-day session will be well filled
or the addresses will be very brief.
| Among the speakers are the deposed
| Governor of North Dakota, Senator
Laad of that state, Glenn Plumb, at
torney for the railway brotherhoods
| and author of the Plumb plan for
| government ownership of utilities,
upon which the question centers, is of
i special interest in Wisconsin where
each succeeding legislature sees a
| stronger effort to bring about public
ownership. Under government con-
troll of railways, employees received
higher ray than ever before and much
higher than corresponding service
was paid in other industries. In Wis
consin, outside of waterworks, which
are strong for government ownership,
few publicly owned utilities are sue
cessfully operated. The feeling among
legislators thus far has been that
cities and villages must prove them
selves able to carry on the ordinary
normal municipal functions with eff
| flclency and economy before under
taking to assume operation Of indus
tries requiring technical knowledge.
!
Gov. Blaine started something
when, in an official letter to the At
torney General he intimated that that
official was starting too many actions
against trusts and not carrying them
through. Attorney General Morgan
is not only an active and efficient pub
lie official but he is a fighter from
away back" He replied to the Gov
ernor citing cases and dates where the
Governor had refused to confer with
him, once refusing to give the Attor-
ney General five minutes to confer on
an important case, and thus delaying
action. From the tone of the Attor-
ney Generals letter one may Judge
that the controversy has not been con-
Guided. and thatthe public will he fur
Their enlightened as to the relation be-
tween the two officials.
w. B. Jones of the department of
Markets is manager of the big mar
kets exposition to be held in the Aud
itorium in Milwaukee Dec. to 10.
Mr.. Jones reports that already vir-
tually all of the floor space has been
sold. and that the exposition will be
the best showing of Wisconsin farm
products ever made. The railroads
into Milwaukee have all agreed to
give a fare-and-a-h half round trip
tickets for the show. The exhibits
will include potatoes, dairy products,
tobacco, honev and manufactured pro-
ducts. All of the big farm oreaniza-
tons have Joined to aid in showing
what Wisconsin is doing in Agricul-
ture.
DIR. j. S. Healy in charge of the
work for the State department of Ag-
riculture reports that Wisconsin is
still in the lead in number of accred-
tied herds that are free of any trace
of tuberculosis. Eightv-four herds
were added to the number durino Oct
ober. making total of 1898 fully ac-
credited herds in the state.
State Treasurer Johnson has writ
ten to the chief clerk of the land de-
partment suggesting that he get the
opinion of the Attorney General be-
fore refunding the money raid for
land in the different reservations. The
state treasurer raises the question
whether the state should, in refunding
money to those who sought to buy
land, pay per cent interest when the
state itself gets but 31s per cent.
| The money deposited with the state
in the attempt to buy lands which it
transferred was not owned by the
state, says Mr.. Johnson, has only
earned 312 per cent for the state; why
should the state pay per cent?