220 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



periodically on this question furnishes a good index of the con- 

 dition of the people. The significance of the vote may best be 

 indicated by quoting from a personal interview with the County 

 Clerk, the Hon. William Rippin, who has served the county 

 for many years. He said, ^^The owners of waste land and the 

 poor peoi)le were in favor of allowing animals to run at large, 

 while the farmers who had all improved land were against it. 

 The owners of waste land and the poor j)eople in the towns were 

 in favor of the proposition ; the poor people, because they could 

 pasture on the highways, and the owners of waste land because 

 they could let their cattle run loose on their waste land, thus 

 saving the cost of fencing. The reason why the farmers own- 

 ing all improved land were against the proposition, was because 

 they preferred to build a pasture fence for what stock they chose 

 to keep, and allow the rest of their land to go unf enced. Should 

 the animals be allowed on the highway, it would compel them 



Table VII. — Votes on proposition for aUoiving animals to run at large. 



Group I 



Group II. . 

 Group III , 

 Total 



Foe 



Vote. 



2,436 



3,875 

 1,855 



Per cent, 

 of total. 



59.0 

 47.5 

 36.0 



Against. 



Vote. 



r,966 



Av. 47.5 



1,669 

 4,216 

 2,932 



8,817 



Per cenfc. 

 of total. 



41 

 52.5 

 64.0 



Av. 52.5 



to keep all their land well protected by fences." Bearing these 

 facts in mind, it is seen from the table that the lead region and 

 the towns along the river, except Menominee, took the side of 

 the poor man and the waste land owner, while the region away 

 from the river, the agricultural area, just as uniformly took the 

 opposite view. 



To sum up briefly, we have found in our investigation that 

 two distinct areas exist in Jo Daviess County: the first one 

 where lead mining was once important, and the other where 

 agriculture has always been the important industry. The lead 

 region is the lowest in population and in valuations, is different 

 from its neighbors in politics, being mostly Democratic, and the 



