The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-04-09
State Senator From This District.
Spending Week at Home.
Discusses a Few of the Principal Measures
That Have Engrossed the Atten ion
of the Legislative Session. Dur
ing the past Winter.
Captain William ONeil, the

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representative of this senatorial
districtin the state legislature,
came up from Madison the first
of the week, and is spending a
few days at home among his
friends. This is the first tim
Captain O'Neil has been home
since the session commenced
having given all of his time to the
discharge of his official duties as
State Senator at the Capitol.
He has persistently fought Sat
urday adjournments and has
been steadily with the minority
on the question that members of
the legislature are sent to Madi-
son to work six days in the week
instead Of four or five days. The
Captain looks as though Madison
life was agreeing with him. He
is one of the principal figures of
the legislature and stands very
high among his colleagues. He
has important Committee assign
ments and is working hard and
enjoying his labors.
THE TINES asked the Senator
for a brief outline regarding the
work of the legislature, and he
concented to talk somewhat re-
garding the principal features Of
the session. He says that the
legislature is working hard to
arrive 8 z justsys5em Of legisla-
tlon alongtaA questions, and that
the bill exempting credits from
taxation has already passed the
senate and thatthat branch Of the
legislature is laboring hard on
the ad valorem system Of tax
for railroadproperty. A MAORI
ty and perhaps ali of the Senate
Committee are in favor of the
bill submitted by the tax commits
sion imposing the ad yalorem
system of taxation. The Assem-
bly, has not followed the tax com
mission in this matter, but have
passed their own bill, and both
Of the measures lare before the
senate committee. Both bills
impose the ad vaIorem system,
but differ somewhat in operation.
The tax commission bill provides
for the license system tOcontinue
for the years 1903 and 1904, and
the commission shall be consti-
tuted a taxing board for railroad
property Of the state. In 1905
according to the tax commission
bill the ad valorem is to go into
effect and is to date back in it's
working for the year 1903 and
1901, so that if the amount paid
into the state under the license
system does notequal the amount
that would be arrived at by ex-
pert testimony under the ad
valorem system that the com
panies would be obliged to pay
the additional amount for the
back two years into the state
treasury, or if they had overpaid
under the license system the
state would have to refund to
them what was their due. The
tax commission claims that the
railroads are not payingssenough
taxes, and this claim is used
againstcreating them as a taxing
board as evidence that they are
already prejudiced against the
railroads. On the other hand
the tax commission says that it
is impracticable to place the rail
roads under the ad valorem
system at once as it will take
two years of work by the taxing
board and expert assistance to
arrive at the true value of the
railroads in the state. The As
sembly bill puts the railroads un-
der the Immediate workings of
the ad valorem system, and the