River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-04-12
bari,able. reformatory aud penal insti-

| Southern Wis Industrial ASSOCIATION. 800 90
| Central Wis Agricultural association. soo W
| La Fayette County Agricultural society. lev w
Northern Wis Apil association 1000 90
via State AL society annual app nj. 1900 90
WIS Dairvmen' I ase,1ciation 500 90
Wis. State Ag,l society Ito pay debtl.... 4as0 20
| Via Wool Growers's association 200 90
Capitol extension o,00O 90
ports et,sso 7Aes4'' aiea'es' 10. a,4oo 90
| Amos Defoe, for wolf bounty ......... 1888 90
". s. Monroe printing copy laws, 50 20
| Kelly A. Knott. injured BY Williams .
Chris Leorhardt, defending contested
| George o. Spear contrasting seat 800 90
is72 es'..ss.Ns 6I5 10
| Thomas Kennedy. serving subpunas in
The appropria liens one year ago were
| swelied to an unusual extent liz reason or the
$500, 900 which was set aside for the pnrp lse
| Of adding two wings to the capitol building.
THE MOST IMPORTANT BILLS
which were evolved were killed either in their
| passage through the various stages Of legisla-
| lion or ON account Of some unconahtutionality
| in the manner in which they wore passed. Es-
pecially was this in the case with reference to
| The taxation of sleeping car, ex-
press aud telephone companies doing
business in this State. The bill taxing
sleeping car companies per cent OF their
gross receipts passed, but met with an execu-
tive veto, for the reason that the ayes ana noes
had not been taken on it in the assembly, con-
| trary to constitutional provision Tho meass
ure taxing telephone companies | per ceut OF
their gross earnings fell flat after lts success
| full passage for the same reason as did the
sleeping car bill The assembly bill taxing ex-
press companies per cent of their gross
earnings was killed in the upper house, and
therefore no legislation regulating the taxation
of corporations was effected during the session
which closed q wearsome existence to-day.
| Other important bills were killed as follows:
Regulating railway passenger and freight rates:
looking TO the adjustment OF the state fsh COM
mission: limiting the amount Of homestead exemp-
ton; reducing the rate of interest from TO per
cent, relative to capital punishment competing
all insurance companies doing business in the State
to uniform policies; establishing intermediate
sentences eompeliing railway companies to employ
engineers and brakemen who were troubled IN no
degree by color blindness; TO reduce tho Huuor
icense requiring the product Of prison labor to be
branded: aud bearing upon the adjustment OF tho
State militia.
The bills which did not pass are given first,
for the reason that the legislature IL notewor
thy, not for what it performed. but for what II
failed to perform. Among the more important
bills which passed were the following:
Creating the county Of Sawyer out OF Ashland
and Chippewa, and the county of Washburn out OF
Burnett: fixing the price of new sections Of public
lands, comprising about 100000 acres OF the best
State lands, at $3 per acre, with 200 contiguous
acres to actual sett lers at $.25 per acres creating
the Fourteenth judicial circuit out OF the Tenth;
establishing bureau OF labor stat.stlcsi creating
railroad and insurance commissioner. Professionally
exempting the property OF Turner societies from
taxaiont increasing the income OF the State un-
versitg nearly &I3.O00i compelling railroad COM
panes 10 report their mileage and annual earnings,
upon which are based the taxation, 70 the rail-
road commissioner Instead OF TO the state
treasuref: and provide that side track
be excluded from the fnieage to
discourage yagabondaee by providing tor the in
generation oil trainps for one year in the peniten
tiary; providing for establishment Of fire eseapes in
hotels in cities of over 10000 inhabitants Tegu-
laing TIE dealing in fntuFes exemptiDg private in-
sane hospitals from taxation providing for settle
raent between the counties of Shawano and Lang
lade; annuang all city charter provisions
allowing cities to fix lower rate OF license
than is provided for by the statutes: allowing the
city of Watertown TO eompr omiss its great railroad
Indebtedness OF near;y s .oo0 600; allowing two or
more continuous railroad lines running to a par
tieuar point to consolidate, which bill IS under
stood 70 especially benefit the Northwestern and
Omaha roads; permitting the st. Paul Railway
company to issue stock on any lines or coal lands
heretofore or hereafter purchased, and allowing
railways to condemn land running TO mills and
warehouses.
THE INSANE
The question of tho care of the chronic iii
sane of the State created prolonged discussions
and an Intellectual attempt was made TO pre-
hibit the constructor Of what are known as the
e6unty asvlums, under the belief that patients
in them could not receive as good care as
IN the larger institutions under the charge
~ tsse State The ATTEMPT however. meri-
torous as it may have been, proved futile as
another state hospital ana the purchase OF the
Milwaukee county asylum and conversion of II
into State institution under the name OF East
eru Asylum for the Insane. The following VII
lagos were Incorporated as cities
Kewaunee, Menomonie. Marshfeld, Hartford,
De Pere. Tomah. Sparta, Lake Geneva, Black
River Falls, Colby. Merrill, Edgerion, Nfcholet.
Mauston and Sturgeon Bay
The leg stature very ungenerously refused
to authorize the purchase of an executive resi-
dence, contrary to the hopes of many people,
beside those most directly interested.
PROHIBITION.
The question of prohibiting the sale and
manufacture of intoxicating liquors came
mp in the legislature as a nat
tral consequence, but by vote OF Al to
20 the assembly refused to adopt the joint
tigaol amendment The investigation into
the affairs of the Wisconsin Farm Mortgage
Land company resulted 10 nothing, as the com
mittee having the matter in charge rendered a
report TO the effect that there was no cause for
action The creation of the Fourteenth judi
cial circuit from the Tenth caused considerable
discussion as to the ACCESSIBILITY of completely
redistricting the State in judicial sense, but
nothing more than discussion resulted Sew
eral memorials to congress were adopted, but
the only one Of any consequences was that ask
ing that the duty on lumber be repealed
PASSED UPON BY THE GOVERNOR.
The assembly bill relative to comp ding rail-
way companies to report gross earnings to the
railroad commissioner, luBtBAu Or lli6 stGbG
treasurer failed to receive executive sanction
because the attorney general gave the opinion
that the bill was pernleious. in that its proyis
ions might be so construed a. to allow rait-
roads 10 report spur tracks, increasing mileage
and decreasing earnings per milo, and thus
securing placement in different class, with
all The accruing benefits of less taxation. The
The brtr Axing sleeping car companies per
cent on gross earnings in the State, and tsle-
phone companies / per cent, were signed by
the governor. The attorney general filed an
opinion that the constitution relative to the
manner of passing tax bills did not apply to
this kind of legislation; hence the failure OF
tie assembly to take ayes and noes on these
bills did not vitiate them
Gov Risk this afternoon decided, after hay
ing received the opinion of the attorney gem
alaI upon the subject not to put the executive
signature to the tire escape BILL which is very
crude aud unsatisfactory in construction. The
bill reached the governors office one hour be-
fore the final adjournment Of the legislature,
aud as it was long and the governor had uum
Der OF other bills to look over, he did not reach 1t
I'LL after II O'Clock noon, and the adjournment
of the legislature. The constitution of the
State says:
If any bill shall not be returned by the
within three Gays toun6zs @xsspteal after y shall
have been presented TO him, the same shall be 8
law, unless the legislature shah, by adjournment.
prevent its return, in which case il snail not be
law.
In view OF tnts, tn6 governor ueiu thAt ~ /
would be unconstitutional to sign, but adds, as |
the imperfceiions Of the bills rise before him: |
II would not il / could and could not il /
would The bill is considered one Of the most |
important of the session, and the fact that it |
failed to become law VIII create great sur
prise throughout the Slate, and especially in |
where the NewlalI holocaust is still |
fresh in the minds Of the people. Oae of the |
worst features of the bill was thatit referred 70
hotels, factories school houses etc, in cities |
aniy OF not less than 10000 population
u. s. Attorney III. NJ. Lewis has re- |
ceived letter from the attorney gener-
Al of the United States, directing him to /
enter a nolle prosequi in the case of Col. /
Thomas REYNOLDS when it comes up in /
the United States court next June, pro- /
gided Col Reynolds viii make good to /
the government the amount of money /
which is involved-about S.. 208.
Old Mr.. Rountree, of Platteville,
didn't pay up his margins to Chicago
bucket shop, and now the United States
supreme court is expected TO approve of
his defense that the operation was gam
bling.
Gen. Ed E. Bryant, of the Madison
Democrat, has been invited by Lieut..
Gov. Fifeld, president of the Wisconsin
press association, to deliver the address
it the next annual meeting of the asso-
,iation, at Geneva Lake, next July.
The small pox scare at Shell Lake IS