Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-04-18
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.

the secretary OF state OF the annotated
statutes and the statutes of 1898, and
assigned as his reason for so doing
| that there is no good reason why the
measure should become a law as 1t
makes no material or necessary
changes In the present statute on that
subject.
Chief Clerk w. A. NOVEL; of the as
sembly made a report of the condition
of the bills before that body, showing
that the members Will have to hurry il
they intend to go home before the mid
die of May. Out of 625 bills intro
duced in the lower house and referred
to committees, after three months
work, 1913, or only short Of 200, are
still in committee. These include the
taxation bills. many of the large APP
preparation measures. the senatorial
and congressional apportionment bills
and much other important legislation.
In addition to these 1913 in committee
81 bills are now pending before the
house The assembly also has 43
senate bills in committee, and must
dispose Of all that may come from the
upper house from now TO the close OF
the session. What with amendments,
compromises, substitutes and new bills
from the committees in both houses.
an early adjournment is not probable.
BY an overwhelming majority the as
sembly voted down Mr.. Gilman's
street sprinkling bill, over which
there had been so much debate in the
morning. There will be no Sheridan
drive legislation this year as the bills.
providing for work on that great Wis
consin-Illinois highway, were with
drawn by the author Mr.. Stevens.
I Madison, April Elm the upper
house, Senator Stout's marriage bill
was killed by vote of II to 16, and
Senator Hatton's measure providing
a course of study in agriculture 70:
the district schools was passed. IS
was also Roehr's giving county boards
the power to fix the salary of sheriffs
Two substitutes to the primary bill
were introduced One is by Senator
Hagemeister providing primary cleo
tons fer the nomination of town ana
county officers and leaving al other
officers in the state, Including con
gressmen, state senator's, assembly
men and all city officials to be named
by the old convention system Tae
other is by Senator kreutZer, and III
addition to county officers makes the
primary election apply 10 delegates to
the state congressional state senate
rial. and assembly district couve L
! lions. 1t was decided to finally dis
pose Of the whole matter Thursday.
| The three hour session of the as
sembly in the morning was largely
given up TO eloquence and argument,
Mr.. Hall making a long speech in
| favor CT his bill creating a railroad
commission, Mr.. David Evans talking
earnestly but in vein n behalf Of wo-
man suffrage and several members
chewing the rag over the matter OF
exemptions But nothing reached =
| elimination except the suffrage prop
osition which was ruthlessly voted IL
to lnnocuous desuetude, 81 to 80. those
| in favor of suffrage being Messrs.
Barker, Benson, Brunson, Coapman,
Dahl, Dodge, Erickson, ID. Evans. Il.
w. Evans, Fenelon. Frost, Gilman,
Haggerty, Henry, H Johnson, Nc
| Coz mick, Mcmillan, Middleton. over
beck PomrenIng, Price, Rasmussen,
| Sarau, Smalley, Sturdeydnt, Thomas.
Whtson. +. A. Williams, Young and
Ray. Assemblyman Doises ey-
emption provoked a vigorous attack
| from Mr. Cady. who explained that ii
was a measure reducing the wage
| exemption to $40 a month for two
months, Or $50 in all. 1t is now $50
| for three months, or $3.50 in all. He
said the grocers' association of the
state was behind the measure and yet
| these very grocers under the existing
| law are entitled to 5000 exemption.
| He regarded the discrimination as
outrageous. Mr.. Dodge contended
! that fifty per cent. of the failures OF
gTocers was due 70 losses from bad
debts Most laboring men are honest
| and these men were not affected by
/ this bill. IL Only reached those VINO
would defraud II the exemption
were reduced, men would cut their
! 20 -raente accordingly A large ex-
| emption was simply a premium on iiI.-
providence. argued Nj. Dodge, and IT
was not the proper business Of the
| legislature TO encourage that sort OF
thing. Mr.. McGill opposed the bin
and Messrs Henry and Root spoke for
| 1t. At the evening session 1t was
| passed. The Hall bill creating a
railroad commission was advocated at
! length by its author. 1t prohibits
unjust discrimination of all kinds
Scarcely a state In the union, he sand
but had sonoe regulation as this bill
provides The opposition comes from
the manufacturers. In Illinois they
| have a railway commission which
| fxes the rates. There the rates are
such that manufacturers can live.
Here a man cannot engage II man