Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-23
ORTON OF. ASSEMBLY.
A Darlington Man Who Works on
Bills Till Midnight.
"BURNETT's" WEEKLY LETTER.

Increasing an Insurance Company's Tax
100000 n Year-Lawmalters Watching
Electric Tricks on the Campus-New
Hitch In Anti-Pass Crusade - Possible
Compromise on Harvey School Plan
I Music for Insane.
Madison, March 21.-The man who
does the most talking on the floor of
the assembly Is Judge p. A. Orion of
Darlington, a thick-set lawmaker OF 81,
with round, smooth, plump face and
lots of white hair. AS rule, takers
run themselves out, but Judge Orion
has the brains to sustain his leader
ship for Wheeler, chairman Of the judi
ciary, is a much younger lawyer; and
McGrath of Green Bay Is not legal
trained; and Hall has too many un-
popular irons in the fire, and Colonel
Rusk Is too outspoken to dispute the
title with the Lafayette county man.
Judge orion Is fine type of the ru-
raj magnate. Darlington's population
Is $500 Had he gone to Milwaukee, In
stead Of Darlington, with its 400 peo-
| pISt WITCH lIlC puhii VI LOW INV"
out of engineering, for which he had
been educated at Madison university
in Hamilton. n. Y, he would today be
n partner of General Winkler or other
wise been at the top.
He lives in a great, big, comfortable
hip-roofed house, on the main street,
his home since "a, two years after he
was married.
| He is president Of banks in Darling
ton and Benton, administers estates and
gives advice In a fatherly way to young
women who want to get ahead In the
world and young men who want to be-
come great. The judge has jolly,
kindly face, with suggestions of ripe
pippins In 1t and the children walk by
his side without fear, and when he
passes away he will have a funeral so
long that the rear carriages can't get
inside the cemetery gate.
A Lawmaking Leader at Work.
The Judge is a power on his feet. He
has dignity but tempered with quiet
humor. He Is a hard worker on pend
ing legislation. This is something new
for us in Madison.
Ambitious congressman in Washing
ton burn midnight OIL but for an as
semblyman to work until the small
hours on his file Of bills and pour over
Sanborn and Berrymans statutes as II
he were bringing case for trial, Is al
most unprecedented.
The result is that he Is prepared and
/ do not know of a man of recent years
who has so smashed bill after bill that
had the recommendation of committee
behind 1t, and whose passage seemed
inevitable
The judges standpoint Is that Of a
| lawyers, and this standpoint Is not al
ways right. He Is an advocate, and
advocates are sometimes too much bent
on results. When tho session opened
with senatorial fight the judge in
dorsed the plan for a ballot on the
quiet. It. was his first speech He
pleaded the analogy of the Australian
/ ballot. He minated that because the
voter Is turned into n solitary booth
to decide on his ballot with no one but
the Almighty to know about 1t, that
therefore n lot OF Milwaukee assembly
men should be allowed to come to Madi-
son and do the dark lantern act with
n United States senatorship. or course
the analogy was as porous as lime
stone.
i Reporters Didn't Do Him.
Well, the newspaper men said, Hes
smart but specious. He looks as inno-
cent as yearling, but he has talked
to county seat juries for years. In
short, he's an advocate and wants the
decision his way--any way to get it,"
But while Judge orion In the furry
and newness of the moment had adj
vanced n contention that he would re-
ject in Calmer moments, he began to
gain strength steadily. He has made
mistakes, He found himself wrong on
the child adoption bill, and manfully
got up and withdrew the bill. He Is
restless on the subject of higher edu-
cation, and disposed to be suspicious
and provincial In spots, but he will ma
ture. He is certainly a valuable legal
advisor to the whole body.
Judge Orton was Il Democrat until
Garhelds time. He has been u cand-
date for congress and for circuit Judge
and attorney general He was born in
New York state, and as a hoy from Il
to 10, lived In Beloit, doing some study
ing there Major Bundy and Horace
White were fellow students, He later
took "A fun engineering course at Ham
ilton but coming back to Wisconsin,
the panic had stopped railroading and
+, he studied law with the father OF Mayor
, Rose of Milwaukee, The judges part
ner, Osborn, has served in the assem-
bly, and the latter's sister Is Mrs orion
: This lady is woll-kuown as II charming
hostess and leader in womeus club
work, and II daughter, Miss Susie, does
the parents proud, having graduated
at Rockford and about finishing her
third year in medical studies in Chi
cage, The son, Robert, is in the Oar
linEton bank,
Taxing His Own Insurance Company.
: These straws of culture show that
, judge orion has no dark designs on the
university. He wants the annual ap-
> preparation Of $26S,000 made specific. the
: amount named, instead of the present
I percentage plan.
! An Innovation dearCr to him. how.
. ever, is the forcing the life insurance
! companies to pay larger taxes His
1 hin will raise the tax on the North
$ western Mutual from S34 600 to $2l5. 900
~