Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-02-17
LAST DAY WAS BUSY.
Legislators Rush in a Big Grist
of Measures.
Bill Introduced to Remove the State
Capitol to Milwaukee.


condition of the state treasury, which he
sent to both houses during the week.
The message showed up pernicious sys-
tenn of financiering which has been going
on for years ard deluding the public,
which, it is believed, will now be stopped
The last day for introducing new bills
was reached in the middle of the week,
and the total number received was only
about thirty short of the record of two
years ago, Notwithstanding that up to
few days before the end they came in
very slowly. In the 400 bills that were
introduced in the last day there were
quite a number OF important bills, in
Guiding one to move the capitol to Mil
waukee Not much business, except the
introduction Of new bills, was done by
either house and no measures of imp0r-
lance were passed.
To save the ducks, which are growing
scarcer year after year, Senator Green
of Milwaukee has bill which prohibits
spring shooting entirely, but it is hardly
likely that it will pass, though the city
members will all be for it.. 1t will be
too unpopular with the country members
TO pass. There is a deeply rooted idea
in che country districts that the game
laws are made for the benefit of city
clubs and this bill will appear 80 be
proof of the fact. And if it should pass
it is believed that it wOu d be SO unpOpu-
lar that it could not be enforced. Game
Warden Ellarson believes that nothing
could be done which would afford better
protection to the birds than the passage
of bill absolutely prohibiting the ship
ping of them outside of the state.
A strong effort is to be made to get the
T II Ii abTz,c.
Kelley institutes of the state for the
claims which the Supreme court has
knocked out. Representatives of the diff
ferent institutions are here to lobby for
the purpose. They hold that they took
the patients in good faith in compliance
With the provisions of the law and they
should not be defrauded Of their money
because the Legislature happened to pass
4 bill that was unconstitutional Such
bill may go through. but there does not
now seem to be much show of a Kelley
bill passing in any form. Nobody seems
to have courage enough to speak a SIN
gle good word for the act of 1895 from
which SO much good was expected.
General Manager Underwood of the
500 road will now have another oDpOr-
tUnity to do the handsome thing by the
boys of the Legislature. Tuesday AS
sembIyman Thomas of Chippewa intro
v
Legislature for years past, to compel the
500 road to carry passengers for ) cents
per mile. 1t now charges 6 cents and
has successfully resisted all attempts to
cut the rate down. Two years ago Mr..
Thomas introduced the same bill, and it
was in a fair way to become law when
Mr. Underwood appeared in Madison for
one night, and the bill was never heard
Of again. 1t was a hilarious night and
some time during it the bill got its death
blow ia some manner Mr.. Thomas
hopes to get it through this time.
The bill introduced by Assemblyman
Risum goes after the big theater hat
nuisance in new way. Instead of max
ing It unlawful for women to wear big
hats at the theater the bill makes it I'M
lawful for the managers of the theater
to permit big hats to be worn, and pro-
poses a fine if they fail to have them re-
moved If the bill becomes law it will
be interesting to see how the managers
will proceed to carry out it's provisions.
TO do so without giving offense to their
patrons would require no small amount
OF tact.
1t is expected that the university regents
viii now furnish O fuller and more sat
isfactOry report in response to Senator
Withee's resolution of inquiry. In some
quarters Senator Withee is being sub
jected to unpleasant criticism for hav-
lug set on foot the inquiry that is bound
to show UP the university methods,
whether they are right or wrong, but the
criticisms are not deserved. Mr.. Withee
is not antagOnistic to the university. He
has not had the advantages of uni
Fersity education. but no man appreci-
ates the value of that institution moro
than he does and no man is more ready
30 give it all the money it needs for legit-
mate purposes. He looks at the mat
ter solely from the standpoint of q bust
pess man who believes in knowing how
his money is being spent by his agents.
lie IS man Of facts and figures and
not Of theories, and if there is anything
wrong about the management of the in
stitution he will find it.
{
The feeling that exists in the Legis-
lature. and has existed in every Legis-
lature for years, is not against the uni
versity itself but against mana cement
which is believed, justly or unjustly, not
The farmer member has an idea always
that money is wasted for things not of
practical value, and that the institution IS
run for people not of his class. Some
of the students are themselves partly re-
sponsible for the latter idea. The boy
who wears q high collar and football
hair aud smokes cigarettes may be the
best fellow in the world, but his looks
10 not show it. and the farmer mem
Der is very apt to take a dislike to him
and judge the whole institution by him.
The management could do the universe
ty a service by forbidding some of the
students to come near the capitol while
the Legislature is in session.
During the discussion ever the Agri
cultural society appropriation before the
committee on claims an interesting state
ment came out as to ''rake off, secured
by the Milwaukee Street Railway COM
pany from the Agricultural society. 1t
seems that in addition to the double fare
collected by the company it received 8
cents from the society for every person
it carried to the fair grounds, which
gave it % cents for every person carried
to and from the grounds. Another in
teresting statement was made TO the eff
feet that when the loans were made to
the society by the state, neither the prin-
cipal nor the interest was ever expected
TO be paid