Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-05-13

ACCOMPLISH BUT LITTLE
Final Effort to Agree-A Mild Mort
gage Tax Bill Passed By
The Senate.


is not much to show for over four
months work The members will be
glad to go and those Of us who re-
port the proceedings will be glad to
have them The people at home who
usually hold the lawmakers sharply
responsible for sins of omission and
commission are not much to be feared
as between parties because the state
Democracy is in such disorganiZod
condition Therefore it will be fight
over again between the two factions.
What the people will make out OF
this unsatisfactory session remains to
be seen. Each side has its own story.
The governor loves a fight and IS al"
ready marshalling his campaign as
sets. the latest being message Fri
day last to the legislature advising 9
bill to prevent raising of present
freight rates by the railway COM
panies 1t has long been thought by
most everybody that any extra money
the state takes from the railroad cor
porations in taxes will be recouped in
increased charges for freight.
When the bids were opened the 9TH
err day for supplying Goa! to the state
institutions. it was discovered that ali
the coal dealers had inserted a proviso
protecting them in the event OF IN
creased freight rates. Therefore the
governor advises a bill that shalt
include some recent schedule OF rates
and compelling the companies to keep
within that maximum. The move
ment is only an accumulation Of the
governors determination to make his
next fight OF this matter of railroad
control
State Regulation CT Railways.
The governors bill to establish a
railway commission was defeated in
the assembly. which body in other
matters has carried out all his views.
Theopponents of the governor are ca. e.
full not to enlist themselves as hostile
to some form of state control of rail-
roads. The shippers Of the state stood
together in defeating the bill and
their argument that in its drastic
form. (for it was a detailed system OF
charges) it threatened CONFUSION in
state industrial interests, commanded
respect by reason of its unanimity OF
the protest However, a railway com
mission with only general powers and
latitude allowed them in the matter
of commodity rates for lumbermen
and manufacturers in the northern
part of the state. would be more &C.
ceptable. and many so-called stalwarts
will be found standing for this thing.
With stalwarts already saying this,
and with the assembly responsible for
the defeat of the commission bill, the
governor will be hampered bit in
any attempt to represent himself as
unaided fighting this battle. He may
be able, should the assembly accept
and the senate reject his last pro-
posal forbidding higher than present
freight rates. to make a point on the
opponents. He certainly has displayed
the highest ability as tactician.
though his critics blame him for not
accepting what he could get. especial.
ly in primary elections and railway
tax reform.
Primary Elections Dead
Absolutely nothing has been done
in advancing primary elections. Pub
lie interest in this reform is already
tagging though the successful work.
ing of the plan in other states will
from time to time be reported to Wis
consin and a fresh demand for the
same grow up. For the present, GER
tainIy, the governor has dropped that
issue and is bending his energies to
arouse the people in the matter Of
freight rates.
The place of the state tax commits
sion in all this political check and
countercheck is interesting. The adj
ministration has not hesitated to cut
loose from its recommendations, not
ably in the matter of the exemption
of credits. To the close student, the
failure of this bill is the most serious
act of the legislature. The bill passed
the senate and failed in the assembly.
though the tax commission stoutly rec
ommends it, The al valorem system
of taxation of railroads, word for
word as it came from the tax COM
mission, was passed by the senate; its
final disposition is a matter of un
certainty There is a better chance
of agreement by both senate and
assembly, as to the bone of contention,
really a trifing one, the exemption Of
railroad bonds from taxation Apart
from these four issues. about which
the storm has ragged, there is little to
report but minor business as the result
of the session.
When adjournment is reached it
will be well for all of us to leave
politics alone for at least three months
in order to cool down. There will be
little but the rountine work of the