932 WISCONSIN 



amendment to the Federal Constitution providing for a Federal income tax, and asked 

 Congress to call a constitutional convention to submit an amendment providing for 

 amendment by initiative, and one providing for the initiative, referendum and the 

 recall; also to give Alaska a recognised Territorial government. In November 1912 

 the people approved amendments to the state constitution making 50 years instead of 

 20 the limit for paying off municipal indebtedness, if the indebtedness is for land bought 

 by cities or counties having a population of 150,000 or more (46,369 votes to 34,975); 

 and giving the state, or any city, power to acquire land for public purposes and sell 

 land thus acquired, if it is not needed, with restrictions for its future use (48,424 to 

 33)93! votes). A measure giving the suffrage to women and taking it away from 

 unnaturalised aliens (who have merely declared their intention to become citizens) 

 after December i, 1912 was defeated by 227,024 votes to 135,545, probably because 

 of the opposition of the conservative Scandinavian and German elements. Under 

 an amendment ratified in 1910 the state was redistricted into congressional and legis- 

 lative districts in 1911. 



A law of 1911 provides for second choice nominations. 1 No candidate for a judicial or 

 school office is to be nominated or elected on a party ticket nor is any designation of a party 

 or the principles represented by the candidate to be used in the nomination or election of a 

 candidate for such an office. The method of rotation of names on ballots was specified. 

 There is to be an alphabetical arrangement in the most populous district; in ballots for the 

 second district in population the first name alphabetically is to be moved to the last place on 

 the list, and this process is to be repeated for the ballots for each district going down the scale 

 of population. A law provides for an official ballot for the election of candidates for national 

 conventions, and another provides that ballots for presidential elections are to be printed on 

 light blue paper, for referendum votes on pink paper, and for state, municipal and county 

 offices on white paper the arrangement being by party columns with circles so that a straight 

 ticket may be voted and that sample ballots be printed on paper different in colour from 

 any official ballots. Each county may vote to adopt or discontinue the coupon ballot. The 

 law of 1907 for the direct choice of delegates to national party conventions was supplemented 

 by a provision for a presidential preference primary. 



A new corrupt practices act was passed in 1911 and amended in 1912. Disbursements of 

 candidates are strictly limited to certain classes of expenditures and also in amount e.g. 

 $7.5oo for a candidate for the United States Senate and $150 for state assemblymen. The 

 secretary of state is to send to all voters publicity pamphlets, in which candidates for different 

 offices may secure space at specified rates. A state board of public affairs (whose members 

 serve without salary) was created in 1911; it is authorised to supervise and inspect "public 

 bodies, to carry on investigations, to make estimates and recommendations for public ex- 

 penditures," and if necessary to employ experts. In 1911-12 the board investigated the 

 state school system, especially in rural districts, the auditing of accounts of public institu- 

 tions, the methods and amounts of state appropriations, especially the advisability of 

 "continuing appropriations" immigration, municipal markets, the marketing of agricul- 

 tural products and the efficiency of state departments. In 1912 it published a report on 

 agricultural co-operation. A new code for public printing was adopted in 191 1. 



First class cities were authorised to 'have art commissions 2 and boards of police and fire 

 commissioners; and to employ a city forester. A new code was passed for the government 

 of cities of the second, third and fourth classes under the commission plan. The term of the 

 mayor is six years and no one holding a licence for the sale of intoxicating liquors is eligible. 

 The act provides for initiative, referendum and recall of officers. Other acts provide that 

 any municipal officer, whether under the commission form of government or not, may be re- 

 moved by recall after six months in office and give the people the right of initiative and 

 referendum on acts of municipal councils and boards of county supervisors. By a resolution 

 of the common council or by a petition of 10 % of the voters of the city, an election may be 

 called for an amendment to a city charter, and the law provides also for a charter convention 

 composed of fifteen delegates elected at large which may draw up a charter subject to the 

 ratification of the people. This "home-rule" act was held unconstitutional, May 14, 1912, 

 by the state supreme court. Cities of the first class are authorised'to build public lavatories 

 and to regulate and prohibit emission of dense smoke in city limits or one mile therefrom. 



1 This law resembles the law in Tasmania in that it gives a greater value to first than to 

 second choice; if no candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, the candidate who 

 has the least number of first choice votes is to be dropped and the second choice votes are 

 then to be added to the first choice for all other candidates, this process being repeated until 

 some one candidate has a majority of votes. 



2 John Nolen, a Boston landscape architect, in Madison: a Model City (Boston, 1911), 

 planned the remodelling of the capital city. 



