Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-09
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.

| which was referred certain portions OF
the governors message, reported by
bills to abolish the land Office, to pro-
vide for additional factory inspectors
and to simplify the system of book
! keeping for the state. No. i0s, for
| the division of the town of Marshland
in Burnett county, was passed. No.
$685. for an appropriation to the indus
trial school, was reported for pass
age, and No. IS, relating to roads, was
reported for passage by substitute.
Joint resolution No 9s (McGilliv-
ray), proposing constitutional
amendment to allow the state to as
sist communities in the building of
roads, was adopted. Senate bills were
killed: Nos. 81 (Whitehead), relating
to jurors in courts of record; 161
! (Weed), relating to new trials on re-
yersal in the supreme court; --I
| (Riordan), relating to salaries Of cir
cult judges.
The feature of the days session of
this assembly was a debate on the
Orion child adoption bill which re-
| SulLtu III a anu llhullJ
ended in the death Of the bill. 1t was
the first big debate of the session and
was heard by many visitors. The
| Hobbies of both houses had an I'M
usual number of ladies present, some
of whom came to the city to attend the
legislative reception. rhe Orion bill,
provides that where a child has with
the knowledge or consent of the par
ent, been taken under / year of age
and kept years without inquiry
from the parents, it may then be
adopted without further notice to the
parents The opposition was led by
Mr. Germer, democrat of Wood, who
was supported by Messrs. Sturdevant,
Hall and Eline, who argued that it
was special legislation intended to
cover a special case in Milwaukee and,
further, that the existing law on
adoption was sufficient. The present
law requires notice to the parents I'M
of the facts in the case must be
spread upon the court records in let
ters of burning shame" as Judge Or
ton put it, The latter said the bill
was calculated to cover no special
case, but to operate in the interest es-
pecially of the waits whom angels of
mercy SO often reclaim from the lying
in hospitals of the cities. He declared
that, simply because a woman had in
her youth lapsed from virtue, she
should not forever thereafter be OBJ
Iigcd to wear a scarlet letter branded
on her person. For his part he
thought the record of her shame
should be obliteraled. The bill was
billed by vote Of 81 to 40, after
Messrs. McGrath, Nandercook and
Kccne had spoken for it.
The bahI bill for a commission to
Investigate the Torren5 lama system
WAS, Mr.. Han said, one OF the lmpor-
tanL matters before tae legislature.
The bill hau been adversely recon-
mended by the committee ON claims
because OF the appropriation ol $1,000
which it carried. He asked for Il rel
ercnoe OF ,he bill to Mr.. Dahl, its au-
lnor, for an amendment eliminating
the appropriation. Mr.. Dahl eX-
planned the measure, and said that the
attorney general was willing to devote
himself to the preparation of a proper
bill 10 submit two years hence. Then
he went into the merits of the law,
showing it was a prOdigiouS success
wherever tried; that IS per cent. If
the realty of Van Couyer's island Was
now under the Torrens system; that
Illinois counties were adopting it free
ly that it cost only $24 to get q lana
registration under it, that the abstract
Offices only opposed it and that one
abstract Office alone i'll Chicago got
$21l 600 annually out OF the people by
the old method. Mr.. Frost said tina:
In Australia 80 per cent. OF the lands
advertised for sale had their titles
guaranteed by a clause in the adver-
tiSement, thus showing that such
guaranty was regarded as valuable.
Mr. Catlin favored the bill, yet Mr..
Halls motion prevailed, and Mr.. Dahl
is thus given a chance to recaSt his
measure. The bill making the Even
ing Wisconsin the official state paper
was passed vive voce. 1t now goes to
the house. The State Journal now is
official paper and makes about $4,000
year out of the honor, chiefly from
insurance companies for publishing
their annual statements. Assembly
bills were passed: No. 1l3 (Hartung).
permitting town board meetings 10 be
held in any village or city within or
adjoining the town, and No. 1870 (Mc-
neod), empowering county boards to
provide salaries for deputy county
clerks
Madison March among the COM
mittee reports to the senate were two
bills from the committee on privileges
and elections in response to portions
of the governors message referred to
1t, one for new caucus law, the other
prohibiting proxies in conventions.
Tho judiciary committee reported
among other bills Nos. zoos, lois, 102s,
and 103s the bills taxing express.
sleeping car ana like companies. The
-