Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-03-27
Legislative Doings- Grant County In
the Legislature-The Inter-
est Bill.

Legislative Doings Grant County In |
the Legislature-The Inter-
est Bill.
Our member Of Assembly from this
District has furnished US with q
copy of the Assembly and Senate
Journals from which we will make
occasional extracts. In some re-
spects it is amusing. wherever you
see a parliamentary contest occupy.
ing several pages, you may be sure
Grant County is in the melee and
also divided against itself. The AS
sembIy bill No. Z, known as the SIN.
terest BILL" seems to have been press
ed forward and opposed with more
energy and zeal by the friends and
opponents than any other measure of
the session. The bill was to reduce
the maximum interest from 10 to 8
per cent. As there is considerable
feeling on this question, we make
some extracts from the journal. On
page s44, the FIRST square fight oc-
CURED. Mr.. Carter moved to lay the
bill on the table. Thirty. eight menu
bers voted for this motion. Mr.. Brind-
ley and Mr.. Carter voting for it.
Forty.nine members voted against it.
Previous question then moved and
voted down. AS majority of the
Judiciary committee had reported a
substitute for the original bill, which
substitute proposed free trade in
money, Judge Mills moved to amend
this substitute by a substitute which
was substantially the original bill Mr..
Keogh moved to lay the latter substi.
tute on the table. The house refused to
do this by vote of 38 to 52--seven
or eight members absent Next comes
call of the house, ard after some time
spent in hunting up absent members,
the call was dispensed with. Mr..
Simpson moves to strike out the
words "eight per cent" and insert
stem per cent" Lost by vote of 80
to 55. The substitute bill offered by
Judge Mills was adopted by vote Of
Al to AZ. Another motion was made
to strike out the enacting clause Of
the bill. Lost 43 to 40 Then Mr..
Carter moved to amend by striking
out "eight per cent" and inserting
"five per cent?" and the words "s. K
per cent" and insert "three per cent. T"
Then Judge mills moved the previous
question. Mr.. Carter's amendments
were voted down by vote of 80 to
Gil. The question was then put on
engrossing the substitute offered by
Judge Mills and it was carried by a
vote of 40 to 40; Mr.. Brindley on the
last vote, voted with Judge Mills.
| After the bill was engrossed, which
is duty done by the engrossing com.
mittee-that is, to copy off the bill
and amendments if any, it had to pass
through another stage, on the question
"Shall the bill pass" On the "a Feb.
ruary, some eighteen or twenty mem
bers being absent, the engrossed bill
was reached on an evening session
Mills endeavors to postpone from the
then Monday evening to Wednesday
Mr.. Carter moved to make the time
two weeks from next Wednesday. be
fore which time it was supposed th,
Legislature would adjourn-Lost 81
to Al, eighteen absent. Then followed
a motion to indefinitely postpone thu
bill. Then a call of the house is or
dered. Much time is spent. and pro
, ceedings under the call dispensed
with. The friends of the bill ar,
arg uu1 Or twt tbre TOT The lhu6hnit
postponement 30 as to move for re
consideration. The bill is indef
. nitely postponed by vote of 80 t.
40, some l9 members absent or no
voting. Mr.. Carter moved to recon
slider and lay the motion on the table
: but afterwards withdrew that motion
pages 448-45l.
The next day, absent member
having arrived, Mr.. Carey moveo t
reconsider the vote by which the in
terest bill was indefinitely postponed
D On February 9th the question to re
!. consider came up. Mr.. Fisher move
I to lay this motion on the table. TIL
house refused by vote of 40 to SO
Judge Mills being the only membe
from Grant County that voted wit
t the majority; 5 members were absent
8 Mr.. Carter moved call of the hous
after this was proceeded with MI
Carter moved to adjourn. Lost "a t
o5. The vote was then reconsidere
: n to II. The bill was then fnall
a passed by vote of 70 to 81. o
this last vote Messrs Mills and Brine
ley voted with the majority. Sc
pages 509--51l.
< This bill was indefinitely postpone
in the Senate by vote of s to Is,
Senators being absent. The Senator
voting for it were Anderson, Camp
= bell, Haben, Hathaway, Lopez, Fe,
ridge, Treat and Welsh.
' There appears to have beel a 8
!, multaneous movement in Illinois
Michigan and Minnesota to reduc
. the rate of interest; and we under
!, stand that the Legislatures of thos
a States have done so. Eight per cen
' is now more than 10 per cent. few
g years ago. Why should not the ir
n terest on money fall like everythin
else ? Nothing can be gained to an
party by opposing measure so ger
orally demanded by the people. Ne
d Their do we see why salaries ais
t should not be reduced to the speci
q standard. This is truly q novel Al
tempt at Legislation in this State, bu
the attempt almost resulting in sue
cess will put damper on the practic
of continually increasing these sal,
ries, and must yet succeed.