The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-01-28


sisted before the committees by these
/ attorneys, who make no bones of their
/ business.
Hall DisIiked by Railroads.
To return to Mr. Hall, who. for some
/ reason, is heartily disliked by the rail-
roads. He is smooth-faced man, of
medium size, with an Indian-like COM
/ plexion and head conformation, with
bent shoulders, and small legs. Dick
Petherick, the newspaper correspondent
who has watched Madison legislatures
since 1861, says Hall is the ablest man
| on the floor Unlike most peoples
/ choice statesmen, Hall is rich, not poor.
| He owns great tracts of timber land.
| He is a bachelor. and the woman suf-
fragists at the last session reported in
disgust that Hall holds ST. Paul's views
as to women in public life and speech.
/ He is not silver tongued, but puts things
| in clear way that pleases, especially
| the new members. who don't quite un-
| derstand matters as yet. Some twenty
years ago. when Mr.. Hail used to rep
| resent Minneapolis in the Minnesota
| legislature (for seven sessions), he got
into the barrel business. Finally the
concern attained capacity of 5000 bar
|
! more lumber. So ne betook himself to
| Knapp. twelve miles from Senator
| Stout's Menomonie, where he could get
| wood stuff for slaves and heading.
! This he sends up to the Flour
! city to be finished into barrels. But the
| supply is pretty we'll cleared out about
| Knapp. The Minnesota Hardware Man
ufacturing company, with its plant in
| Minneapolis. making bags and barrels,
| was started by Mr. Hail in 1877. He
| is stocking up two mills for winters
work, one to put out 100000 feet of
| lumber and another $500 cords Of bolts.
| Mr.. Hall and Senator Stout are thrown
together at monthly meetings as trus-
tees Of the Dunn county asylum. They
are both fine men. whose integrity is
| conceded on all sides and useful leg
isiators
Tax on Railway Receipts.
One of Mr.. Halls measures, in which
the state treasurer and governor are
said to be interested (for the pressure
for state money is Tremendously, has to
do with the tax on gross receipts of
railroad companies. At present the tax
is 4 per cent. on gross earnings when
they exceed $4,000 per mile; if less than
that and over $1,000, the tax is SIS per
mile and 2 per cent. It seems that in
recent year the 500 road reported
just a fraction under $4,000 gross earn
ings per mile ($2,968.3S), which enabled
that company to pay on the reduced
basis, making difference to the COM
pany and a consequent loss to the state
treasury of $23, 900. Mr.. Halls measure
proposes a sliding scale tax that shall
correct such inequalities. He will also
again press his railroad commission
BILL Illinois, iowa, and Minnesota have
such commissions. He wants the COM
mission to have power to fix rates, etc.
AS a rule the members go home for
Sundays, though they may live long
ways off. OF course they get mileage
only coming and going once during the
session. This is 10 cents mile-if put
in as $40 for a Milwaukee member, for
instance, it is supposed to pay for his
coffee and sandwiches cab fare, etc. 1t
certainly ought to. The mileage of the
senate will be $959,60; of the assembly
$3,226S0 When one reflects that, as a
matter of fact, almost all the members
enjoy passes, the charge seems an I'M
lust one. Some members of the board
of charities and correction are said to
tial competency through the mileage"
additional to their salaries. 1t is
practice that has since been abrogated,
however. The salaries of the senators
for a session aggregate $4,000, while
$500 each to 100 assemblymen increases
the amount by $50, 900. When George Peck
was governor he used to say he ''liked
his job but then he received $4,000
a year and home.
The Temptation to Lie.
Sergeant at-Arms Hambright has
made his appointments and, of course,
there are many disappointed. He says
there are a few members who won't
even speak to him. But he is making
diligent and painstaking official. What
temptations there are to he ugly, and
even to lie, for the man in politics.!
Take the speakership contest. for in
stance. Mr.. Jones of Mineral Point
not only had an apparently large sup
port. but in his inside vest pocket he
had a chosen list of thirty-one members
pledged-not promised, mind you, but
Theoretically sealed and pledged for
him When the votes were counted,
however, he had just eighteen votes.
The talk of economy has been so wide
spread over the state that something
will he done to save a dollar or two In
the departments Senator Timme's bill
esta blishes a commission of three. who
will march into all the state Offices as
certain how many are on the payroll
and for how much: and recommend a
sitting out. if it seems necessary, ana
an adjustment of compensation to eff
feet fairness.
An Indignant Educator.
The defeat OF the constitutional
amendment to allow the superintendent
of education to have $1,000 year. like
the other state officers, is better under
stood here now that it is said there
were workers all day at many polls In
the country districts who urged voters
to negative the proposition. An educa-
tor put his Indignation this way: There
are some people who are never content
| to see any man get a bigger salary than
| they themselves enjoy. The superin-
tendent at present gets $1,000 Why
anv one should not be willing that a
| ,oor oo,7opetent tn be the head OF the