Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-03-11
Legislative News.

The libel bill is being held up bv the
assembly committee on Judiciary until
the meeting of the Wisconsin Press
| Association next week, when the
editors Of the state will have an oppor-
| tunity to speak in its favor. The bill
provides that when paper publishes
| a libelous article, the publication of a
retraction may be pleaded by the pub
Usher in mitigation of damages. 1t also
provides that no action of libel shall be
based on reports of legislative or judicial
proceedings and that before anv action
shall be begun for libel, notice shall be
served on the publishers. In case of
retraction only actual damages can be
| recovered and the retraction must be
| considered by the jury in estimating
| these. The measure should receive the
support of every paper in the state as
the present libel laws are out-of-date
and parties not entitled to damages can
| under the present libel laws make a
| great deal of trouble for publishers by
| bringing cases without any foundation.
There is an indication that Mr.. Halls
| anti-pass resolution be returned to the
assembly with favorable recommended
| ton. The measure is before the
judiciary committee and from the fact
| that there was no open opposition from
the railways at the hearings on the bill,
and the general demand the press and
| public have been making for its adOp-
| ton, the committee can hardly fail to
return recommend for its adop-
| ton. The committee is divided on the
question but the final result will likely
be a majority report. The minority of
the committee will probably content
themselves with dissenting in COM
mittee and make no report to the as
sembly.
A lively session of the state affairs
committee was had when the bill to
permit the use of the long distance
telephone wires of the Wisconsin Tele-
phone company by local companies
upon payment of tolls was considered.
Henry G. Payne of Milwaukee ap-
peared for the Wisconsin Telephone
company, while H. A. Taylor of Madi-
son and others spoke in favor of the
measure. The discussion was lively
and there are hopes by those support
ing the bill that it will receive a
favorable report. If it passes the
senate there is little doubt of it going
through the lower house without
material opposition.
| Final hearings have been had on the
| Marquette statue memorial and the bill
to place statues of Gen. Rusk and Gen.
Fairchild in the old hall of representa-
tives at Washington and the report of
the committee is anxiously awaited.
Some of the bills relating 10 convict
| labor have been considered in an in
formal way but nothing will be done
until J. E. Heg of the board of con-
troll returns from a trip of investiga-
ton he is making. Several representa-
tives of large chair factories looked
| over the bills and were of the opinion
that each contained some good features
The one providing that prison made
goods shall be labeled was most sat
| isfactory to several of the party as it
| would cut off to some extent the COM
petition of prison made goods shipped
| in from other states.
Next Wednesday the assembly com
mittee of assessment and collection of
taxes will listen to hearing on the bill
providing for the taxation of church
property.
The insurance code prepared by In
surance Commissioner Fricke has been
revised to a certain extent and has been
sent to the printer. The revised bill
was prepared by the committee and 1t
contains several concessions to fraternal
Insurance companies, but they are still
dissatisfied with some of its provisions
and an interesting fight on the floor of
the house when the bill is reported
seems to be assured.
On Thursday night Chief Clerk
Hausel of the senate made statement
as to the condition of business up to
date The summarized statement is
as follows: Bills intl oduced 36S, in
definitely postponed 56, passed II, in
the hands of the assembly 4S, laid over
235, assembly bills received 66; con-
IL. l., -
tees 81, on calander or laid over 8.
A summarized statement of business
in the assembly Friday night shows:
Assembly bills referred go, senate bills
referred IS; bills reported 295, bills in
committees 433. There are still 1862
assembly bills in committees, III in
definitely postponed, IS passed and "A
pending.