The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-02
WISCONSIN
PLENTY OF ISSUES
La Toilette Faction Will Make Rail-
way Commission and Primary
Bills Paramount.
All the Big Bills Likely to Fail
Another Chance for Grain
Inspection.
Special to The Journal.

special to The Journal.
Madison, Wis, May 2-The freight
rate bill" providing for the establishment
of a state railway commission, will be the
burning issue made by Governor La Fol-
lette and his supporters in the next cam
palgn. This was clearly indicated by the
governor in his special message to the
legislature, and was still moro definitely
stated by Speaker Lenroot in his speech
for the bill Thursday night, when, in adj
Vocat1ng the Leroy amendment providing
for the submission of the bill to vote of
the people at the next spring election, he
said, In reply to the objection by Mr. Ray
that it would be a disturbing element un-
til after the election: "This amendment
will remove the question from factional
OF this question, then vote the amendment
down and you will have it in the next
campaign good and plenty
And the assembly voted it down. Then
it annihilated the substitute bill recon-
mended for passage by the railroad COM
mittee by a larger majority than the rail-
road lobbyists had claimed, SO to "a. The
original bill was then put to death by a
still more sweeping majority-67 to 25-
with four members paired and! four alb
sent.
It was the business men, the manufac-
turers and shippers who killed the rail-
way commission bill. The railway people
al V ociu ~ 1ldVS DceIl IHe promoters OIL
the movement and they probably were.
How can vote for the bill?" asked one
of the assemblymen who admitted he saw
much good in it, 'The business men Of
my district are urging me to vote against
it, saying that it will hurt their business
and even If it is true that they have been
unduly frightened by the railway people,
now can set my opinion UP against their
Judgment and tell them I know more
about their business than they do?''
1T was never expected the commission
bill would pass the senate. The senator's
however, objected to being made the
headsmen for all the big bills, and the
fight was made to kill it in the assembly
This the administration men contended
could not be done, but the railway people
proved that it could. They chose the most
effective plan, that of working on the
members thru their home constituency
There have been various reports of new
primary bills to be introduced, but none
OF the bills has materialiZed thus far, and
there is little chance for an agreement if
one did, the two factions still being as
far apart as ever On the question. It is
very probable that the primary election
will be allowed to remain dead so far as
this legislature is concerned, and go into
the next campaign.
Even the bill taxing railroads on the
ad valorem basis is not yet a certainty
The senate amendment excluding railroad
bonds from assessment and taxation as
railroad property is the rock on which
the assembly is split, and there is doubt
as to whether the lower house will con-
cur.
There will be another hot fight in the
senate over the bill providing for a Wis
consin system of grain inspection. The
opposition has asked for a hearing before
the assembly committee on state
affairs. which has the new bill
in charge, and it will be given
them, probably on Tuesday Of next week.
There is little or no question. however,
of the prompt passage of the bill in the
lower house. and it is confidently asserted
by its frieZds that when it is before the
senate. in it's new form, which provides
for mixing grain in public elevators, un-
der supervision, there will be votes enough
to pass it,