The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-02-01

DEALERS bill which abolishes the. free
lunch in the hopes of abolishing the
deadly competition in this side line.
1t also aims at department stores,
which in Milwaukee worry the retail
ers a good deal by bargains in table
liquors. The clause in this bill which
raises saloon licenses TO $500 may be
in the bill only for the purpose of Sc
curing the support OF temperance
people, which in fact has already been
given. To be sure. prohibitionists and
others who do not recognize the right
to regulate the business lent to this
bill what corresponds to the pope's
''Tolerandi.' They simply say they
do not oppose it.
Another bill declares | per cent. Of
alcohol the test of ''intoxicating
quality"
The Damage Suit Industry.
Cities have long complained of dam
age suits. Some man or woman falls
down on a sidewalk or slips On the ice
and perhaps thinks nothing for the in
jures, which may be slight, until
some sharp lawyer gets hold Of the
case and in his hands the injuries sus-
tanned become mOmentOus. James
vile has suffered severely in this re-
spect due to the fact that one or two
claims were successfully litigated one
or two years ago. and the precedent
becomes contagious.
The purpose Of bill introduced the
other day is to compel claimants
against cities to commence action on
their claims within one year from
date Of injury. 1t frequently hap.
pens that q notice will be served in
time asTequired, but suit is unreason-
ably delayed. The city treats the
matter as abandoned. when after five
or six years have passed and all the
departments of city are being adj
ministered by different officers, the
witnesses dead or removed from the
city, suit is commenced and injustice
often follows.
This legislation simply makes
claimant sue within a year or aban-
don his claim. Every principle of
public policy demands that city
know what claims are abandoned and
what claims cities will be called on
to defend.
Women i'm Public Offices.
Governor La Follettes suggestion
in his inaugural that bright women be
pushed to the front is generally COM
mended and papers instance cases (as
on school boards and in charities
where women have acquitted them
selves we'll. Here and there. however.
questions are raised The Mineral
Point Tribune, edited by one of the
governors most vigorous champions,
Mr. Bennett, puts in a question thus:
"Wlith women crowding out the
familys natural bread winners in so
many places in recent years. and the
dearth eff women helpers in the places
where they are the most valuable
help. it may we'll be questioned
whether it is wise for the state to a:d
the movement"
It is hard to see, however, Why
women should NOT have hand in the
supervision Of those hundreds OF par
entless boys and girls at the Sparta
school. Why should none but men be
! considered eligible to make plans for
the physical and moral welfare OF
those boys at Waukesha, called bad,
many of them having the seeds OF good
within them? There is an idea af1oat
/ that the so-called foreign elements in
! our state oppose these recurring ef-
! forts to put women to the front, as
some say to ''take them out of the
, home" While they are conservatives
as shown by the fact that not many
| Of their women are in the club move"
! ment. vet there is breaking down OF
, this absurd tradition.
! Side Paths for Bicvclers.
! The bicyclers have at last been
heard from. Their bicycle s-ba ggage
bill, which nearly succeeded II the
! two last legislatures has been shan'
doned although in number of states
bicycles are carried free This Year
they want side paths to be built by
| commissions whom county judges are
| to appoint whenever fifty Wheelmen
DetitiOn Ricyclers are to pay all the
bills. taxing themselves 81 year each.
only licensed vheelm2n to use the
paths. SIX states are said to- have
such laws and the bill is to be 4
copv of the New York law under
which more than 100000 is being
spent annually by the wheellren Tor
! the establishment of paths.
| No Insurance for such i Tres.
Laws are growtlls, evolved from
the experiences, often bitter, Of men.
After the New Richmond cyclone
many of the buildings caught fire and
stocks of goods were destroyed which
had not been injured by the cyclone.
These the insurance companies de-
clined to pay for They fell back
upon a clause in the standard policy
which says that when building falls
the insurance lapses instanter
Senator N'osher of the cyclone town
j. seeks TO amend the insurance laws ct
this point.
Police Powers for Conductors.
+ Senator Mills is the author OF many
ingenious measures. He has one that
provides for the arrest on sight of
any tramps attempting to steal a. ride
on railroad, either OH top, under
Meath or inside of a car. The effect
is to confer on every conductor much
of the authority of a sheriff.
The Oshkosh Times cOmmends the
$40. 900 club" of Madison, and remem-
bers that the free excursions TO Osh-
kosh given by the merchants last sum
/ mer were effective. That city will re-
peat the series next summer. The
Times suggests that it would require
less courage for Oshkosh business men
r, St,ivo for 40 600 DeODle and init