River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-04-04
MADISON LETTER.
MApIsov. vs., AMI |. 81

the edges of the lakes. When 1 re-
turned there was about as much open
water as there was ice; now the lakes
are entirely free from ice, and spring
may be said to have fairly opened.
The usual spring election excitements
are agitating the voters of Madison as
well as of lesser cities and towns. The
city is safely Democratic--all the way
from 400 to 500 majority. There is
fighting chance for the opposition in
the I'd and 4th wards, and in these
there will be lively fight over alder
men and supervisors. Mr.. Doyon, the
present Democratic incumbent of the
mayoralty, will be reelected without
opposition. The principal interest
centers in the election of Municipal
Judge, for which the Hon. L. w.
Keyes is the candidate of the Repub-
licans. The municipality includes the
whole of Dane County, or there would
be little probability that the BOSS"
would be elected. As it is there is
every indication that he will go in by a
good majority--anywhere from 800 to
500 majority. He was appointed by
GOV. Hoard to fill the vacancy caused
by the death of Judge Braley, and
during the four or five months of his
incumbency he has given the highest
satisfaction to the law-abidius citi-
zens of this city and county, and has
inspired the though" element with
wholesome fear of receiving sentence
in his court. Those who have had
that experience have generally ''gone
up for the longest term provided in
the statutes. The BOSS" is not afraid
of that particular class, either per-
sonally or politically, and he is just
the man to make quiet. safe city
where he has the administration of
justice.
Since my last letter Senator Taylor
| has had his field-day-in fact he has
had two innings-and the result has
been the utter discontinue of his
opponents in the field of debate al.
though they will no doubt easily de-
feat his bill by weight of numbers
Mr.. Taylor opened the debate with a
logical and convincing argument in
favor of the reorganization of the
state railroad commission. The
speech makes over four columns of
solid nonpareil, ana is admitted by all
disinterested readers to be mastery
exposition of the situation, and
strong plea for better regulation of
freight traffic in the state. Senator
Kennedy of Appleton spoke for the
railroads, against the bill. His speech
was very y-superlatively So
but illogical and irrelevant. This is
admitted by his Democratic friends.
Senator Taylor met the speech, at its
close, by rising and telling a little
story which completely turned the
tables on his adversary and brought
down the senate and audience in
shouts of laughter. On the following
Tuesday Mr.. Taylor replied to Mr..
Kennedy more at length, and also to
Mr.. Mann and others who espOused
the railroad cause. His last speech
was, in some respects, superior to his
first. 1t was less statistical and very
much more aggressive and combative.
Those who had the pleasure of hearing
him say that it was one OF the best
speeches ever delivered in the capitol.
Mr.. Taylor is natural orator; in this
case he bad the audience with him
| from the start, and under the in
| centives of full house, and subject
in which he was intensely interested,
he rose to the occasion and held his
auditors spell bound for twenty min
| utes while he treated them TO sarcasm,
poesy, fact and fancy in a speech
which cannot be measurably produced
| in print. At the close of his speech
"A motion was made to recOmmit the
bill to the committee, and it was car
ried with only three dissenting votes
| A few weeks ago the railroad attOr-
neys were Boosting that the bill would
be killed without dissenting vote
other than Senator Taylor's. Now
they are not ceItain that they can
kill it at all 1t will probably be killed
this session, but they will have to
look sharp two years from now, and
elect their own man at the polls or it
will go through then.
The best piece of work of the ses-
sion is the Cooper election bill, which
has just become law. 1t is modili-
cation of the Australian system of
voting; provides for secret ballot;
The printing of ballots by the state;
precludes split" tickets, or any SINH
lar device to deceive or defraud voters
or candidates, and its adoption will
cut off the gangs of strikers and fine
workers who harrass voters on election
day, and swindle the candidates who
employ them. It will cut off the reve-
nue. of that class of leeches, and by so
doing do away with the bribery which
that form of s'wOrk" covered. This
law is similar in its provisions to the
laws already in force in many of the
other states. Its adoption here and
elsewhere is the strongest evidence
that the people have awakened to the
danger which threatened free institu-
lions from bribery, corruption and
ballot-box stuffing, and is hopeful
sign that the people are going back to
the first principles of republican
form of government. from which it is
evident we have greatly diyerged of
late years. g. b. NJ.
Asound Legal Opinion.
E. cambridge Munday, Esq, Co.
Atty, Clay Co.. Texas. says: "Have
used Electric Bitters with most happy
results. My brother also was very