Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-03-13
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.

| WHICH was referred certain portions OF
the governors message, reported by
Dllls TO abolish the land Office, to pro-
VIDE Tor additional factory inspectors
and TO simplify the system of book
keeping for the state No. 40s, for
the division of the town of Marshland
in Burnett county, was passed. No.
36s, Tor 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. IS (McGilliv-
ray, proposing constitutional
amendment to allow the state to as
slst 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-
versal in the supreme court; AL
(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-
suited in prolonged fight and finally
the first big debate of the session and
was heard by many visitors. The
lobbies of both houses had an I'M
usual number of ladies present, some
of whom came to the city to attend the
legislative reception. The Orion bill,
provides that where a child has with
the knowledge or consent of the par
ent, been taken under 1 year of age
and kept 5 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
der all circumstances or in lieu there
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
liged to wear scarlet letter branded
on her person. For his part he
thought the record of her shame
should be obliterated. The bill was
killed by a vote of 81 to 40, after
Messrs. McGrath, Vandercook and
Keene had spoken for it.
The Dahl bill for commission to
investigate the Torrens land system
was, Mr.. Hall said, one of the impor-
tant matters before the legislature.
The bill had been adversely recon-
mended by the committee on claims
because of the appropriation Of $1,000
which it carried. He asked for ref
erence of the bill to Mr.. Dahl, its au-
thor, 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 to submit two years hence. Then
he went into the merits of the law,
showing it was a prodigious success
wherever tried; that SO per cent. IF
the realty Of Van Couver's island was
now under the TOrrens system; that
Illinois counties were adopting it free
ly; that it cost only $24 to get lano
| ROC cfro ion hot hn bctY 1T
offices only opposed it and that one
abstract office alone in Chicago got
$21 900 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 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 chance to recast his
measure. The bill making the Even
ing Wisconsin the official state paper
was passed vive voce. It now goes to
the house. The State Journal now is
official paper and makes about $4,000
a year out Of the honor, chiefly from
insurance companies for publishing
their annual statements. Assembly
bills were passed: No. 113 (Hartung),
permitting town board meetings to be
held in any village or city within or
adjoining the town, and No. 100 (Mc-
Leod), empowering county boards to
provide salaries for deputy county
clerks.
Madison, March 2.-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
it, one for new caucus law, the other
prohibiting proxies in conventions.
The judiciary committee reported
among other bills Nos. zoos, lois, 102s,
and 103s, the bills taxing express,
sleeping car and like companies. The