Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-03-27
Should Raise Salaries
Of State ASSembIymen
VOTE UPON PROPOSED AMEND
MENT TO CHANGE SALARY OF
MEMBERS OF LEGISLATURE

On April list the people of Wiseon-
sin are asked to vote upon proposed
amendment to the state constitution
to change the salary of members of
their legislature.
TIE present salary of $500 per
term is equivalent to s2.72 for each
OF the 1874 days that the 1923 legisla-
ture was in session. All other Wiscon
sin legislatures of the last ten years
have been in session more than 1874
days and the pay of their members,
consequently, was even less than $2.72
per day. No other state pays the mem
bers of its legislature at so low rate
Kansas and Oregon, next to Wiscon-
sin at the bottom of the list, pay So
per day and every other state at least
81 per day or more.
In wisconsin the trainers of the
constitution of 184S fixed the salary
of the members of the legislature at
$3.50 per day In 1867 this was chang
ed to $3.50 per year and in 1881 to
$500 for the term of two years.
Since 1881 the population of the
state has doubled and it's wealth in
creased twentyfold. This increase in
population and wealth has lead to a
corresponding increase in the volume
of legislative business. In contrast
with a. regular session of IS days in
1888, the first legislature which met
after the $500 salary was fixed, the
regular sessions of several of the
legislatures OF the last ten years
have exceeded 200 days. Special ses-
sions, moreover. have become frequent
Members are not paid for special ses-
sions.
While the amount of time which the
members of the legislature must de-
vote to their duties is now very much
greater than in 1881, the purchasing
power of the salary which they re-
ceive has decreased by more than one
half While in 1881 members could
rent rooms in Madison for 81 per
month and could get board for 81 per
week or%less, they must now pay at
least S. per week or more for room
and 81 to SIS per week for board.
The pending amendment was passed
unanimously by the legislatures Of
1921 and 1923. and has the support Of
all political parties and factions in the
state. To date no opposition has been
expressed against this amendment. Be
cause there is no organization actively
pushing this amendment, however, it
may, nevertheless, be defeated; this
should be avoided
The powers of the state legislature
are so important that election to the
legislature should be regarded as one
of the highest honors within gift Of
the people. Because of the low salary
however, the positions in the legisla-
ture in many districts have in recent
years gone begging" and it has be-
come increasingly difficult to get the
strongest men in the community to
become candidates. Many of the mem
bers elected to the legislature, more
over, come with the idea of serving
but a single term and refuse to be
candidates for reelection. In corse-
quence, two-thirds or more of the mem
bers of each legislature are new mem
bers without previous legislative ex-
experience.
The amendment to be voted on
April 1st involves more than fair
dealing on the part of the people with
their servants. In the last analysis it
raises a question of good government,
with all of the evidence supporting
the conclusion that the founders of
this country were correct when they
adopted the policy of paying legislat-
ors sufficient salary to compensate
them reasonably for time spent in the
service of the public. This is what the
pending amendment proposes to do
and why it should be adopted at the
election on April 1st Voters of Wis
consin are urged to vote favorably
for the amendment.
THE WAY TO OPEN a CAN