Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-05-04
Madison. April 80.

Madison, April 80.
The state legislature will probably
remain in session until Wednesday or
Thursday Of this week but no meas
ures of any general Importance remain
to be acted upon and the work of the
session may be said to be practically
ended. Some minor bills still remain
for disposal but the chief purpose Of
this weeks session will be to await the
action Of the governor Oh the large
number of bills that came into his
bands last week. The session has been
an unusually long one, as Wisconsin
sessions seldom extend into May. 1t
has also been most notable one and
the present legislature will go down as
a reform body although the credit for
vindicating the platform pledges of the
party in power must go chiefly to a few
conscientious leaders who labored like
Trojans with their less responsive feI-
lows but whose efforts down to the
eleventh hour promised to be almost
as fruitless as those of Sisyphus. 1t
is in the matter of increased taxation
of corporations that the work of this
session has been unusual and from the
flood of bills which came in with that
end in view the inference at the early
part of the session might have been
that it was a decidedly anti-corpora-
ton legislature. But the committees
were self-poised and bills were slaugh-
tered in wholesale fashion at their rec
ommendatiOn. However the purpose
intended was effected through the pas
sage of several measures of large i'm
portance, whereby it is estimated over
a million dollars additional in revenue
will come into the Golfers Of the state
annually. The most important of these
measures are the bills taxing sleeping
car, express, fast freight and equip
ment line companies, the Orion life in
surance bill whereby the milwaukee,
Northwestern Mutual company's taxes
will be increased from $34, 900 to 1920
600 and the bill raising the taxes Of
the Milwaukee street car company
$4,000. That future legislatures may
be guided Alright in matters of taxation
serve for ten years, has been created
No antitrust legislation was enacted
but a memorial to congress for tina
purpose was adnntcu, nothing was done
to secure a public interest in the prop
erty or business of corporations anC
nothing toward securing a uniformity
of state laws except the passage of the
fish and game bill. Beyond the Dag
gett anti-corset resolution no freak
legislation was attempted, though thu
McGillivray bill for the equal distribu
ton of patronage among the countie!
on the basis Of population was charac
teriZed by many as such. The tone o
the legislature as regards common
honesty was high Only during ;
heated senatorial fight lasting severa
weeks were any whispers of bribery o.
corruption heard but nothing devel
oped to give the charges any basis.
1t is a matter worth noting thai
the foremost leaders in both houses
have associated with their names
that of some bill carried through as g
tribute to their ability and pains
taking industry. The hOnors of the
session are perhaps divided between
Messrs Hall and orion, the giants OF
the assembly, who side by side have
borne the brunt of the battle with the
corporations. Mr.. Hall having finally
brought about anti-pass legislation
after long years of effort declares
that his work is done and that he will
not be a candidate for office again
Judge Orion whose great work was tC
secure the passage of the life in
surance tax bill whereby the STATE
will derive a quarter of a million Oh
more in revenue annually has become
prominently mentioned as the next
candidate for governor. His voice
was heard on every important ques-
ton and always to the benefit of his
fellows. Mr.. True, another assem-
bly, leader, has associated with his
name his now famous marriage bill
and Senator Whitehead one of the
leaders in the upper house, the tax
commission bill with his. With the
name of Senator Roehr goes that of
the anti-lobby bill
The governor has sent the True mar
riage license bill to the attorney gen.
eral to pass upon its constitutionality
which has made it's friends tremble a
little. The measure met many
vicissitudes in running the legislative
gauntlet and its author was subjected
to much criticism, advice and no
little abuse. rhe measure is de-
signed to prevent immature persons
living in adjacent states from COM
hitting matrimony in Wisconsin on
excursion tickets. 1t provides that a
marriage license must be secured OF
the county clerk of the county in
which the female resides, or, if not a
resident Of the state of the county in
which the marriage is to take place
five days prior to the ceremony. But
this is not the only obstacle. If
the contracting parties are not of
legal age they must serve upon the
clerk the written consent of their
parents or guardians. The license
fee is half a dollar. The measure
will wipe out the marriage industry
which has given Wisconsin an I'M
enyiable reputation and will be par
ticularly hard on Hudson, the Gretna
Green of twin city clipping couples,
and Milwaukee.
Now that the anti-pass bill is about
to become law its provisions are be-
ginning to cause public officials unend-
ing worry. The fact is not generally
remembered that it applies to street
car. telegraph and telephone privi-