Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-03-15
CAPITAL NOTES.

/ Effected by the 18th. Whether I'M
friendly criticism by the press or
some other spur has induced the
favorable change, which is notice
able, matters not; the State will re-
cei1c The benefit Of it, Bills are
now being passed so rapidly that she
Governor is kept well employed re-
viewing The batch that is daily be
ing presented FOR his consideration.
! 1t is now apparent that the price
Of State lands will be raised, despite
! The efforts Of land spectators to
prevent the passage Of the bill. The
minimum on lands not heretofore
offered at public sale will not be less
than 81 80 per acre. Some plan IN
der which those who purchase FOR
actul residence and improvement
could have better terms than those
who buy thousands of acres purely
for speculative purposes, ought to be
devised, but there is no reason to
hope that this Legislature will be
able to do it.
The bill to tax express companies
is meeting with determined opposi-
I ton in the Senate, Notwithstanding
it passed the Assembly with but one
vote against it. Friends Of the
measure are active, however, and
hopeful that they can pull it through,
Notwithstanding the strong lobby OPP
posing them. If this bill fails Of
passage, those who vote against it
will be more bothered to explain
why they did SO in view Of the fact
that they enjoy "dead-head" privil-
eyes on express lines, than they
would be if they had paid regular
rates for what they have shipped by
express. Members, generally, who
vote against the bill, viii do so con.
scieutiously, and we are not pre-
pared to assert that the bill ought to
pass, but it serves a good purpose in
demonstrating the improperly of
members receiving favors from cor
porations concerning which they
may have to legislate.
a bill proposing to reduce passen-
ger fare on railroads within the Stat,
has been reported by the committee
on railroads for indefinite postpone
ment 1t provided that on roads
whose gross earnings per mile reach
ed $1,000 or more annuity, passenger
fare should not exceed % cents per
mile; and on roads having less earn
ings not over 3 cents per mile. 1t
has been but little discussed, and
probably it's existence or import is
not known to half the members, and
but few people will ever hear that
such n measure appeared before the
Legislature of 1883.
Friends of the University have
for some time complained that the
income is insufficient to maintain the
institution at such standard as its
merits and public importance de-
mand Strenuous efforts are being
made to secure action by this Leg
islature that will swell the revenues.
One proposition is to amend the
statute which now provides for an
annual levy of one-f0urth of a mill
for the maintenance Of the Univer-
sity, so that tax of one-haIf of a
mill shall be annually raised for the
purpose. Under the one fourth Of a
mill tax about $4,000 is raised; I'M
der the proposed one-half mill tax,
the amount would of course be in
creased to about $4,000. Another
proposition for the benefit of the
University is to divert tho proceeds
Of the sales of lands which now by
law go to the Normal school fund, to
the Agricultural college fund. As
the Agricultural college and the
University are one and the same in
management and interest, the effect
would be directly to increase the
University revenues. Friends of the
Normal schools are Of course oppos-
ed to this scheme, and we doubt its