Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-02-13
charter of the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chen

used upon the Legislature of 1868 was con-
Cured in; that in regard to adjournng sine
die on March lst was postponed till the 26th.
The House refused to grant the use of the
Hall to the Sorghum Convention this evening.
THURSDAY, Feb. 4, .Senate.-A resolution
by Senator REYNOLDS, proposingto amend the
| constitution as to make the Supreme Court
consist of five judges, to be appointed by the
Governor, with the advice and consent of the
Senate, and to hold Office five years Bills
were introduced to amend sec. "a of chap. l9
r. S. of highways, bridges and ferries, with
regard to laying out roads, to provide sala-
ry of 81 500 for the county Judge of Milwau-
kee county, and some ofno general interest.
Neutrality-suspicious. were presented for re-
| lief from the defnct La Crosse Railroad Co.;
for. relief of farm mortgagors, for uniform
railroad tariffs; to reduce the tax, on State
| banks; and to abolish the Office of County
Superintendent.
Bills were introduced to amend the act Civ
ing aid to volunteers families and defining
the term family; in relation to collecting SUBJ
scriptions for bounties, and to aid volunteers
families also a number of local bills of no
general interest. The onIy general bill passed
was one repeating the act of 1862, authorizing
the Governor to appoint Surgeons for Bat
teries.
| FRIDAY, Feb. 5.-Se,aate. session was
unusually lengthy. A resolution was intro
duced by Senator HARRIS, and its considera-
ton deferred, denouncing as towards and
traitors those who have fled to Canada to
avoid the draft, and instructing the judiciary
committee to inquire if there is any way of
Furnishing them. Resolutions were also in
troduced and adopted directing inquiry into
the expediency of the State paying for uni
| forms of militia companies; authorizing the
| committee on State affairs to visit the State
Prison and other institutions, if necessary in
their investigations; directing inquiry as to
guarding against evasion of State tax by Ma
tional banks; also, as to the care of paupers.
Senator LAWRENCE offered an amendment
to the resolution providing for an increase of
the number of Judges of the Supreme Court,
so as to still have them elected by the people.
This was opposed by Senators CLARK and BO-
HAN, and consideration of the subject post
poned till Wednesday.
Among the bills introduced was one to au-
thorize overseers of highways to clear them
from snowdrifts; one to amend the laws rela-
tive to the sale of lands for unpaid taxes
one to amend chapter 399 of the general
laws of 1862, relative to counties and county
officers; and one to amend chapter 277 of the
general laws of 1860, relating to school, uni
versity and swamp lands, and to repeal sec
ton of chapter 80 of the Revised Statutes.
Among the bills passed were three from
the Assembly, one changing the time of hold
ing the circuit court in La Crosse, Buffalo
and Vernon counties, and one relating to
special terms of the circuit court in the 9th
judicial circuit and one providing that the
power of town treasurers, conferred by
chapter 80 of the general laws of 1868, rela-
tive to the collection of subscriptions made to
pay bounties to volunteers or to aid in the
support of their families, shall be considered
as applying to oities and incorporated villages;
also Senate bills appropriating $4,000 to the
Hospital for the Insane, and authorizing the
investment of the school, swamp and univer-
sity funds in the bonds of the State.
Quite discussion was started on this bill
by some remarks of Senator EARNEST, oppos-
ing it, which was participated in by Senators
LAWRENCE, CHANDLER, KELSEY, WILKINSON,
CAMERON, HARRIS, and HOOP, in favor, and
| carators ~ ,pZ- and EApSrsT AGAINST Som
ator CLARK reiterated his declaration that he
was in favor of repudiating all these bonds
issued for war purposes, as unconstitutional
Some very good points were made by several
of the Union Senators, and Senator HOOP cor
rected Senator CLARK's assertion that our
bonds were not negotiated in New York on
account of the opinion of eminent counsel
that they were unconstitutional, stating that
the objection of New York lawyers and capt.
talists to the bonds was based solely on the
wording of the law requiring them to be sold
at par The bill passed by vote of II to 6,
all the Democratic Senators present voting
against it.
Assem6ly.-Petitions for the relief of farm
| mortgages anu lOf Ol IdiiOdu
freights was presented.
Mr. KREIss offered a resolution, calling in
the United States assistant provost marshal
general for particulars of the number of men
drafted in this State last year, number of ex-
emptions, commutatives paid, &c.
resolution distributing so worth of pos
tage stamps to members and officers, and So
worth to messengers was adopted.
Bills were introduced to amend sec. OF
chapt. 276 oflaws of 1861, respecting sales OF
lands for taxes; to provide State bounty
fer volunteers, to fill the quota of this State
to authorize school land commissioners to an
null patents in certain cases; to establish lum-
Der districts and regulate the lumber traffic
in the same also number of local bills.
number of local bills were passed; also
bill extending to cities and villages the pow
ers granted by the act of last year, to towns
in regard to collecting subscriptions for vol
unteer bounties and aid to volunteer families,
and a bill amending chapt. 15s of the revised
statutes concerning writ of haJsas corpus the
memorial to the President for a more vigor-
Gus prosecution of the war in Virginia, was
indefinitely postponed.
| Considerable time WAS snent on the Senate