Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-05-28

Madison, May ia primary cleo
ton bill has been passed. The senate
: concurred in the assemblys action
receding from it's refusal to adopt the
! Gayeney amendment and both houses
thought they had placed a primary
election law on the statute books
! But a grave doubt has arisen as TO
| the legality Of the whole proceeding
/ This was caused by a series of errors
in making corrections. Opinion
differs as to how the situation may
! be cured, and some declare it cannot
! be cured.
| Senator Miller would not allow con-
currence until he had made a last
futile attempt to get the senate to
give the people 'at least partial full
! fillment of the pledges of the last two
! republican platforms" He offered
motion in writing, Immediately after
the assembly message had been read
at the call of Senator Whitehead, pro-
viding for another conference of the
joint committee on conference with
! instructions to try to agree on a pri-
mary election law which should be
practically the Kreutzer amendment.
Senator Millers amendment was
killed by the following vote:
| Ayes-Bird, Burns, Hatten, Hud-
nall, Martin, McGillivray, Merton
Miller, Munson, Reukema Surau
Stout, Wipperman, Wylie-14.
NOes-Beach, Eaton, Gaveney,
! Green, Johnson, McDonough, Morse,
) Mosher, North, O'Neil Riordan, Roehr,
Rogers, Whitehead, Willy--15.
Immediately upon the defeat Of
the Miller motion Senator Whitehead
made the motion that the senate con-
: cur in the assembly amendment. A
moment later he changed his motion
so that the senate concur in all Of
the assembly amendment to the SEN
ate amendment excepting the enabling
clause. This limits the application Of
the law to the time when it shall have
, been approved by a vote of the peo-
pie. The enabling clause in the
Gaveney amendment applied the law
to city and county offices at once, the
assembly intended to apply none Of
the law at once but to submit it in it's
entirety to a vote of the people
Senator Whitehead insisted upon a
vote on his motion. This was finally
taken and the assembly amendment,
with the exception of the enabling
clause, was concurred in. The vote
was unanimous with the exceptions
of Senators Merton and North, demo
Gratis.
But before all this had happened
the assembly by the almost unan-
imous vote of SO to 4 the assembly
agreed to the proposition to submit
to vote of the people at the general
election in 1904 the question Of
naming all candidates for nomination
to any Office. II was a sort of
political love feast, for it was so
termed, even by the democrats, some
of whom voted for the proposition.
Former Speaker Ira B. Bradford OF
Augusta was the hero of the hour
In an eloquent speech he argued for
his amendment to the Ray resolu-
ton, to submit the original PROPOSE
ton to a vote of the people, in a way
that took the stalwarts by storm, and
even those who favored the Ray
resolution were brought to favor his
amendment. Mr.. Bradford's amend
ment struck out that portion after
the word "bill' in the thirty-sixtn
line, and inserted the following:
Wherefore, be it resolved that it is
the sense of the assembly, in view Of
the expressed desire of the senate, to
submit the question to the people for
| their ratification, that the assembly no
| longer insist on q rejection of the SEN
ate amendment to bill No. ga, but
! that said amendment be so amended
as to provide for the submission of
of the state il the manner now pro-
vided by law for the submission of an
amendment to the constitution, at
the next general election to be held in
| November, 1904, and when so amend
ed that said senate amendment be
concurred in"
Mr.. Ray, who had introduced the
resolution providing for the recession
of the assembly from its position, ex-
| planned his attitude as favorable TO
| the primary principle and said he was
| for the Bradford amendment. Mr..
Andrew read from typewriter manu-
script to the effect that he wished he
could believe that the resolution Of
| fered by Mr.. Ray had been offered in
good faith. Mr. Wallrich was
satisfied that should this bill go into