The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-10
bound 10 CHANGE /
PRIMARY ELECTION BILL CANNOT
STAND AGAINST THE REPUR-
LICAN HACRINE
FIGHT OVER APPoRTIoNMENT
Measures Concerning Railroad Tax
alton Aroused Great Interest
Commission With Authority to
Fix Rates Is Proposed.

MADISON, Wis, March 9.-The primary
election bill was relegated to the back
ground this week, so far as any action
by the legislative committees on priv
neges and elections was concerned
though it was the principal topic of dis
Cussion in the corridors of the capitol
Report credits the friends of the bill
with determination to block all other
important legislation until the bill is
passed, and the manner in which several
important bills have been laid over gives
color to the report. The assembly COM
mittee will meet Monday evening and
It is expected that Mr. Stevens will then
have new bill with several changes
from the original draft. What these
changes will be is guesswork to those
not on the inside, but it is not believed
they will be so marked as to meet the
demand Of some of the opponents that
the convention be retained, and that the
primary shall apply only to county and
city elections and the choosing of dele
gates. The senate committee which sat
in joint session with the assembly com
mittee during the public hearings, will
meet on Wednesday afternoon to re-
ceive amendments and suggestions It
will probably await the action of the as
sembly committee, however, before max
ing a report Senator Riordan is cred
tied with having a primary election bill
up his sleeve which may prove to be
the one the stalWarts are willing to
have passed.
Railway taxation was an absorbing
subject this week. Every day since and
including Tuesday, the senate and as
sembly committees on assessment and
collection of taxes were in joint sessions
hearing arguments on the bills prepared
by the state tax commission, one of
which provides an ad valorem tax sys-
TEN, the other an increase in the present
license fees Either one, it is said,
means an increase of about $780, 600 in
the taxes on railroads. All the leading
roads have been represented by able
attorneys, who protested strongly against
the ad valorem or property valuation
system, especially when based on stock
and bond values as shown by market
prices, and all of whom insisted that
the railroads are already paying their
full share of taxes. Gov. La Follette's
message, in which he said the railroads;
are paying a fairer pro portionate =, tax
than is personal property, was freely
quoted by the railway attorneys. Judge
ellison and George Curtis, of the tax COM
mission, met their arguments by showing
that railroad property is as tangible as
real estate or the property of manufac-
turing concerns, and it's proportion of
taxes should be compared with theSes and
not with personal property, which is
largely hidden.
Next to the taxation bills the measure
which attracted most attention this
week was the Hall bill providing for
railway commission, with authority to
fix rates Several manufacturers from
different parts of the state have been
here to argue before the assembly COM
mlttee on railroads against the bill, and
protests against 1t come in from the
same source every day. Their special
protest is against the alirogation Of the
commodity rate. Mr. Hall offers to have
This provision stricken out, but the rail-