Year: 1874

Il


You will pardon me if recall to your minds
what said on these questions in my first an


nual message, in January, lS72, and long before
there had been much public discussion upon
either. What I said upon the subject OF rail-
roads will not trouble you by reading, except
| short extract, and l think you viii say that
expressed myself in very temperate language
| Here the Governor read from his manuscript
| That the Legislature might have the infor1na-
/ ton to enable it to act Understandings, you
| will observe that in my first message recon-
| mended the appointment OF q Board OF Railroad
| Commissioners, with ample power 10 inquire
| into all abuses, and the general working OF oui
| railway system, and to recommend appropriate
/ legislation. The same recommendation was
/ repeated in my second and last message, put
| the railroads were too powerful. and nothing
came of it, EXCEPT that I secured for myself
their continued and deadly hostility. They re-
neWed their oath of vengeance, and 1t was the
Milwaukee and St. Paul Company that oT{-ail-
lied the opposition which resulted IN the 'Tlng,
streaked and speckled' party that carried the


State. That company, am assured, earned
Tree most OF these persons who were Wiling TO
90 as delegates to the Milwaukee convention:
Having brought that convention tOSether, ana
r1sn it to their satisfaction, they supposed .hal
they owned the nominees then anu there Sc
lectesi and their all-pOwerful inffi ence was
directed to secure their election, and after the
election was over, many a time and OF me
manager IN his eXultatiOn was heard to eXCialfn
with an oath, balancing himself upon his toes
to give emphasis to his expression, that he
would give $1O0 for the photograph OF any en-
ploye OF their road who voted for me, but
alas the best laid schemes of mice and men
gang aftagley" They have had nothing but
toll and trouble ever since. Indeed. their ex-
perience has been very much Ike one OF OLD OF
whom we read that


He digged a pit, be digged it deep;


He digged it for his brother,


But for his sin he did run in


The pit he digged for 'tother."


1t is now complained that the Legislature act
ed without knowledge in passing the Potter
bin. that it is unjust, oppressive and void, and
they have refused to obey it. 1t the Le9lsla-
ture acted without sufficient information
to prevent the obtaining of necessary inforIna-
ton and the appointment Of commissioners for
that purpose, as twice recommended by me
while Governor?


That the law of last winter is perfectly con-
stitutional never had slightest doubt, and the
purchased opinions OF all the IaWerS in the
United States would not alter my Judgment. L
have carefully examined the law, and though
perhaps not entirely perfect in all its parts, as
II eGua 4 haroy @ ns p er 90 Unfair II It is is the
law and must be enforced and obeyed until
amended or repealed. After the law is com
piled with and fully observed, it the people can
be satisfied that it is unfair unjust, they viii
to it that it is made fair and just, but never
while the railways are in rebellion. NO pro-
position should be considered by the Legislature
for an amendment to this law until the COM
panieS prove by their acts that they have abal-
doned the position OF rebellion they nave mere
fofore assumed and submit to it. If, then,
they can show that by Obeylng the law they
cannot earn sufficient money on their W1scoE-
sin business topay fair rate OF interest on 5ne me
modified. But chat they IN my opinion can
never trlthfuily show. What the companies
are fighting is not SO nluch un1alf rates as tne
principles involved, and against having their
past history Investigated. The fight with them
is to crush out the rights if necessary. They
mean to make it SO expensive to every man
who dares to assert his rights in court or else
where that few VIII care to attempt it, and the
man who does attempt it, ii his business re
QIireS railway facilities, will soon find it ruin
ed. There is hardly a business man in the
State but feels that his business may be great
ly embarrassed, or perhaps destroyed, IL ne mas
the independence to assert his rights, and con-
seQuently they live in state OF moral oread,
and prefer to quietly bear the ills they nave
rather than to invite others which they know
not of. But let Us do no injustice to the ralt-
roads Of the State, or their officers, directors,
or managers many Of them l know 7; some are
perfect gentlemen, while OF others l may say say
when speaking on a different subject, the
more l see them the better I like dogs" Take
the general average and tn they viii hardly pc pc
roads in this State, with the exception of IN
just rates and determinations, has been gener-
ally very satisfactory. Comfortable and ldXuri-
Gus cars are furnished, with polite and gentle
manly conductors, and accident are very rare


But have no time to dwell longer on this
question further than to express my gratlflca-
ton that the farmers have associated together
to assert their just rights, and to urge them not
to yield until that end is attained.


I do not advise them to bring suit against the
railroads, because know that it will be mad
ness for them to do SO. What can a farmer,
single-handed, do with a railroad backed with
forty millions of capital Of course every suit
will go to the court of last resort, and the eX-
penSes, even if successful, will be enough to
ruin the richest farmer in TINS county. am
with Governor TAYLOR in all his honest and we'll
directed efforts to enforce the law, ard you,
should sustain him to the fullest extent but as
the legal points We're in the court, and IN a tar
way to be settled, l think his advice to the
farmers to bring suits was lu-Judged. Ihe
Governor could easily have put himself in the
place Of sutton, had he so desired, but he evil
IDENTIFY occupies in this railroad rebellion some
what the position Of Artemus Ward i'll our
great civil war, who on all occasions was given
to protesting his unalterable determination Of
putting down the rebellion, though it should
take the last drop of blood OF his wifes able
bodied relations. | think the Governor would
have acted more wisely II he SAID TO the people:
"Bide your time yeX not yourselves with suits
with those monster corporations, but make a
| note cf all the wrongs to which you may be
subjected, and elect men to the Legislature this
fall pledged to the amendment Of the railroad
law so far as to utsthe expense Of all suits
care the railroads for little suit, backed by a
farmer to recover s so The more the better,
| for the sooner will the farmers be broken down
and discouraged. But plant the State once be-
hind the suits and they will call out directly.
They have already done so in the case OF the
State against them, which the Supreme Court


has recently decided. The Supreme Court of
the United States, in the Fond du Lac case, re-
Gently decided as to the power of our State un-
der our Constitution, and our Supreme Court
has decided the same thing, and won't abuse
l
er to be discussed. lest you should say that 1
was undertaking your intelligence. and riding a
hobby to serve some personal end.


THE Governor here discussed the currency
question at considerable length. He continued: I
I am for maintaining the honor of the gov
elIment. / own government bonds, never
did own any, and fear that I never SHALL as
what little / have is employed in active bus
iness, developing the.resol1rces of the country,
giving employement to many, [ cannot afford
TO hold government bond, but have no SYM
pathy with those who insist upon paying off the
obligations Of the government drawing inter
est with paper promise drawing no interest,
and no time fixed for its payment. Before leav-
ing this question entirely, there is another mat
ter somewhat akin to it that desire to invite
your attention to for moment, because it
deeply concerns your welfare, and thus far has
been suffered to pass with but little notice.
allude to the reciprocity treaty recently ne
gotiated between the United States and Canada.
THAT treaty. Is now before the Senate for con-
firmation, and if confirmed viii be a stagger-
ing blow to the farmers of Wisconsin, who,
with large surplus in their granaries, and no
prospect for foreign demand for some time
to come, can i'll afford to divide their home
market with their Canadian neighbOrs who,
with their labor on a specie basis and paying
small taxes, and little or no tariff duties, can
undersell them in all our best markets.


rHof for hot fir>Sff limo oh fxUo