Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-12-01
OUR MADISON LETTER.
The Coming Shake-Up at the
State House.
CHANGES WILL NOT BE SWEEPING.


VIII BE Retained-Elia Wheeler Will
cox's Recent Visit to Her Aged Parents
Author of "Tippecanoe and Tyler,
Too" a Resident Of Madison.
shake-up at the state house with the
advent of the newly elected state Off
GERS is beginning to be the main sub
iect Of discussion and speculation
among local politicians, of which there
are any number. AS Governor SEQ
field remains in Office, the changes will
not be so sweeping as one that would
mark the incoming Of an entirely new
administration. The capitol sinecures
which are in the gift of the governor
and heads of various departments num-
Der several hundred, and range in sal
airy from $3.50 to $4,000 a year. There
are two classes Of employees about the
state house--those who by virtue of
being indispensable as experts have
been retained for years and those of
recent appointment. OF the latter class
there are also two sets, the Upham
men, who have been in four years, and
the Scofield men Of two years service.
for appointees, it is expected that the
Upham men will be retired, while the
Sc0fed men will be retained. Dairy
and Food Commissioner II. G. Adams
is the most prominent of the Upham
appointees and it is expected he will
stay While Mr.. LaFollette personally
Is not faring well in n political way,
yet his followers will get larger share
of the patronage than ever. Treasurer
Elect Davidson is a pronounced LaFol-
lette man, and Attorney General Elect
Hicks is believed to, be in sympathy
with that wing Of the party. Conse-
qucntly their departments will be filled
largely with LaFollette men. The same
is true of the land office and other de-
partmcnts will be partially recruited
from the ranks of the Madison leader.
Babcook on the Field.
Congressman j. w. Babcock is MAX
ing Madison his home at present, and
will remain here until the senator
ial contest is over to personally manage
his campaign. His effective lieutenant,
Secretary of State Casson, is confident
his man will get the plum. Since the
election Babcock stock has gone up
materially on the report that President
McKinkley Is said to Nave expressed
his great appreciation for the Wiscon-
sin mans management as chairman of
the congressional committee, and to
have intimated that he would like to
see Mr.. Babcock made chairman OF the
national committee in the next presi-
Dental campaign in place of Hanna.
That Mr.. Justice Joshua t.. Dodge,
the newly appointed member of the SUI
preme bench, is not married man is
greatly regretted by Madison society.
The families OF the supreme court
judges have always been prominent
factors in Madison social life, and it
was hoped that with Judge Pinney's
successor would also come a valuable
acquisition to local society circles. JUS
tlce Dodge will continue to make Mil
waukee his home If he can consistently
do so In connection with his new duties.
His swearing in was most prosaic
proceeding. He received a dispatch at
Milwaukee from Chief Justice Cassoday
in the afternoon stating that his pres
ence I'm Madison would be necessary the
next day, as business demanded full
court. He caught an evening train,
and early next morning was sworn in
before Chief Justice Cassoday, in the
presence of only the members of the
court and John II. Fish of Milwaukee.
In accordance with custom he took his
seat at the extreme left of the chief
Justice, Judge Bardcen. the latest pre-
vlous appointee, moving over to the
extreme right. Justice Dodge appears
to be particularly fortunate in the mat
ter of prefernent. He was offered
similar position on the bench by Gov
ernor Peck, but generously stepped
aside for his old friend Judge Winslow.
In the Legislative session of 1891 he was
n member of the lower house and easily
proved himself the strongest man in
that body. lie will have to stand for
reelection in the spring, but being
Democrat appointed by a Republican,
1t is argued he should have no opposi-
ton. What the charge of favoritism
to corporations shown in the appoint
ment will develop remains to be seen.
Two Notable Writers. ......
Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox has just
returned to her eastern home. after her
annual visit Of month with her aged
parents in the town of Windsor, ten
miles north of Madison. Ella, as she Is
affectionately called here. has become
so accustomed to fame that she now
avoids notice when she comes back, and
her presence here is not generally
known until couple of days before she
is ready to return. The same is true
of Hamlin Garland, Wisconsins ia
nous novelist, who recently spent a
week here with his mother while she
was under medical treatment. SO sue
cessful was he In concealing his identi-
~ that local newspaper man who sat
opposite him at the table all this time
did not learn who his vis-a-vis neigh
Dor who maintained such a dtscriminat-
ing conversation was until by chance
he discovered letter addressed to him.
His presence was at once exploited. but
the rush OF reporters and friends came
too late as Garland left the same day.
In the forenoon of their fame Madison
society delighted In giving functions
for these notables ana would take in
creased pleasure in doing so now We're
an opportunity presented, 1t Is not
generally known that the now famed
poetess Of passion first achieved To-
cal reputation as a lyric champion OF
prohibition bv setting forth the evils OF