WISCONSIN PAYS THE PRICE
Wisconsin Pays the Price The Story of The Republican Administration Through Questions and Answers (The Progressive presents below the fourth of a series of installments from the Progressive...
...Only purpose of "reorganization" was to bring about the dismissal of regular state employes in order to make way for Republican appointees...
...Government operatons were demoralized by repeated threats of wholesale dismissals and by fake reorganization schemes which bobbed up throughout the legislative session...
...Afterwards, the legislature actually appropriated S3.500 to pay off those who had participated in the shakedown...
...A. Yes...
...A. Yes, a great many...
...A. It was one of the crudest and most notorious Tammany rackets known...
...The official Republican platform provides: "We favor the administration of civil service on a merit basis and not a political basis...
...A. This proposal would have established another new state agency, this one entrusted with the power of passing on the orders of virtually every other state department...
...The district attorney of Dane county conducted an investigation into the shakedown racket and was ready to begin prosecution when the Republican-controlled legislature hastily jammed through a bill granting immunity to the guilty conspirators...
...Although all commission orders are now subject to review by the courts, this board of administrative review would have provided still another step in the slow and costly process of reaching a final decisison...
...This proposed super-agency, whose powers were defined by high-priced corporation lawyers, would have been authorized to resolve every question in the tricky field of due process against the public and in favor of the business or industry to be regulated...
...Q. Did the Republican Party make any campaign promises on the subject of civil service and the merit system in selecting state employes...
...A number of Republican henchmen were unable to receive civil service appointments as employes of the legislature...
...The effect of the legislative action, which was approved and signed by Gov...
...Heil, was to admit the crime but wipe it off the books through a grant of immunity...
...The fifth chapter will appear In an early issue.—EDITOR'S NOTE...
...Q. What evidence is there that the Republican administration's so-called "reorganization" hills were politically motivated by a desire to place Republican politicians on the state payroll...
...STATE GOVERNMENT OPERATING BEHIND a fake screen of "economy" and "efficiency," the Republican administration pounded the state civil service to pieces in a series of maneuvers designed to permit scores of Republican politicians to get themselves attached to the state payroll...
...Bills were introduced to destroy the entire merit system...
...Q. What was the so-called "shakedown scandal" which the state press attacked so vigorously...
...Thus, public service commission orders dealing with, utilities—orders which are now dragged through the courts for years—would have had to run still another gauntlet...
...Republican legislators received a letter from a party official urging them to vote for the bills in order to create state jobs for party workers...
...There is no question about that...
...3. The bill to "reorganize" the department of agriculture and markets and the bill to "reorganize" the tax commission provided for virtually the same set-ups as those then existing...
...2. Although most of the bills were advanced as "economy" moves, official figures showed that the total cost of the "reorganized" departments would be far greater than those then operating...
...Heil said: "The spoils go to the victor...
...A. Yes...
...Q. What was the board of administrative review measure proposed by the Republican administration...
...Q. Were there any attempts by the Republican administration to interfere with Wisconsin's nationally acclaimed merit system of selecting employes...
...Here are some samples: 1. While Republican "reorganization" bills were pending in the legislature...
...Wisconsin Pays the Price The Story of The Republican Administration Through Questions and Answers (The Progressive presents below the fourth of a series of installments from the Progressive party's pamphlet, "Wisconsin Pays the Price...
...When Republican leaders assembled in Madison to demand their share of the gravy, Gov...
...Q. Wasn't this procedure illegal...
...As a result, those who did receive jobs through merit examinations were required to turn back part of their salaries to finance the Republican politicians who were unable to meet minimum requirements...
...Q. Was this spoils system given official recognition...
...A. The evidence is too abundant to permit full presentation...
...Both bills, the one whitewashing the conspiracy and the other appropriating state money for those who participated, were jammed through the legislature in record-breaking time by the same Republican-Democratic coalition which loafed for nine months without passing a budget-balancing bill or the promised liberalized pension program...
...A. Yes...
...In addition, the Republican administration wrote into its numerous reorganization bills wholesale exemptions from civil service merit requirements...
Vol. 10 • April 1940 • No. 15
