The I .11ited Stairs Iltireau figure. for credited Wi,ciitistli with 9,104 manufactur in14 estal.li‘litnent,, in which oscr 2,10,000 per seas were engaged. The capital investment was $754,000,000, salaries and wages paid amounted approximately to $150,000,000, and the total value added to raw materials through processes of manufacture was estimated at $277,750,000.
Banking.— No subject caused more pro longed discussion at the time the State consti tution was adopted than did that of banking. Largely because of the extreme measures with regard to banking contained in the first consti tution, that instrument was rejected by the vot ers. The second constitution drafted there fore, was more liberal toward banks and bank ing, and a general banking act was passed in 16'92. In 1903 a State department was created, in charge of a commissioner of bank ing. Private banks were legislated out of ex istence, and State banks were required to be twice examined and to make five reports yearly on call to the bank commissioner. At the close of 1916 there were 737 State banks and trust companies as compared with 240 in 1896. There were also 138 national banks at the close of 1916. The following summary exhibits the principal items concerning the banks of the State at that time: During the year 1916 there was an increase in the total banking power of the State of $82, 000,W0, an amount almost equal to the total assets of the State banks in 1902.
Transportation, The advantage the State derives from the transportation facilities afforded by Lakes Michigan and Superior has already been adverted to. On the west the Mississippi borders the State for 250 miles and is navigable throughout the distance. The pio neer hopes of a widely developed system of intrastate water transit have not been realized. Nevertheless the rivers of the State lave prosed of vast importance as affording a means to float the lumber to market. All four of the State's well-developed manufacturing areas owe their prominence, either directly or indirectly, to the transportation advantages afforded by its nver and lake systems. These areas arc (I) the Lake Michigan shore line; (2) the Fox River Valley; (3) the Rock River Valley (including Madison); and (4) the upper Wisconsin Valley. Railroad building in the State was begun in 1g51, the first line to cross it being laic! from Milwaukee to Prairie du Chien in 1851-57. In the early period of railroad development it was believed that the most important routes would run east and west, connecting Lake Michigan with the Mississippi Riser, and the second line to cross the State was early built from Mil waukee to La Crosse. The decline in import ance of river commerce, together with the des velopment of Chicago and Milwaukee near the southern end of Lake :Michigan and Saint Paul and !Minneapolis on the upper Mississippi, have given a pronounced northwest-southeast trend to the transportation lines of the State. In 1Q15 the State had a main track mileage of 7.511. over 5.000 miles of this total belonging to the Chicago and Northwestern, the Chicago, Mil aukce and Saint Paul, and the Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Sault Sainte Marie systems. In loll a state highway commission was created and a scientific and far-reaching system of improvements was begun. As yet in its infancy, relatively speaking, by the close of 1916 nearly 5,000 miles of improved highway had been constructed at a cost of almost $18, 000.000; work is progressing in accordance with a comprehensive system which will ultimately reach every county-seat in the State and almost every village or town of any considerable im portance. Economically, socially and otherwise such a system of highways will be second in importance only to that of the railway system of the State.
Government—The constitution under which Wisconsin was admitted into the Union in 1848 is still in force, although a number of amend ments have been made in the 70 years of its operation. Amendments must originate in the
legislature. Upon approval by majority vote of the members of each house in two succeed ing legislatures they must be submitted to the electorate, which approves or rejects them by majority vote. To call a constitutional conven tion the question of holding one must be sub mitted, by legislative vote, to the voters at the election of the succeeding legislature and a majority vote must be given in its favor. The legislative power is vested in a bicameral legis lature consisting of a senate and an assembly. The assembly must never number less than 54 nor more than 100 members; the senate must not have more than one-third nor less than one fourth as many members as the assembly. At the present time the assembly consists of 100 members and the senate of 33. Regular sessions of the legislature are held biennially, in the odd-numbered years. The governor is the chief executive officer of the State, and has a limited veto power over acts of the legislattire..0ther executive officers are a lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction and attorney-general. All of these except the lieutenant-governor receive an annual salary of $5,000. In recent years, due to the progressive movement led by R. M. La Follette (now United States senator for Wis consin), a number of powerful commissions have been established, and these arc quite as im portant elements of the administrative system of the State as any of the older offices already noted. The more important are the industrial, tax and railroad commissions, each consist ing of three members with annual salaries of VOW. Other important commissions and de partments are the free library, conservation, civil service and highway commissions, the en gineering, banking, insurance and agricultural departments, the State board of control, the State board of public affairs and the State His torical Society. Thejudicial power of the State is vested in a Supreme Court, Circuit Courts, courts of probate and justices of the peace. Supreme Court justices are elected for 10-year terms, but in practice sitting justices areusually re-elected, commonly without op position. Circuit and probate judges are elected for six and four years, respectively, and jus tices of the peace for two years. The full right of suffrake is granted to all male citi zens of the United States of 21 years of age prior to 1 Dec. 1908 declared their intention to become citizens of the United States who have resided in the State one year and in the elec tion district 10 days. Woman suffrage exisis as yet only in connection with questions pertaining to schools. Wisconsin was one of the first States to adopt a direct primary law for the nomination of party candidates for office. A comprehensive corrupt practices act eliminates many of the evils attendant upon partisan contests with which the State was formerly familiar. Candidates for office must file at suitable intervals sworn statements of their receipts and expenditures, all political ad vertisements must be accompanied by a state ment concerning their cost and who pays it, and the purposes for which candidates may spend money are limited. Cities are governed or specific charters. The cotnmis n form is permitted and has been adopted by a number of the cities. It seems not to he gaining ground, however, and one city which operated under it for several years has re turned to the old form of government by mayor and council. The towns are governed by offi cers elected by the voters assembled in annual town meeting. Counties are governed by a county board, composed of representatives from the several towns and by the following admin istrative officers: clerk, sheriff, treasurer, dis trict attorney, coroner, clerk of Circuit Court, register of deeds, surveyor and superintendent of schools.