The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, June 28, 1917, Page 7

south, have adopted the initiative, ref- erendum and recall, giving the people some control over their legislators and other state officers, the stand-patters. in Wisconsin have been able to block these reforms. The cities are allow2d a measure of popular government in the initiative, but the state lawmakers at Madison have seen to it that none of their own powers are lessened in this manner. They boast now that the popular de- mand for these reforms has been ai- most completely stilled. Bills calling for the initiative, referendum and re- call are introduced, as a matter of form, By progressive legislators at every ses- sion of the legislature, but the stand- Ppatters who are in control see to it that there is no chance for them, The politicians argue that the peo- ple don’t know enough to be allowed to legislate for themselves, or to dis- charge one of their_servants if he is unfaithful to his trust. So the poli- ticians obligingly agree to look after all these little matters for the people. Besides being in the rear rank of the states in popular control of govern- ment, Wisconsin is behind in public ownership. Here, too, the economy cry is raised to good effect. The Wiscon- sin constitution prohibits any city or subdivision from contracting any debt in excess of 5 per cent of the assessed value of its property. PUBLIC OWNERSHIP BY CITIES BLOCKED The city of Milwaukee has been try- ing for years to get free of the grip of private monopoly which controls its gas plant and its electric lighting sys- tem. Wisconsin laws prohibit the city from building a competing gas plant er electric plant. If the city wants to go into the public utility business it has to make over an existing plant and Ppay not only the physical value of the plant it takes over, but an additional price for the value of the plant as a “going concern,” this price to be fixed by the railroad commission, a body which, as at present organized, is re- garded generally .as favorable to tha corporations. This means, in reality, that the city would be compelled to buy the “good will” of the private mo- nopoly; the value that has accrued to it because it is a monopoly. The Milwaukee privately owned gas plant was given a valuation of $10,- 700,000 by the railroad commission a few years ago. The city would be glad to take it over even at this value, which includes the ‘“going concern” or “good will” value, and to pay for improve= ments that have been made since, but it can't. It would take the city slightly over the 5 per cent debt limit. It has been shown, by undisputed figures, that the city, if it could take over this gas plant and issue 414 per cent bonds in payment, could make enough money in 12 years, at present A state that once led the Union in progress has become reactionary. This' story of Wisconsin car- ries a lesson that ought to interest every citizen, no matter where he lives. Read about a legislature that sits for six months and doesn’t do anything. Parlor of state senate in Wisconsin’s new capitol, where the stand-patters people’s legislation. and the entire original cost of the in- gas rates, to pay interest on the bonds vestment, Then it would be able to sell gas at cost to citizens of Milwau- kee. So it applied to the legislature for power to do this by raising the in- debtedness limit, SO MILWAUKEE MUST PAY TOLL TO MONOPOLY The stand-patters in the legislature raised their hands in holy horror. “You would plunge the city into millions of debt,” they said. “Nothing doing. We must protect the people against themselves.” So Milwaukee has no chance to get a publicly owned gas plant, and the monopoly *will continue to fatten its coffers. There might be some excuse for the legislature taking the ground that the people must_ be protected against themselves if Milwaukee had a bad record in the matter of public owner- ship. But it hasn't. The Milwaukee municipal water plant has been es- tablished for 40 years and has made one of the best records in the country. It was started with $2,000,000 raised in bonds. It has earned enough money to build a system that is worth $8,500,- 000 as it stands today, has retired all but $240,000 in its bonds, and is giving citizens of Milwaukee as good water and as cheap water as any city in the country today. Rates don't mean much to a great many people. What they are looking for is results. The best proof the writer knows to show that Milwauk=e is getting real results for its citizens with its water plant is the water re- ceipt of one citizen. This receipt was for three months’ water for a family consisting of four adults who lived' in a seven room flat. What do you suppose the amount of the receipt was? .Just 59 cents, or less than 20 cents a month. If any water user under a privately owned system could show a receipt at this rate the writer would like to hear about it ONE FARMER SITS IN THE STATE SENATE A glance over the roster of the pres- ent Wisconsin legislature is enough to show anyone that there is little hope for progress. Lawyers, manufacturers and bankers combined have a majority of the membership of the senate. There is just one farmer in that body, and he is a “retired farmer.” In the house there are a few more farmers, but it is pretty hard to find them. While the writer was in Madi- son recently he asked for one farmer : Clearing in cut-over section of northern Wisconsin. This farmer has been able to make a little progress where many, many others have failed. lounge in luxury between knifings of member after another and got the an- swer that the man in question had been given a leave of absence to g0 back to the farm. The legislature has been in session ever since the first vt the year and it is not likely to adjourn until July. It is all right for the lawyers, the bankers and manufactur- ers who can run up to their offices during the week ends and handle the rest of the business by correspondence, But the farmer can't plow his fields by mail or telegraph. He is virtually “frozen out” by the long session. He gets $500 for his services for a session which generally lasts for six months; after he has paid all his expenses he has less money than the farm hand he has to hire to do his work while he is away. So not many real farmers run- for the legislature, “Economy” prevents the state from paying a legislator more than $500 far six months and bars the poor man from the legislature. “Economy” has prevented the state from paying its debt to the trust funds and releasing $2,000,000 that might be loaned to farm- ers. “Economy” prevents the city of Milwaukee from being permitted to ex- tend its successful city ownership and give its citizens gas and electricity at cost. “Economy” is raised as a cry to block every movement intended for progress. But economy hasn’'t been applied by the present administration to reduce taxes. In the legislature, whero Speaker Lawrence Whittet, a bright and energetic young stand-patter, plays Man Friday to the governor’s Robinson Crusoe, state departments and institutions which are “right” with the administration can get all the ap- prgpriatfons they need; it isp only when a measure .comes along that is likely to help the farmer or the labor- ing man against organized “legitimate ' business’ that the economy cry is raised. BOOST FOR M'HENRY The farmers of the McHenry region are to organize a stock company to purchase the Tribune there. The In- dependent wishes them every success in their venture.—FOSTER COUNTY (N. D.) INDEPENDENT. : WENT TO MEETING The Nonpartisan meeting held in Dickinson, Tuesday, attracted many farmers from the Golden Circle and a few of our local business men. Fol- lowing are those who atended from . around Belfield: Dan Schlewitz, W. H, Cameron, Calvin Adams, L. E. Newton, C. E. Davis, John Frank, Harry Engle- hartson, Joseph C. Korherr and Peter Hogue.—BELFIELD (N. D.) TIMES, over-confidence of the farmers. The old gang and the anti-farmer press plans to put on a whirlwind windup campaign to defeat John M. Baer, farmers’ candidate for congress. They are counting on lack of interest and ' BAER MUST BE ELECTED. HIS DEFEAT WOULD SET BACK THE FARMERS' CAUSE SEVERAL YEARS. PAGE SEVEN PERPCIR P S LY e e n