Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-05-08
ONE MORE STRUGGLE.
When the Apportionment Matter
Is Settled Then the Law.
makers Can Go Home.
SENATE NOW OUT OF TAXATION
Assembly Did Nj the Kiiiing-P ri-
mary Elections Not This YEAR
Legislative Glea'.ings.

Madison, Wis, May lit Is expect
ed the legislature will adjourn at the
end of this week. All the great bat
ties have been fought, except that
of apportionment, and that may be set
tied easier than was expected with the
impulse Of legislative WEAKNESS and
these beautiful May days to drive the
members home. Successive tax meas
ures have beer defeated In the assem-
bly,, which the governors opponents
style His" branch. because ii was
possible there to muster majority to
pass the Stevens primary election bill.
However, some of the most effective
administration men refused to enter
the lists as tax reformers, and some Of
them were leaders against the tax
commission bills. 1t is mixed mess
at best.
The vote against the second and last
railroad tax bill-the ad valorem plan
was 45 to 51--,u the assembly. Thus,
the senate has NOT incurred any direct
responsibility for confronting the tax
commission. There were duplicate
measures In the senate committee on
taxation, but Chairman Whitehead
thought 1t useless to dust the issues
off in the upper branch If they could
not pass the assembly-presumaDly
even more disposed to reform. Two
years hence 1t is likely the tax COM
mission will have its system pertain
ing to personal property marked out,
at which time the railroads and other
corporations must again face the mus
ic.
Must All Personal Pay?
And 1t is by no means certain the
commission win recommend the whole
sale taxation of personal property.
Beginners in the science of taxation
always are astonished at the vast
amount Of personal property missed
by the a. sessor; but veterans conclude
that much of it Is impossible to un-
cover and much of it would be too
expensive to attempt to collect.
1t is probable that this matter Of
taxation will cut large figure In fut-
ure Wisconsin politics, especially If
Republican factionalism is to breed
controversy. Governor LaFollette
availed himself of veto of bill to
tax dogs (lnoney to go into state treas
uryl to seud long message to the
legislature which was ringing call
to let the farmers shepard dog alone
and carry out the Instructions of the
tax commission against corporations.
His critics objected that the scorching
rebuke comes late in the session, to
which answer is made that his inau-
gural message was of much the same
tenor. At all hazards, looking at 1t
politically. the governor faces the fut-
ure with an idea somehow In the ay-
erage citizens mind that he Is the tax
reformef and his enemies the fellows
who blocked his efforts-whieh indi-
Gates great advantage.
Primary EIectton.-Niti
The great primary elections fight re-
suited In bill going to the governor
which provides that where counties
desire to operate the direct vote, they
may do so i'll the nomination of the
county ticket-sheriff, etc. Mr.. Stew
ems, in a speech. said the bin was not
anything he and his fellows wanted
and they voted against ii tn three or
four exceptions.
An important Milwaukee bill hangs
fire. 1t makes the terms of aldermen
four years now two and cuts the
membership from 40 to 80 The first
feature Is generally speaking sound,
but there is less danger of corruption
in large body than small one. An
excellent feature. however, Is the
choice of twelve aldermen at large
not from wards, but from the city at
large. This is reform that the Ma
tional Municipal league has long
urged. 1t breaks down the ward
pull and some are so enthusiastic as
to believe municipal regeneration can
be effected by this one innovation. 1t
has worked well 10 Boston. To secure
city nomination, as a rule, a man
must be a man of city distinction.
Mr.. Keene made an effort to over
ride a veto of Governor LaFollette,
but sixty members voted to sustain
the governor. The executiy has used
his veto power quite freely The as
sembly voted to reduce the exemptions
of wages from $3.50 (three months) to
$50 but organized labor, by a vote
of IA to 10, stopped the bin In the
senate.
Isbor Secures Protection.
Apart from the merits or otherwise
of this attempt to better protect mer-
chants from their debtors. Il is inter
esting TO reflect lat few years ago
before the knights OF Labor and like
efforts to make use of organization.
labor had no special representation
in legislative halls beyond the wishes
of just men to treat labor and all else
on the square But 1t is SO no longer.
The representatives o. labor are here.
as well as the lobby In the interests
of capital, and how members vote
soon becomes common knowledge in
labor halls over the state. Nor is la
Dor highly organized in Wisconsin.
The senate surprised the capitol
loungers the other day by voting a
woman on to the board of control, and
the bill for woman factory inspector
had only two votes recorded against
it.
Four years ago gambling was abol-
ished On Wisconsin racetracks and Ii
was consequently a surprise to note
the assembly willing to restore the
system. The bin has been made pala-
table by providing only a ten days
betting season and limiting the bet.
ting TO horses ''in harness" This pre-
sumably shuts out running races with
which betting Is chiefly associated,
though such a law would mean in.
cursions of toughs and sports of both
sexes as In the palmy days of ideal
park near Kenosha. Strangely
enough fifty-nine votes were counted
In the assembly to legalize beltiag.
Fifteen members were either genuine
ly absent or lodged the vote. 1t seems
only right to print the names of the
twenty-six men who stood out in the
open against this most indefensible