The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-01-18
MADISON LAW MAKERS.
Burnett" Tells of Report on
Taxation and LaFolIette's
Address.
MORE MONEY FROM RAILWAYS,
That Alleged Rebel Senate - When
A. II. Hall Confronted Ignat-
Jus DOnnelly,

Iature begins work tonight i'll earnest,
following an adjournment from
Thursday afternoon last. This inter-
val has given an opportunity to Speak
er Ray of the assembly to make up
his committees. He mas the appoint
ing power and it is considerable. EV-
cry member, especially the veterans,
likes to be on an important commit
tee, even the head OF it. AS bill
comes from committee 'faVOrably"
recommended or ''indetinite postpone
mont recommended, SO it's fate is apt
to be with the full assembly or senate,
whose members have not the time
to canvass it's merits. There is Il good
deal of pressure brought to bear, of
course, to frame these committees as
interested parties would like. Speak
en- Ray, however, is q man Of lots of
resistance and this year especially,
when reform bills are to be urged,
will see to it these measures get q
fair hearing and report on their mer-
it's.
OF these regular committees there
are about twenty-five in the assembly
and the membership varies from elev-
ell down to five The judiciary is per-
hapS the most important. OF this w.
C. Wheeler the JOneSyille attorney,
was chairman in 1899 AS he has just
been appointed federal district attOr-
ney in Madison, at Il salary of $4,000,
the vacancy is open to Judge OrtOn
of Darlington. State affairs is anOth-
or important committee. from the
headship Of which T. /. McGrath, the
versatile Green Bay contractor is out
by reason of nOn-retmn to the legiS-
latTe.
In College with Roosevelt
Francis keene the scholar in poll
tics and college mate at Harvard Of
Vice preSidenI-Elect Roosevelt, will
continue chairman Of ''citieS,' to
which important junta Milwaukee
bills are prone to go. Mr.. Keene is
popular with his mates, despite he is
q society thOroughbred-MilW
members, as Il rule, coming from close
to the masses He can write good
verse and not little of the fun of the
session comes from his corner. Byron
A. Burlington of Eau Claire is another
absentee at this session, and some one
may have his craftsmanship of finance,
banks and insurance. John w. Thorn
as Of Chippewa Falls is Oh his fourth
term, Il Welshman highly esteemed in
the railroad committee. A. Il. Hall will
continue at the head of the long table
about which takes are considered.
Gossip of Reformer Hall,
Mr.. Had is, perhaps, the most
''pointed-out' of the members. He is
very happy this year, as he feels that
reform is on tap, and he has great
faith in Governor LaFOllette. He used
to cross swords with Ignatius Don
nelly in Minnesota and has only q
moderate estimate of that gentleman'S
political methods.
One night DOnnelly was speaking in
a schoolhOuse in MIR. Halls sectioA
and tried to clinch something by pro-
ducing atfidavitS. 1t CHANGED to be
ON an issue that Mr.. Hall had looked
up with all his quiet clevernesS, and
he stood up and disputed the dOcu-
mentS and proved by his own neigh
boris that there was no such man in eX-
istence as the local justice before
whom the papers We're said to have
been sworn. DOnnelly was furious,
and some of his adherents began to
cry Throw him OUT referring to
Hall.
Just then Il man weighing go
pounds stood up and informed the riot
erS that if there was to be any throw
ing out they could begin With him.
To clap the climax, at that moment,
under the weight of the crowd, the
floor Of the little school settled down
two feet. Everyone thought the end
of life had come, and Mr.. Hall said
he will never forget the look of aston
ishment and quick terror that framed
the great. round face of Donnelly.
Il
"he was one of the most effective men
that ever addressed a political gather
ing from the stump
That Alleged Rebel Senate.
Considerable has been said of a SEN
ate disposed to take falls out of Gov
ernor LaFOllette, and on the start
some of the senators seemed disposed
to take things into their own hands,
but wiser councils prevailed The ad-
vice of men like Whitehead, to dis
arm criticism as body by giving the
new administration fair chance, re-
suited in naming privileges and
elections" favorable to the new gov
ernor, headed by Hatton. To this COM
mittee the primary election bill will
go.
The judiciary committee is headed
by KreutZer of Wausau. a transpar-
emily honest lawyer, popular and with
a backbone and balance as to which
his boyish makeup might deceive
Jones, the Waukesha stalwart, heads
estate AFFAIRS Stout is happy as
chairman of education, and Mills sue
.ceeds Baxter at the head of claims"
the important committee which esti-
mates expenditures and tells the legis-
lature when the revenues compel q
stopping of appropriations.
Report of Tax Commission.
Two big events of the first week.
apart from Inauguration, were the re-
port of the state tax commission, and
the inaugural message of Governor
LaFollette. The tax commission was
concrete enough to satisfy any one
1t proposed an increase in tax receipts
from the railroads Of $600,OOO This
method, if applied to the gross earn
ings of the railroads for 1899, would
give a revenue approximately of ST.
100000. 1t must be confessed that the
railroads would thus be toeing the
mark to quite a degree.
IF 71,,orOcoc that tho street