Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-04-07
A WEEK CT WORK,
Busiest Six Days Of the Session
at Madison.
The Law Levying a State Tax Passed
and Signed

Madison, Wis, April 3.-[Special !
Judged from results, this has been the
most important week of the session in
the Legislature. There has been no at
tempt to dodge important matters and
the consequence has been that 4 great
deal of work has been done. The Wylie
anti-poOl-selling bill is practically passed
and the Milwaukee school board reOrgan-
ization bill and several other important
measures have become laws. The AS
sembly has passed the Hall anti-pass
resolution and the Hurd cigarette bill,
and the state tax bill has been passed
and published. There were two eXtraor-
binary debates, on the Hall resOlu-
ton and the cigarette bill The famous
street car taxation law of 1895 came
very near to being repealed by an amend
ment to a Senate bill in the Assembly,
but the vote was recOnsidered and the
bill sent to a committee for further con-
sderation.
The Assembly committee on state affairs.
at the head Of which is Jesse Stone of
Whitewater, will report the Sheridan
drive bin fayOrably, after changing the
makeup of the commission so as to in
ciude some Milwaukee men. The bill will
no doubt pass the Senate and the long
way to be carried out. Illinois made a
start two or three years ago and has al
ready built a portion of the road. If
Wisconsin will do her part it will be
only few years before magnificent
drive connects Chicago and Milwaukee.
No survey has been made through Wis
consin, but the plan is to have the road
run as close to the lake as it can be To-
Gated, SO that those who drive upon it will
have a view of the lake all the way.
One of the many troublesome things
which went to Mr.. Stones committee
was the bill to pay the debts Of the
Agricultural society. and it is still iii the
hands of the committee. Just what viii
be done with it even Mr.. Stone does not
know. Various schemes are proposed,
one or another of which the committee
will adopt. The matter will be tackled
in earnest at once and a report Of some
kind will be made this week. The COM
mittee is inclined to pay all the just debts
Of the society, but it wants to know what
is going to become of the society and it
without some guarantee that the per-
Torrance will not be repeated.
The wheeImen have one hope left.
forlOrn one though it be. 1t is now re-
membered that Il bill similar to the
Whitehead measure was introduced in
the Assembly early in the session, and it
will be fished out of the railroad com
mittee's tin box for another trial with
the lobby. It was introduced by Mr..
FIett and has laid in the committee unno-
ticed UP 10 the present time. There was
talk of trying to reconsider the White
head bill, but as all the senators had
been put on record in the matter there
was NO use of that move, and it was de-
cid IN q
fight for the Flett bill. The Wheelmen
think that if the Assembly passes the
bill the Senate will not dare to defeat it.
Ex-Gov. James L. Lewis Of Column
bus. who was the war governor. was q
visitor in he Assembly Friday evening
At the close of the session the members
gathered around to shake hands and
he held sort Of informal reception.
On Thursday night the FISH commits
sion left Madison to inspect the Bay
field hatchery aud see what is being
done there. The busy season for the
commission and the hatcheries is just
opening. Next week the collecting of
pike eggs will begin. They are collected
in the Wolf river dnd it IS expected that
about 200,000,000 will be gathered.
For some reason more pike eggs can be
got in the Wolf river than in any other.
A few days later Il crew will go to the
head waters of the Chippewa to gather
nuskelIunge and pike. The commission
expects to do more work this year than
New York to initiate Supt. Nevins into
the mysteries of Matching muskellunge,
an experiment that has never been at
tempted in this state.
A striking illustration of the force of
public sentiment when once thoroughly
formed is shown by the passage Of the
Wylie anti-poOl-selling bill by this Legis
Iature. The statement may be made
without fear of successful contradiction
that if every man had voted to please
himself alone the bill could not have
gone through either house in its present
form. Perhaps majority in both houses
was in favor of striking blow at the
racetrack gambling, but a majority in
neither house was in favor OF cutting off
the races completely. The trouble was
that i'll the face of public sentiment no
body dared to support an amendment
and no attempt was made to change the
bill.
Senator Timme has returned from
Washington. where he went soon after
his appointment as fifth auditor of the
treasury had been announced. He says
that he will have to report in Washing
ton by April l. and will not be able to
return again. If the Legislature has
not adjourned by that time he will have
TO be absent for the balance of the SEES
sion. He says that Washington is be
ginning to look very bPautiful.
The Milwaukee people who were out
here Thursday were deeply interested in
the action taken on the Green street rail
way bill in the Assembly and different
opinions were expressed as to the justice
Of repeating the law of 1895. &. T:
Villas was of the opinion that it would
be a good thing. He thought that the
street railway company should in some
way be compelled to pay 4 fair proper
ton of the taxes. He thought there was
no reason why they should be permitted
to escape the burden of taxation any
more than any individual or corporation
1t should pay fair tax, ne said, upon its
property and franchises, and the amount
of its assessment would depend Oh the
value placed upon it's franchises.
Mr.. Mosher of Racine will be remem-
bered as the wit of this house. The old
man. as the younger members are fond