Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-09-06
WHAT IS AN "OPINION'
Attorney Generals Office a Very
Busy Place.
A VERY RIGID ANTI.pAss LAW.

fHufAnS Rarely Income insane. or Negroes
Observation-Disclosures for Professor Bah
cock-The "Whuleback" Cost 5000, 900
Eleven Bids ON "a Masonry ob-w A.
Jones, Dennett and bradford in tho
Field for Governor.
Madison, Wis, Aug. 29.-The attor-
hey generals Office is taking the anti
pass law seriously and interpreting it
rigidly. On the start the critics
seemed to think Mr.. Hicks and his
associates were making a skinner of
the act, especially by the opinion that
all bona ide employees of railroad com :
panies, including legal counsel, could
enjoy free transportation. But latter
ly there is grumbling because the law
is construed strictly. The Beloit Free
Press voices this pleasantly by calling
the attention of the Office to the riding
Tree on a merry-go-round by a notary
public.
What AN Opinion Is Good For.
People, however, who do not like the
opinions of this legal Headquarters
may go elsewhere, and perhaps get as
good, even better advice. There is no
magic, no binding force in an opinion
from the attorney generals office. 1t
IS a well-equipped, well-manned legal
bureau, maintained by the state for
many uses, n of them being for con-
sultation for state officials on legal
points as the conflict of laws. The
practice has sprung up of asking it all
sorts OF questions as to the working
OF laws, actual and contemplated, and
in this inquiry citizens have more and
more joined. The amusing delusion
has even possessed some minds that
any citizen IA free to poke his head in
he door and PROFOUND legal conun-
drums which the officials are required
TO answer off-hand.
The statutes define the limitations
on this omniscient function, though the
6bliging attorney general and his as
sistants. Messrs. Buell., hamilton and
Warner, have graciously transcribed
them in many instances. The activity
Of the department is shown by the
actual increase in volume of business,
more than one-half over any previous
administrations, as shown by the rec
ords.
But It seems necessary to remind the
public that the departments ''opin-
ions are not final" or authoritative
The court. may find" contrary to
them. An able lawyer in Madison Or a
leading Milwaukee firm may be con-
suited in place of the states legal de-
partment. The value of The opinion lies
in its conformity to precedent and it's
basis in legal principles.
Royal Claims of Native BIOods.
United States Commissioner William
A. Jones makes the interesting state
ment that "a full-blooded Indian luna
tic never lived" After inspecting the
site recently purchased by the govern
ment for an Indian insane asylum in
the Indian territory, he says, THE oc~
cupants of the hospital which will soon
be opened will all be mixed breeds.
Probably there never was a case of in
sanity in any tribe until the malady
was introduced by mixing with the
whites"
Along with this remarkable propo-
sition goes the strange fact that ne
rrOcs almost never become habitual
d%runkards. They get drunk and do
violences hut unlike the white man.
they get over it. The habit does not
seem to fasten on the blacks.
Honor for the Great Iabcock.
The committee authorized by the leg
i~alature to secure and present to Pro-
fessor Stephen Moulton Babcock a
medal commemorating his invention of
the milk test" is going to- work in the
right way. Though it has but $500 to
spend, the committee (Messrs. Ogden
II. Fethers, John w. Whelan and John
M. True) have issued a circular invit-
ing designs. 1t is suggested that the
medals carry some representation Of
~ Tho Ct1ta nf NNfcnCncin. 10Y Tho
University of wisconsin; (3) Agricul-
ture and dairy industry. The medal is
not to be less than five inches in diam
eter. executed in bronze and within a
laurel wreath will be this inscription:
Recognizing the great value to the
people of this state and to the whole
world OF the inventions ara discoveries
of Professor Stephen Moulton Bah
cock of the University of Wisconsin.
and his unselfish dedication of these
inventions to the public service, the
state of Wisconsin presents to Profess
sor Babcock this medal.
Professor Bacbcock refused all pat
cnt riGht profits on his discovery,
throwing it open to the world. He
has been with the state university since
1SS7-a modest, quiet man, so near
sighted that he does not recognize his
best friends on the street. Medals are
well enough in their way to be hand
ed down to ones children professor
Babcock has no children), but an in
crease to a salary of $4,000 which he
has received since 1892 would seem to
be a pretty good way to express the
gratitude of the commonwealth. When
he came to Madison in 1887 his salary
was S1,500; it was increased in 1883 to
$4,000.
Milwaukee to Chicago by Boat.
The "Whaleback..' steamer which
makes the trip from Milwaukee to
Chicago cost 5000, 600. 1t was built
especially for Worlds fair business
and cleared $500 0 in six months, so
! am Informed. 1t costs $500 to make
4 round trip and though the boat is
authorized to carry 1000 people and
has been known TO carry 5000. she
averages probably 1000 passengers a
day. But the season" is short. three
or four months IL the ummer; thai is,
when riding On the lakes is popular.
If the boat could be taken to southern
waters during the winter months she
would earn larFe money; but she is
too big TO take through the canal
locks, and tho engineers think she
could not be Is ken to pieces economi-
caIly. She is a great success for com
fort to eXcursionists, though, while the
fare is cheap enough, the prices for
state rooms are ridiculous-$2. so on
the Whalebatk. and 81 on other boats;
Milwaukee to Chicago. The FAN River
line. whore latest boats are the admira-
ton OF The world, provide a whole
staterotm to each passenger for 81.
There are higher priced rooms for
those who wish. There is an "opposi-
tion line" from Milwaukee whose
prices are more reasonable, but its
boats are rather shabby.
Crush in Building Trades.
AS showing the stress of competi-
hon in the building trades, when the
directors of the Y. M. c. A. of kenosha
met the other evening to open bids on
their new $4,000 structure they found
eight bids for carpentry. all but two be-
in.s local; eleven for masonry, six for
cut stone work. six for plaster work,
eight for galvanized iron and tin, two
Tor mill work, three for roofing. five
for painting. FIVE for plumbing, four
for electric work, ten for heating. five
for tile and marble work and five for
structural iron work. In the face OF
conditions like these the Combining