Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-04-18
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.

that there is no good reason why the
measure should become a law as it
makes no material or necessary
changes in the present statute on that
subject.
Chief Clerk w. A. NOVEL; of the as
sembly made report of the condition
of the bills before that body, showing
that the members Will have to hurry if
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, 1893, 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 nos 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 legisls ton this year as the bills,
| providing for work on that great Wis
consin-Illinois highway, were with
drawn by the author, Mr.. Stevens.
Madison, April 9.-In the upper
| house, Senator Stout's marriage bill
was killed by vote of II to 16, and
Senator Hatton's me sure providing
course of study III agriculture for
the district schools was passed, as
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
lions fer the nomination of town anu
county officers and leaving all other
officers in the state, including con-
gressmen, state senators, assembly
men and all city officials to be named
by the old convention system The
other is by Senator Kreutzer, and in
addition to county officers makes the
primary election apply to delegates TO
the state, congressional, state senate
rial, and assembly district conve l.
tons. 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 i'll
favor of his bill creating a railroad
commission, Mr.. David Evans talking
earnestly but in vain in behalf of wo-
man suffrage and several members
chewing the rag" over the matter OF
exemptions. But nothing reached a
elimination except the suffrage prop
osition which was ruthlessly voted IT,
to innocuous desuetude, 81 to 80, those
in favor of suffrage being Messrs.
Barker, Benson, Brunson, Coapman,
Dahl, Dodge, Erickson, d. Evans, e.
w. Evans, Fenelon, Frost, Gilman,
Haggerty, Henry, II. Johnson, Nc
Cormick, Mcmillan, Middleton, Over
beck, Pomrening, Price, Rasmussen,
Sarau, Smalley, Sturdevant, Thomas,
Whitson, E. A. Williams, Young and
Ray Assemblyman Dodge's cx-
emption provoked vigorous attack
from Mr.. Cady, who explained that it
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
that fifty per cent. Of the failures OF
grocers was due to losses from bad
debts. Most laboring men are honest
and these men were not affected by
this bill. 1t only reached those who
would defraud. IL the exemption
were reduced, men would cut their
garments accordingly. A large ex-
emption was simply premium on i'm
providence, argued Mr.. Dodge, and it
was not the proper business of the
| legislature to encourage that sort Of
thing. Mr.. McGill opposed the bill
and Messrs. Henry and Root spoke for
it. At the evening session it was
passed. The Hall bill creating a
railroad commission was advocated at
length by it's author. 1t prohibits
| unjust discrimination OF all kinds.
Scarcely a state in the union, he said,
but had some regulation as this bill
provides. The opposition comes from
the manufacturers. In Illinois they
have a railway commission which
fixes the rates. There the rates are
such that manufacturers can live.
Here a man cannot engage in man
ufacturing unless he gets special
rates. The rest Of the state has to
pay for this privilege, said Mr.. Hall.