Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-05-27
AID VaIoren7 Taxation and Pri-
mary Election Measure
Two Big Laws.
WILL THE PEOPLE APPROVE?
Referendum in gor May
Have Mortgage Assessed Sep
arate from Equity.

gone now and Madison has settled
down to comparative quiet for nine
teen months, until a new legislature
meets which will re-elect Senator
Quarles or some one else as his sue
cessor. The legislators were given
free ride about the lovely capital city
carriages being furnished by the liy-
erymen. Until one sees the length and
breadth of these lakes from an alti-
tude, he does not realize that it is the
most beautiful inland city in America
as l truly believe it to be.
Work of the Session.
At one time it looked as if the leg
islature would have nothing to show
for its~work except crow bill; but in
the few days before adjournment Gov
ernor LaFoIlette changed his mind
He does not often do this. AS it is,
the newspapers are disputing with
each other who started the influence
that induced the governor to accept
primary election bill. Ex-Speaker Ray,
the Lacrosse assemblyman, conceived
the idea Of reviving the matter after
dead The administration forces were
surprised The senate had just set a
precedent of surrender by yielding a
point to get the al valorem tax bill en-
acted, namely, that railroad bonds
held in the state should be taxed. The
tax commission said they should be
exempted, but the senate yielded the
int 40 1oi FOL
the assembly. So, when Mr. Ray
moved that the assembly coincide with
the assembly as to when the primary
election law should go into effect
fhere was no disagreement as to its
provisions the assembly was interest
ed. That body proposed an amend
ment, namely, a referendum in No
vember, 1904.
What induced the governor to do it
is not known. as practically the same
proposal was refused earlier in the ses-
sion. 1t is likely, however, that the
taunts of nothing Accomplishment may
have moved him. Moreover he may
have concluded that primary elections
are getting to be an old story and that
with even his friends differing as to
details, it would be a hard topic to
talk about on the stump. Better get it
out of the way and pass on to rail
road commission to fix freight rates.
and so the bill was soon accepted and
every one is happy. One bone of con-
tention was disposed of. 1t especially
pleased the lawmakers who dreaded to
go back to their constituents to be
greeted with cries of nothing done"
and ''broken pledges" Now all law
makers stand on an equality as to pri
mary elections
What Will Voters Do?
Opinions differ as to whether the
people will approve primary elections
at the polls There will be a vigorous
fight against entrenching the system,
for once on the statute books it is a
difficult proposition to repeal, the bene
ficiaries of the system being in the
legislature to continue the system.
Again the proposition to enact the
full system is unfortunate. Many Of
the best friends Of the system regard
the selection of minor state officers by
direct vote as Il blunder, full of confu-
sions Yet to get any part of the sys-
tenn, the full force must be taken. 1t
all proves what l have repeatedly
pointed out, that the legislature is the
place to work out the details of law,
not in the state convention (as was
done with this bilD. Some believe that
when voters are told that the new sys
TEN wipes out conventions and eau
cuses, they will reject the proposition.
It depends somewhat on Governor
LaFolIette and his lieutenants. I
know that some Of them view with
alarm" the workings of some parts of
the full bill If they fear that the bill,
being accepted, would work confu-
sion and disgust citizens and discredit
the LaFollette cause, they will quietly
let the hot iron alone, especially as
by January, 1904 they will have had
their political destiny largely fixed,
both as to the governship and the sen
atOrShiD.
But if they continue to believe not
only in the principal of the law-from
governor down to city officials, all by
primary elections-but in the political
efficiency of the system, Governor La
Toilette will speak hard for it and like
~ enough it will carry"
Railroad TaX2tion.
The second big event of the session
is the new system of assessing and
taxing railroad property as other prop
erty is valued The value is to be
determined by the state tax commits
sion, who will have expert accountants
and engineers to assist them. In 1904
the first assessment is made and in
1895 the license fee of per cent. on
the big roads is abandoned. The rail-
roads affect to believe that the state
will get less taxes from them under
this new system; and every one knows
that in few states do the railroads pay
such high taxes as in Wisconsin to-
day. Nevertheless. in Michigan the
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