The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-01-21
OUR MADISON LETTER
interesting Correspondence from
the State Capital. $500
HIGH HONOR FOR JOHN c. sPOoNER.

Every Republican in Both Senate and As
sembly, it'll One Exception, Declared in
Favor of His Return to the United States
Senate-Bucl5staff's Election as Speaker
Surprise-The Pressure for Office-Su-
premo Court Decisions.
Madison, Wis, Jan. 19.-It must have
been a proud moment Wednesday night
for John c.. Spooner in the assembly
chamber when every Republican in
both senate and assembly declared in
favor of his return to the United States
| senate. He is both predecessor Of and
successor Of William r. Villas. Both are
Madison men, lawyers, graduates of
the State university, and personal
friends, though not intimates. There
was no dissent in the caucus proceed
ings unless the silence Of Assemblyman
Hall of Dunn county could be so con-
strued. He refused to vote, afterwards
explaining that he believed his district
opposed to Colonel Spooner. He had
promised some of his constituents not
to vote for him in caucus, though he
should do so in the senatorial election
itself, which occurs Jan. 26, because he
(HalD is a Republican. Mr.. Hall said
he certainly thought there would be
! some opposition or he would not have
! made such promise.
Senator Spooner served term in the
legislature many years ago, but his
prestige as q lawyer earned him his
election as senator in 1885. The speech
nominating Colonel Spooner was made
by Senator McGillivray Of Black River
Falls. He is sash and blind manu-
facturer, an orator somewhat ford in
style ana identified with woman suf-
frage and reforms generally. He is
Canadian born. His most notable bills
are against trusts and to lower rates
of interest The famous bill to exempt
from taxation wagons with wide tires
and thus improve the quality of coun-
try roads bore his name. One para
graph of his speech was plucky, in view
of the widespread opposition to Spooner
as a corporation lawyer 1t had to do
with railroads. After speaking of their
Importance to the state-"as essential
to our welfare as the wagon road"-Mc-
Gillivray said: "Our selection should
be a man broad enough to stand for
railroads when they are right and with
courage enough to say to them, You
must STOP If they are depressing the
people,"
Helpless Without Reed.
Colonel Spooner's speech was commit
ted to memory, but he spoke it quite
differently from the copy. Like Chaun-
cey Depew and many other men of big
brain the knack of memorizing is not
his. Colonel Spooner's right hand man
is an old Brooklyn, n. Y, newspaper
writer, Reed by name. He is skilled
stenographer and Spooner is helpless
without him. He sometimes dictates
letters and speeches even when travel
ing by train.
There was but one humorous touch in
thespeech ofacceptance, where he spoke
of sensational jingoism." The only
paragraph that seemed to wake the
colonel up to his old fire, was that in
which he said, 81 shall at all times
stand for the power of the United
States government to enforce it's laws
and to protect its property everywhere
within the boundaries of the republic
without obtaining the invitation or con-
sent Of any state or Of it's executive"
It was greeted with significant ap-
plause.
The election of George A. Buckstaff,
the Oshkosh furniture man, as speaker
surprised everybody. The first ballot
resulted: Arson, %; Buckstaff, 27;
Ray, IL, and Jones, is. The two former
gained on every ballot and the eighth
settled it when Buckstaff had 48 and
Arson 80. NOVEL; and Houser the old
clerks of the assembly and senate re-
spectively were reelected, as were the
legislative officers generally except B.
F. Willard, sergeant-at-arms of the
last assembly who failed to defeat ex-
Assemblyman Hambright of Racine.
An assemblynan, speaking of Buck
staff's victory, said: 1T is everything
for a Wisconsin man to be educated at
the State university. My wife shares
the notion held In some quarters that
our university boys are somewhat gay
as compared to church college students,
but tell her that when our boy grows
up he shall take the course at Madison,
for the friendships it makes. A gradu-
ate knows people all over the state who
will do anything to help him on. Es-
pecially does it SOW good seed in Mad
ison, which is influential in all these
legislative actions"
Persistent Mothers.
The pressure for office has been ire
mendous, though the disappointed are
now well thinned out. One visitor to
the capital turned up in the police
court and his defense was that his rival
had induced him to get drunk and thus
improve his own chances. There is q
great pressure on the part Of mothers
to get their boys in as pages, posi-
ton which pays 81 a day, and one that
many an able bodied man would en-
Joy. These mothers are most persist
emit They call on the speaker and
clerks Of the assembly and senate at
their homes; they lie in wait for them
after meals and send notes to them on
the floor.
The fact remains that persistence is
the key to success in the small appoint
ments where personal pull counts
less. I heard veteran in politics adj
yising a mother: Keep at him.
Worry him. Meet him at every corner.
Stop him in every corridor. Make his
life a burden. Tell his wife about it.
TKy,.;fo him letters Finally he will he