The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-11
Wisconsin.
PRIMARY ELECTION BILL.
Most Important Measure to Come Up
During the Week.

Most Important Measure to Come I'm
During the Week.
MADISON, Wis, Feb. 10.-The primary
election law will occupy the attention of
the legislators during the week Begin
ming on Tuesday afternoon, and probably
continuing for several days, the two COM
mittees on privileges and elections will
hold meetings in either the assembly or
the senate chambers for the~purpose of
nearing arguments for and against the
bill. ASsemAlyman Steiger and Senator
1atton, chairmen respectively of the as
sembly and senate committees, have al
ready received a large number of letters
from persons living in various parts-ef
the state who want to be heard on the
bill, and it is probable that many others
who have not announced their coming
will be here to take part. in the discus
sion. 1t is the i1lteTition of the commit
tees to hold several evening sessions if
necessary and every phase of the bill will
no doubt be ably discussed before the
committee. After all the arguments have
been heard the committees will act sep
arately in making their report. No doubt
quite a number Of amendments will be
offered to the Ell. Some of these will
be genuine and others will be intended
to defeat the purpose of the measure.
SO far there have been more calls for
copies of the primary election bill than
troduced. The assembly ordered 20l0
copies printed, and, over in the senate
5000 were ordered. OF the 5000 nearly
all have been sent-out. Not day passes
hut what there is demand for them.
e. a.
AsseOblyman orion will introduce in
the assembly early this week a bill to
in part repeal the law against capital
punishment. Judge Orton's bill will pro
vide hanging as the penalty for murder
committed while the murderer is engaged
in robbery or burglary. Judge Orion
says he makes the penalty hanging b.
cause he is opposed to electrocution and
has heard that a man who has been put
to death by an electric current can under
some circumstances be brought to life
again. Judge Orion says that the crimes
for which his bill will provide the death
penalty are growing dangerously com
mon, and some means must be found to
arrest the Increase. Judge Orion says
he would like to see murderers of this
class put where they could not be par
doned.
Capital punishment In Wisconsin was
abolished in>r1 1858, largely through the
agitation kept up for years by. Marvin
u. Bovee, who represented the Wauke-s
sha district in the senate that year.
MIR. Bevee wrote book on the subject,
and LED the anti-capital punishment agi-
tation in the United States It'll headied
five states are said to have anti-capital
punishment laws. They are Wisconsin.
Michigan, Colorado, Maine and Rhode
Island.
The assembly committees on cities will
probably make some important changes
In the biennial elections bill for cities
Of the third and fourth class The pres
ent indications are that the committee
will frame a substitute to the bill pro
viding for biennial elections in all cities.
and leave out the other features of the
measure, such tas the appointment of
city officers by the mayor, salaries for
mayors and the like. The bill has been
approved by az majority of those who
nave come before the committee. but
there have BEEN some protests from
mayors mayors whose T s. terms of Office would be
There will be number OF important
hearings during the week. The anti
cigarette bill Isl coming up, and a dele
cation of Milwaukee dealers are expect
ed to appearie before the Committee
against the bill, The Stout marriage
bill also will probably be considered and
some of the railroad bills will be taken
up. 1t is also expected that some more
taxation bills will be introduced as com
ing from the tax commission.