Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-03-25
! STATE LEGISLATURE.
Dig Bills Being Passed and the
Lobby Active.
THREATS OF BICYCLE RIDERS.

of IIascomb, Rubicc and Ex-Governor
Fnrwcn-~Othcr Legislative News.
Madison, Wis, March 22,--In less than
| three weeks the session of the l"giSla-
ture win conclude, If Speaker Buck
! stars word Is to bc depended upon. ]
| asked him to size up the situation for
my readers and this is the way he
did It:
The past week seems to me to dem
onstratc that the Legislature Is looking
after its legislation very carefully and
uses It's own judgment on bills instead
of importing opinions from outside, es-
pccially from Milwaukee. An enormous
amount of work has been done this
week, most of II resulting in dead bills.
The judiciary committee has acted on
fifty bills AT this rate the session
should end by April TO- which will be a
record for n short session; and If the
present course is pursued II will make
n record for wise legislation jesse
Stones assembly committee ON state
affairs has sent in all its bills.
The tendency is. of course, to hold the
big measures back This best suits the
lobby. The consequence IL that the SEES
sions are of growing interest. The bill
To stop race track gambling has passed
the assembly, but sticks in the senate.
That being IA smaller body, it is the
chosen field for quiet effort on the
part of those with a bill to kill. Scna-
~ lao
will soon be out now and there has been
much fighting over ii in committee. The
railroad men are putting IN their pest
Hicks To defeat 1t and ! shall he sur
priaed to see 1t pass. II Is unfortunate
that in all states the political leaders,
the men who do much to win elections,
who contribute money and do the work,
are so often Interested in the passage
or defeat of big bills 1t Is almost i'm
possible for members to resist them.
When one of them puts his hand on a
members shoulder and says, Nov,
John, ] haven't asked favor of you
this session, bat | viii ask just one. |
want you To KIN this or that bill 1t Is
not easy to show the marble heart
The member recalls with gratitude
what the petitioner has done for the
old party and his backbone is apt to
Wahblc Hike u jelly fish. AS the days
go on, the railroad pass comes in play
and II Is now understood some of the
members can get them for thcie con-
stitucnts, while others cannot. In 9TH
or words they are put where they Will
do the most good.
bicycles M Free baggage.
h., ,,rh of ba al n tr LET
their representatives, know their own
wishes respecting the bill to consider
bicycles rs free baggage. Probably cv-
cry member has received fifty letters.
Nearly every voter rides n wheel and
the boys" are organized In every COM
munity. They freely threaten politi-
cal grave for the members who vote
against the bill, especially those pledged
to It, but hundreds of thousands of dol
lars are involved for the railroads and
endless inconvcniencein providing rack&
for the wheels in baggage cars. We
shall see what we shall see.
Whitehead the substantial GAINESVILLE
lawyer, whose name the bin bears, is
making n very favorable impression.
Ills speech favoring Putnam's pardon
resolution was dgnlied and strong. He
ia the only lawyer on the senate state
affairs committee, and has done the re-
drafting of all bills. He came in with
tremendous majority-nearly 400 &C.
and Is said to enjoy the respect ut homo
that his ability and temperate Judgment
have won him in Madison. He Is also
member Of the committee on privileges
and elections.
The corrupt practices act that Mil
waukee reformers. headed by John A.,
Butler, have laburcd fur these many
years. Is coming to the floor with fa-
vorahlc report and it's passage. if &c
Complishrd. viii he a notable stroke 1t
Is the Missouri law, with very few
| changes 1t Compcls candidates tn pub
lish their expenditures during cam
| paiEn and Is said to encourage the pOur
man in politics
An Exemption Riil.
| Speaking If the poor man. an cN-
emption bill Is heinz advanced which
some of the Republican leaders are
afraid will make trouble. though Hall
and W. a. Jones are frank in saying
they believe tt to bc rooted injustice.
| Atprcsrnt q mans waEesto the amount
Of $ll week are exempt from levy for
| uthl, MS Ill cuts lHt exemption
| down to $40. II favurs the groCers and
| Ather tradesmrn, but the Milwaukee, Ia
Dor asscmhlymen protested against It.
! There Is not 80 much talk about econ
omy as there was though Mr., Roscn-
Grams Vt Waukesha never loses an OPP
! portunity to remind the assembly that
! the times are hard and the people rest
less He locked horns with the whole
| judiciary committee the other day ON
! paying substitutes for the district at
torncNs. maintaining that the Compen-
sntion should come from the latters
salaries. Mr. Rullard, the chairman Of
the latter committees. is one OF the most
influential members on the floor He
has Il husky voice and has n laundering
way Of putting things in debate but
one who watches him in committees
room is impressed by his careful, nc
curate method Safety IS fine quality
III statccraft
The two ,luneses in the assembly arc
Wolshmeu and reared in the old fash
toned way, The sparta Jones IN speech
the other day made II reference tn old
testament .Nhah and got IL twisted No
one apparently noticed II but the Min
eral Point Jones who went to the other
Jones desk and they had to st out q