The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1901-04-05
OUR MADISON LETTER.
Senate Will GrappIe Primary Elec-
tons Bill Next Week.
THEN FOR TAXATION BILLS
Two Giant Struggles-ShOuld Insane
Husband or Wife Be Divorced?
Adjournment Near May 10.

Wednesday evening-haying gone
home to vote More than that, many
of them are county officials. The pri-
mary election bill will get before the
senate early next week in the form
OF a special order. The delay Of even
a week is unfortunate as regards has
tened business. The all-impOrtant tax
bills cannot well receive attention I'M
til primary election matters are dis
posed Of-at least, have been aired
in the senate. 1t is now clear that
either side is strenuous to rush the
primary election bill. It's friends think
public sentiment is drifting toward
some form of direct vote. AS citizens
far from Madison learn what the row
is all about, the county papers show
that lawmakers are being scolded,
some for favoring, others for OppOs-
ing the bill, with the result that the
legislators are getting sensitive. Six
weeks ago il looked as if the voters
at home did not know or care what
their lawmakers did with the bill.
Adjourn About May Is.
The session will be a long one.
Speaker Ray thinks May 10 will be
about the date of adjournment, but it
is likely when planting time forces
us on that week can be saved. Ore
gon has a fOrty-day constitutional
limit. Some 300 bills have been dis
posed Of, though not of large impOr
lance. The assembly committees have
200 bills in their hands. A novelty Is
a female lobbyist who is working for
primary electiOnS-Mrs. Elizabeth
Nero, a bright Irish lady who cleans
corridors. A novelty of another kind
is a patent fire eXtinguisher-a chem
zeal powder that thrown at the base
of the flames kills the blaze with gas.
There is an exhibition every after
noon on a pile of burning timber and
the inventor is to be congratulated.
When a Great People Dance.
Colonel Dan Starkey is to be head
chairman of the legislative ball, which
insures a cordial time. He was Gov
ernor ScOfeld's private secretary. Mr..
Hall has been sick in Minneapolis, but
his railroad taxation bills will be sent
in whether he is here or not, and soon.
The anti-cigarette bill is believed to
be looking up a bit in the senate.
The senate judiciary sent it in with
four negative vOteS-ROehr, Mills,
Gasveney and Weed-the other five
being for the bill 1t will take some
courage to vote against this bill, as it
has curiOusly interested not only all
the women, but many men, who may
be themselves smokers. You take a
father whose boy insists on smoking
cigarettes and whose teachers COM
plain he is thick and stuQid-more
so, every term, and that parent is
about as vindictive a proposition as
you can meet on the street. 1t is sur
prising to know the class of men who
are hot about the cigarette business.
Aimed at The Police Gazette.
There is a bill that starts we'll to
kill The Police Gazette" Police
News" and probably The Standard"
Wisconsin already has effective laws
against obscene literature, but THE
Police News" is hardly under that
class. SO the Pennsylvania law is
presented in Wisconsin, which shuts
out papers and books that deal exclu-
sively with accounts of crime reports
and law violation. The curious point
was raised in committee that ''Sher-
lock Holmes books might come I'M
der the ban. but the answer is of
course that Conan DOyle'S books deal
with the exposure of crime, not the
more vicious recital, without any
working Of the law or penalty at.
tached
Uniformity of State Accounts.
Governor ScOfield set moving the
ball of uniformity in state bookmak-
ing. 1t has made some friends for
Governor LaFollette, who is persever-
ing on the track, for the fact is the
new system is not very popular in
some sections. More law is needed to
make the new plan dOve-tail with
present law and in a special message
Governor LaFollette asks this and no
doubt the committees of assembly
and senate will propose such A few
departments are operating it in part.
The university and normal schools and
the fish commission are especially
sought to be brought into the scope
of the system. Under it it is said a
statement is laid on the governors
desk at the close Of each days bust
ness as complete in all the details Of
the ninety-siX departments of state
administration as is the daily balance
in big factory.
Reform Act in Peril.
Mr.. Spratt Of Sheboygan is a manu-
facturer who by force of ability has
won the early standing that talking
lawyers must work to reach. He re-
versed the committees report on bill
to repeal the corrupt practices act and
the assembl. ordered it to third read
ing. Mr.. Spratt claims the present
law puts a premium on perjury, in
requiring candidates to make sworn
statements of their campaign ex-
penses. Isaac Stephenson's preference
in paying the penalty rather than tell
how much 1t cost him to run" for the
the United States senate made the
law contemptuous to many. But it is
in favor in many states and of course
Governor LaFOllette will veto the re-
peal if it ever gets to him, for he be-
friended the law in its inception.
Commission Itself Safe
OF the tax bills there are about a
dozen, in the drawing of which the
tax commission has been much con-
suited. TIL aim seems to be TO in
troduce tn ad valorem system in
place of other plans Of taxation; but