The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-05-06
THE LEGISLATURE
Senate.

blllty OF penalty and asking for 4 confer
ence committee Senator McGillivray moved
to recede from the Whitehead amendment
and pass the bill. Senator Whitehead said
he thought recession from the amendment
the promises made by the party at the
state convention. He said legislators
should be liable well as minor officers
Senator Jones said he would rather pass
no law than to advocate bill which would
exempt the representatives, of the people
from penalty. for such an action would be
Z breach of faith with the millions Of peo-
pie In the state. Senator Lamoreux said
the using of passes should he made a fel-
ony, so to include the senators and as
semblymen. He favored Il conference com
mittee. Senator McGillivray said that after
listening 10 the argument he was not in
FAVOR OF his own motion, and would with
draw 1t. Senator Whitehead gave a brief
history of this winters pass legislation and
said he thought the Senate must he ac-
quilted of any disposition to unfarness in
Its action: A conference committee was
voted, and Senator's LamoreuX, Whitehead
and Roehr were appointed. The Senate re
fused unanimously to recede from Its
amendments. After a brief season of com
nittee reports In the Senate there was a
short discussion of Senator Fearne's bill
compelling the assessor of each district 70
report annually to the railroad commission
Of every railroad, public or private, in his
district. Senator Mills presented an array
OF facts compiled by eX-Deputy Commits
sioner Coon, showing the difficulty which
the department experiences in making a
full report for taxation, especially of the
logging roads in Northern Wisconsin. The
bill was amended by Mr.. Fearne to elm
inate the estimate of length from the re
port. Senator Green's terminal station bill
was killed on an aye and no vote-1S to H.
Senator Green's spirits were somewhat re
vtved. however. by the passage Of his bill
providing for the protection of fish and
game and providing hunters to possess Ii
censes. Two other bills were passed: Pro
viding for the legal discharge Of insane pa
tients now on parole; allowing cities and
villages to acquire waterwOrks by condem-
nation proceedings. The following bills
were ordered to a third reading: Relating
to the employment Of additional help for
the state departments: providing for pay
ment OF certain materials used In state
buildings; relating 10 the sale of drugs,
etc, by unlicensed persons. Mr.. Halls
three cornered poison bottle bill killed.
The following bills were killed: Relating
to damage by defective highways: to regu-
late the sale Of patent medicines; to amend
section Il, article 4 Of the constitution of
Wisconsin, providing for state inspection
OF gas meters. Senator Mason offered two
amendments to Senator Withee'S bill taxing
newspapers on their gross earnings. one
proposing that the cditor-in chief be re
Quired to report his family expenses the
color OF his servants hair and other mat
ters of general interest; the other requir-
Ing lumbermcn to pay a tax equal to that
levied upon the newspapers The amend
ments Were rejected and the original bill
was ordered engroSscd. The Senate then
took recess until 80 p. M
At the evening session OF the Senate on
the Goth Speaker Ray appointed Messrs
True, Orton and Buttles as members Of the
conference committee on the part Of the
Assembly. After the announcement Of these
appointments Mr.. MCGrath arose and de
clared that the Senate was Juggling with
the pass question. The fact Of the matter
is there are juggleS in both houses. and
each is trying TO make the other respon-
sible.
The long fouGht-over anti-pass bill has
At last been disposed of. Both houses
passed it on the 9th and only the gov
ernOr'S signature and publication are need
ed now to make it a law. The conference
committee consisting Of Senators I.amor-
eux, ROehr and Whitehead and Assembly
men True, Ruttles and Gatlin. submitted
report to both houses. with one member
Mr.. Catln-d dissenting The committee
Senate substitute, except that the bribery
clause, the forfeiture of compensation
road commissioner were stricken out. Mr.
Catlin refused to sign the report on the
ground that it put the Assembly in an i'll
consistent position. In the Senate the mat
ter was acted upon quickly. There was no
debate and the report was adopted with
only one dissenting votp-that of senator
Stebhins II was thought necessary to pass
the substitute and that was done: also
without debate. Senator StchhinS again Vot-
Ing no, alone. In the Senate Mr. Dald-
docks bill, relating to form of official bal
lots, was Coucurrcd in under suspension of
rules. The following bills were ordered TO
third reading: Relating TO errors discov-
cred by assessors; relating to the taxation
of water craft: to authorize the huilding of
yiaduCts BY counties in this state; relating
to the taxation of trust companies: author
izing the construction Of bridge; rcat-
Ing to licensing of street railway companies:
relating to the establishment of refrgera-
tors. Mr.. Hartungs Grand avenue viaduct
bill was concurred in under suspension of
rules. Concurrence was refused several
bills: Relating to the reform Of fire in
eurance companies: relating to actions to
dehar former owners; relating to trading
stamps; relating TO cheese factory inSur-
ancc companies; relating to the time for
commencement of action. Senator Mills
bill taxing watercraft at cents per net
ton of their registered tonnage was passed
under suspension Of rules A raft Of bills.
most Of them duplicates Of bills already
acted upon. were killed. The majority Of
them were fish and game and taxation bills
Among them was Senator Withep'S bill
taxing newspapers on their gross incomes.
Two memorials to Congress were C0nCurrrd
In, one by Mr. EogO relating to service pen
sions. the other by Mr.. Ryan asking re
peal OF the duty on hides. Senator Jones
said he thought Congress ought to know
Its own business. remark which surprised
Senator LamoreuS. who said the congress
mems constituents had n right tn let their
desires be known. The Senate took re
cess until 7:30 p. IN.
The Drton railway taxation bill died in
the Senate on the night of the 9th after
a protractcd debate in which Senators I'en-
nett, McGillivray, DeyoS. kreutzrr, Jones
md Mills spoke. The test vote was taken
taxes of the big roads to 4l2 per cent. In
stead of the advance to per cent, pro
vided in the bill The present tax paid by
the biggest roads is 4 per cent. and as at
first introduced the bill did not change that.
while in the Assembly. however, il was
amended on the floor, raising the tax OF
the big roads to > per cent. In that shape
II went to the Senate, and after several
bearings at which many or the leading rail
road lawyers OF the Northwest made speech
ps against the bill and ASScmbymen orton
nd al no - a
reported the bill for indefinite postpone
nent The bill would have increased the
revenues Of the state, it was estimate
about $3.50 900 year. and had the bennett
amendment been adopted II would nave IN
creased the revenues about $1oo,oOo. me
vote on the adoption OF the bennett amend
ment was tn 2G against
The Legislature on the 2Stb under sus
pension OF the rules passed the orion llie
Insurance taxation bill in the form that II
came from the Assembly, refusing 70 aqopt
the HattOn substitute or amend the bliL
The bill increases the taxes of the North.
western Mutual Life Insurance company OF
Milwaukee to 5000, 600 year. The bill was
special order and il came up on the ques
ton of the adoption Of the Hatton subsu
tute reported by the committee on insur-
enCe. hanks and banking the previous even
Ing. The substitute, which was SatlSfac,
tory to the companies themselves, PROVIDED
that the companies pay tax equal to the
average rate of taxation upon Wisconsin
property on the true value OF policies heth
by Wisconsin residents, taking into con
portion of the surplus Of said corporation,
company or association as the policies held
by Wisconsin residents bear to the whole
amount of policies carried by SAID company,
excepting therefTom the equitable proper
ton Of policies held by Wisconsin residents
OF investments IN real estate or IN nIted
States bonds The Senate took 4 ten min
ute recess and the committee on finance.
banks and INSURANCE held n short meeting.
at the close Of which they reported the
original bill for concurrence, Withdrawing
the substitute. Senator IamoreuN offered
an amendment excluding from the gross re-
ceipts Of the company its death payments.
matuTed endOwmeut-. annuitieS and sur
rendered and lapSed policies The Lar
reux amendment was rejected hy tn" fol
lowing vote: Ayes Senators Arson. Den
nett, Hatton. Jones. LamoreuN. Mcgilii
vray. Reynolds. RioTdan. Stehhins. Whit
man and Woodworth-11 NoeS-RaXteT.
Bissell. Devos Eaton Fearup. Green. Hat
ton. Jacobs, Knud>on kreutzer. Mailer.
Martin. Mills MuuSon. RoehT. stout,
Thayer. Weed. Welt"u Whelan Whitehead
and Withee-22 senator Koehr moved 10