The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1903-05-22
Legislature Runs Up Appropria-
tons Half a Million
Over 1901,
AID vALOREM BILL IS NOW G LAW
New System of Railroad Taxation the
Only Big Event of the Present
Session of the Legislature.

back for the sessions last night and
today, but last week, including Friday
afternoon, exhausted most of the bust
ness. There was fresh furry over
primary elections, led by Messrs Kay,
COwIng and Barker. who with many
others, object to being placed in the
position of opposing the primary cleo
ton law, but nothing came of it. The
people must interpret the failure as
best they can The assembly voted
full primary election system Of nOmin-
atoms to go into effect at once, and
the senate voted identically the same
bill with the qualification that only
part of it (city and county officsrs)
Shall 90 into effect at once, the result
of the plan to be approved or disap-
proved by the people at the polls in
the fall of 1904. Whether the law
maker having voted for this last prop
OSition can be properly abused by his
constituents OH his return home is the
question If it be a matter of stand
ing by the party pledge, the admins
tratiOn men must cOncede that they
too were willing to veer from this, for
the assembly cOnferrees offered no less
than six compromises.
Subject of Freight Rates.
However, it is unlikely that we shall
hear much about primary elections in
the coming campaign. The absorbing
interest is more in the subject OF
freight rates. 1t will be remembered
that the proposal of a railway COM
mission was defeated in the assembly,
no doubt much to Governor LaFOl-
lette's disgust. That a reform body
should take this action confuses the
issue. However, later the governor
revived the matter with a new bill
that provided that the railroads should
not charge more for freight than was
listed in the published schedules of
June 10, 1902. The assembly passed
this bill So to 81 but only with an
amendment which to some extent
saved the railroads, provision that
where the rates should be unjustly
low, the railroad commissioner might
raise them. This was placing author
ity in one commissioner rather than in
a full board. -
r The Action Friday Last.
Then this bill went to the senate.
Being disappointed in his assembly,
if he wishes the governor can claim
in his campaign that the stalWart sen
ate prevented control of freight rates
by the senate vote which killed the
bill The vote was 20 to 10, including
not only the uncompromising stall
warts. but Bird and Sarau, who on
many occasions have acted with the
administration and the three Demo
Gratis, Merton, Randolph and North.
The merits of this bill will be dis
cussed more or less. The cont olling
argument seemed to be that the mat
ter came up late in the session, and
that it was not right to put such
law on the statute books without
more deliberation. Governor LaFol-
letteS reasoning was that with the
ad valOrem bill Il law. railroad taxes
would be greatly incl eased and the
companies would take it out of the
citizens through higher charges for
freight. The assessment on the new
basis will be made in 1904 but the
railroads will not be called upon to
pay until the following year. The
year 1905 is legislative year. If the
railroads seek to recoup themselves,
the next legislature can keep down
freight rates by law. In othe" words,
it is not light to punish even a rail
road for wrong dong until It is done.
Practically it is reasoned that the rail-
roads would be very foolish in this
time Of unrest to raise the rates.
Political Conditions.
The opposition to Governor LaFol-
lette is numerically stronger than ever,
but it is hampered as it was two years
ago by the burden of the load of the
railroad lobby and other influential
cOntingentS which the farmer and
working man conceives is opposed to
his interests. The outcome will de-
pend largely on the leadership, the can
didate named for governor by the OPP
ponents of the administration, and es-
pecially by the impression the thou
sands of "plain people, get as to
whether the So-called StalwartS are a
mere corpora tion-protecting contingent
or a genuine ground swell for less one
man power and more conservative gov
eminent, %, 4
A Popular Cam paign Cry.
Generally speaking, even the op-
pOnents of the governor admit that
he has struck a popular note in
arguing for lower freight rates. Most
everybody has had, the experience of
shipping a box of goods or a cow on
a freight car and the bill seemed
"steep' to him. There are not a few
citizens who hitherto have opposed the
governor who will throw up their hats
for him if he will promise to give
them cheaper freight rates. The op-
position recognizes the difficulties of
the situation and the wiser ones are
cautious about declaring themselves
as opposed to a railroad commission