Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-05-11

Madison, May AT noon today the
legislature, remarkable for its great
length, for the election of Uniteo
States senator, for the enactment of a
marriage license law, for anti-pass
legislation, for the taxation of sleeping
car, express and equipment companies
for the creation of tax commission
Of three members who hold Office ten
years and draw salaries of $4,000 for
the head and $4,000 for the others, for
the correction of the scores of errors
In the statutes of 1898, and for much
else Of an unusual nature came to an
end. In the senate Whitehead and
Roehr have been especially conspicu-
Gus ana in the assembly orion, True,
Hall, Rusk, Dodge and Sturdevant on
the republican side and Lange, Germer
and Eline on the democratic. The
lobby was powerful, yet the moral tone
of the body was very high. 1t is in
the matter of increased taxation of cor
porations that the work of this ses-
sion has been unusual and from the
|
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. Hiwever, the purpose
intended was effected through the pas
sage of several measures of large i'm
portance, whereby 1t 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
| equipment line companies, the Orion
| life insurance bill whereby the Mil
| Waukee Northwestern Mutual compa-
nys taxes will be increased from $34,-
| 600 to 100000 and the bill raising the
taxes of the Milwaukee street car com
pany $4,000. Good lawyers assert that
| the insurance tax law is unconstitu
tional. No antitrust legislation was
enacted, but memorial to congress
for that purpose was adopted, nothing
was done to secure a public interest
in the property or business of corpo-
rations and nothing toward securing
uniformity of state laws except the
passage of the fish and game bill.
Beyond the Daggett anti-corset resolu-
ton no freak" legislation was at
tempted, though the McGillivray bill
for the equal distribution Of patronage
among the counties on the basis Of
population was characterized by many
as such
The True marriage license bill is de-
signed to prevent immature persons
living in adjacent states from commit
ting matrimony in Wisconsin on ex
cursion 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.
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 privileges
as we'll as those of railroads. 1t will
be more far-reaching than most peo-
pie suppose and the number of people
who will now have to dig down"
when the street ear conductor comes
around it is said will be surprise to
the unknowng.
Among the bills that became laws
are the four taxing express, sleeping
car, fast freight and equipment line
companies, whereby the state will get
thousands of dollars in revenue instead
of paltry license fees; the keene bill
raising the age of consent from Ia to
Is years; requiring all physicians to
register; requiring judges of circuit or
superior courts to give oath before
drawing their salary that all cases
argued before them 80 days previous
to the drawing of the salary warrant
have been decided appropriatng &c.
500 for an Interstate park with Mime
sofa on the st. CroiX river; requiring
stores and factories to furnish seats
for women when not employed; appro-
priating $4,000 for "A monument at
Lancaster of Nelson Dewey, first gov
ernor of the state; prohibiting the
manufacture OF cigars in the small
rooms of tenement houses; increasing
the powers of park and drive associa
tons; increasing number of normal
school regents to ten; appropriating
$4,000 to the state natural history and
geological survey; allowing cities and
villages to form joint high school dis
tricts with the surrounding country;
prohibiting junk and second hand
dealers to buy anything but rags and
waste paper from persons under is
yearS ~ age, nrpvidinp for collection