770 



WISCONSIN. 



unnecessary hurdena in the number and cost of text- 

 book* in our public schools. 



The ticket nominated by this convention 

 was as follows : For Governor, Win. K. Taylor ; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, O. D. Parker ; Treasurer, 

 Ferdinand Knbn; Secretary, Peter Doyle; 

 Attorney-General, A. Scott Sloan; Superin- 

 tendent of Schools, Edward Searing; Commis- 

 sioaer of Immigration, M. Argond. 



Prior to the assembling in convention of the 

 two regular political parties, the first State 

 meeting of the " American Constitutional Un- 

 ion " was held in Milwaukee, August 7th, and 

 was attended by six hundred and sixty-six 

 delegates. This party had recently been or- 

 ganized in Milwaukee, and was composed of 

 Germans. The convention was called indo- 

 pemlently of all political organizations, but its 

 members wore strongly opposed to the exist- 

 ing temperance law. No ticket was formed, 

 but it was resolved " that the State Executive 

 Committee be instructed to submit, or cause to 

 be submitted, a copy of the preamble and plat- 

 form of the Constitutional Union to the dif- 

 ferent political State conventions about to be 

 assembled in the State, requesting that the 

 principles therein enunciated bo embodied in, 

 and made a part of, their respective party 

 platforms ; also that the members of this Con- 

 stitutional Union in no way or manner would 

 support any political party or candidate for 

 office that did not heartily indorse and advo- 

 cate the principles of their platform. That 

 the appointment of a State Executive Com- 

 mittee be deferred until after the 16th day of 

 September, to be then selected from the mem- 

 bers of the different local organizations, and 

 that in the mean time a special committee of 

 five be intrusted with the transaction of all 

 necessary affairs." 



Their platform thus mentioned was as fol- 



ARTICLE I. The ballot-box ii the essential agency 

 placed in the hands of the people for the prut 

 of their liberties. Organization is necessary t<> ren- 

 der that agency effective. But while we concede the 

 existence of political parties to be eminently proper, 

 yet we deem integrity of character and general flt- 

 .' of m I i ' - t'.r oiliee ti> 1'u con-idrratioiis 

 higher than party dictates. 



ART. II. Corrupt administration is the fruit of, and 

 breeds, in turn, corrupt elections. Positions of pub- 

 lic trust ought to be ICM sought than tendered. The 

 payment of fees and perquisites should be abolished. 

 and every public officer receive an adequate ti\. I 

 alary, not to be increased during the terra for which 

 he is elected or appointed. The action of our late 

 Congress, by which the representatives of the people 

 faithless to our confidence which placed them in 

 offloe voted the people's money to themselves, for 

 services already past and remunerated, we deem the 

 highest evidence of political corruption, and tbc at- 

 .imi justify such conduct we look 

 upon as the womt kind of effrontery and an insult to 

 the Intelligence of our )>< 



ART. III. c 'luiTvh and State ought to be kept sepa- 



rate. Fully cndrirsinir the policy of the first mi-nd- 



Fodoral Constitution, which provides 



that Congn should make no law respecting an 



it of religion, or prohibiting the free 



exercUe thereof, we accordingly insist upon the ut- 



most liberty of conscience. Han is not responsible 

 to others fur his religious belief or opinions mi reli- 

 gion ; and while it is the duty of the State to protect 

 every individual in t) n. it 



should especially prefur no religioua eatablisi 

 or mode of worship. 



ART. IV. Freedom of industrv ami freedom of trade 

 are essential elements of a republican t-i 

 nieiit. Therefore, while we deeply 'U-pl 

 of habitual and excessive drinking, as well as i 

 perate habits and excess iu any other mode < 

 uinl while we are ready and willing to use all r 

 able means to eradicutc them, we earnestly 

 all laws which, under the pretense of poliec i 

 tionSj or of remedying morul evils, interfere with 

 the rights and fundamental privileges of American 

 citizens as guaranteed by our Constitution. 



ART. V. We consider the interests of our farming 

 population and those of the people at large 

 identical. The wealth of our State lies chiefly in its 

 agricultural products. Consolidation of competing 

 railroad-lines and arbitrary turiils must under no 

 circumstances be tolerated ; ami the ilcvelopn. 

 new, easy, and cheap means of trr 

 to be made one of the prominent features of coming 

 legislation. 



AHT. VI. The right of individual and locui 

 government ought to be jealously guarded. Kvcry 

 municipality should be left to regulate < 

 affairs at pleasure, as far as compatible with the pub- 

 lic good. Special legislation ouuht to be discounts* 

 1. and all at' ntnilization of power in 



national as well as State affairs ought to be promptly 

 repudiated. 



The election resulted in the success of the 

 Democratic and Liberal Republican ticket. 

 The total vote cast was 147,859, of which Mr. 

 Taylor received 81,685, anil (iovernor \Vash- 

 biirn 06,224, making the majority of the former 

 15,411. 



Of the S3 members of the Senate, 17 arc reg- 

 ular Republicans, 14 Democrats, and 2 Liberal 

 Republicans. The House comprises fid mem- 

 bers, of whom 41 are regular Republican-, t ; i 

 regular Democrats, 8 Liberal Republicans, and 

 3 Independent Democrats. There are 42 farm- 

 ers mid 14 lawyers in the House; and 7 fann- 

 ers and 6 lawyers in the Senate. Of the 24 

 of foreign birth in the House, 18 are Gern. 

 and of the 13 of foreign birth in the Senate, 

 5 were born in Germany. 



At the judicial election held April 1st, 

 Orsamus Cole, who has been upon the bench 

 eighteen years, was reflected as an associate 

 justice of the Supreme Court. 



The improvement of the Wisconsin River by 

 confining its waters at the low- water stride, by 

 wing dams, to a single channel, and reducing 

 its width, has been continued with satisfactory 

 n-sults. This improvement is beinir carried on 

 by tbc Knifed States, ns a part of a route of 

 water communication between the Mis-i-sippi 

 River Mini Lake Michigan, by way of the Fox 

 River and Green Bay. 



An appropriation of $300,000 was made by 

 Congress in March, 1878, for the improvement 

 of thu Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. It was 

 estimated by D. (). Houston, of the I'nitcil 

 States Engineers, that $100.000 could l.c prof- 

 itably cxp.'ii'l.d in continuing the impr 

 mcnt of the Wisconsin River durinir 1*7:1, 

 leaving $200,000 for the Fox River. The con- 



