Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-02-19

The railroad committees or the TWO
houses gave a hearing to the railroad
managers last week, and a dozen OF
very brainy men came to town. Mar
vim Hughitt of the Northwestern has
a dignity indeed scholarly appear
ance BETTING college professor;
while President Earring of the st.
Paul road is younger and more spirit
ed. They were accompanied by their
lawyers of course, there are no
nimbler, no more adroit minds on
earth than these chief attorneys OF
great railway corporations. There has
been some Inclination that the railways
thought "the jig was up" and would
surrender the present system in taxing
their property a per cent. on gross
earnings and accept the ad valorem
plan, as recommended by the tax COM
mission; but the hearing revealed 9TH
erwise The railroad men kept bark
ing back to the fact that in Minnesota
the license fee is but per cent. Gas
against in Wisconsin, Yet. unjust
as they think it is, they are adverse
to going to the uncertainties of an ad
valorem assessment, under which plan
all their properties are valued and
taxed as is other property. They kept
repeating their doubt that the railway
property of Wisconsin is One-eleventh
of all the taxable property in the state,
yet they pay one-eleventh of the taxes
Of course, in some light, their cOnten-
ton is a strong one.
State Control of Freight Rates.
On this subject of railroad taxation
waits the proposal to limit freight
rates. It is an important, drastic plan
and the fact that six weeks are gone
with no visible evidence of the issue
beyond Governor LaFollette's argu
ment in his message) makes it doubt
full if it can become law at this SEES
sion. A bill to effect it must come
from committee, if at all.
Lawyers in Ascendancy.
The law is the best stepping stone
to public life, especially to the higher
posts Of the thirty-three senators,
thirteen are lawyers by occupation.
OF the 100 assemblymen, nineteen are
represented in Wisconsin legislatures
six in the senate and the same number
in the assembly. Of physicians there
are DR.. Dinsdale of Soldiers Grove
and DR.. Verbeck of Lodi, both in the
assembly.
The agriculturist interest aften COM
plains that it is not sufficiently repre-
70 ,o,.'3 IN, no
senate-with a horticulturist and two
agriculturists. Passing to the assem-
bly,. there are twenty-SiX farmers,
with few others running close onto
the industry, as canned goods manu-
facturer and grain dealer; while no
doubt some Of those marked ere
tired and real estate keep in close
touch with the soil. Of other occupa-
lions, there are bankers, quite num-
Der of insurance men, sign artist
(Breitwisch of Milwaukee,, merchants,
etc.
Sessions Work Laid Out.
The new bills touch all possible top
les, even one repeating Newton's law
of gravitatiOn, and ito go into effect
after woman's suffrage is enacted"
The increase Of the supreme court to
seven members is we'll forwarded fhe
people are to vote on the constitutional
amendments and that body needs
more room-it is even proposed new
building be erected for their use. So
much as been said of participation by
game wardens, ETC., in politics" and Of
r. o:,1- -
that no less than two bills deal with
this topic presumably from what was
once known as "the two factions"
There are bills to crush the trusts, me-
chanics' liens bills, one bill to set up
100000 home for cOnsumptives, and
another to give $4,000 to the Toma-
hawk health park for the same pur-
pose The DILL to allow divorce to the
partner of an insane mate has aroused
so much antagonism that it can never
pass. The railroad employees have re-
newed their cd bill aimed at double
header freight trains; one bill allows
the shooting Of live pigeons as target
practice; another bill regulates lying
in hospitals ;the result of the baby
farming exposures III MllWauKee),
cigarette bill compels $500 license to
deal in the ''coffin nails" Many bills
raise salaries and deal with railway
and city charter clauses in a way that
only the initiated can understand.
Death always comes to remind the
legislative throng of the nature Of life
A Burnett county man, assistant to the
assembly sergeant-at-arms, died in our
Madison hospital of a liver trouble,
and Senator Kreutzer of Wausau was
called home by the death of 6-year-
old child. No one is more beloved than
this frank, cordial, wise young lawyer
of the Northland.
ORLANDO BURNETT.
Health Better Than Wealth.