Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-04-23

NO acton was taken.
The bill extending the state labor
commissioners term for two years
to six was killed by a vote of 81 to
30, although it was on the calendar
favorably recommended. Assembly
bills were killed as follows:
Dudgeon's, to change the boundaries
of the ninth and third judicial cir
cults and Brittan's, relating to
damages in personal injury cases.
The bill appropriating to ]. E.
Jones and the other two Portage
levee commissioners s1,O74 for ex-
penses incurred under the levee law
before it was declared unconstitu
tional was reported by the judiciary
committee favorably and went to the
claims committee. The committee on
public health reported adversely the
Benson bill making it mandatory in
stead of permissible for the
authorities to grant pharmacists
the right to sell liquor for medicinal
purposes. 1t made a similar report
on the bill to refund to certain
counties, towns, villages and cities
what they had expended in CON-
batting smallpox.
Another contributory liability bill
has been born, but with parents
divided on the issue of acknowl-
edging responsibility. 1t came from
the house judiciary committee yes
terday and provides that in all
actions for the recovery of damages
caused by the negligence of any in
dividual or any other person, in
which the contributory negligence of
the person bringing the action shall
consist only of slight want of
ordinary care, such contributory
negligence shall no longer operate as
a bar to the recovery Of damages for
such NEGLIGENCE. The committee was
evenly divided, Messrs. Bradford,
Dudgeon, Eckern, Smoker, Martin
and Cady being for it and Messrs.
Morris, Carpenter, Cowling, Douglas,
Wallrich and Strong against, there
fore ,ne bill was merely submitted
without recommendation. An ad
verse report was made on the bill
which provides that whenever any
person shall be held to answer for
the violation of an injunctional order,
he shall have a trial by jury unless
such trial by jury is waived"
Madison, April 16.-There will be
no primary election bill passed at the
present session of the legislature. The
old republican fight, with stalwarts
on one side and the administration
wing on the other, will, it seems, be
fought over again in the next two
years, and again main issue will be
primary election. Governor La Fol
lette is practically certain of being a
candidate for a third term and with
the doubtful road which the taxation
and railroad commission bills have to
travel in the legislature it seems
equally certain that the issues of the
coming warfare will be the same as
those that were thought to have been
affirmatively determined in the last
election. These were the results of
the conference between the stalwart
senate conferees on the primary cleo
ton bill-Whitehead, Beach and Morse
and the assembly cOnferees-
Andrew, Frear and Leroy. The sides
stood pat" The senate committee
on assessment and collection Of taxes
will report for passage the ad valorem
railroad tax bill, as it came from the
tax commission, but with a few minor
amendments. The proposition to in
crease the license fees of the railroads
to five and one-half per cent. Of their
gross earnings and the one to post
pone the operation of the ad valorem
system until 1906 will not be reported
out of the committee. The report, it
is said by Senator Whitehead, will be
unanimous. The governors veto Of
the North bill to allow county boards
of supervisors to appropriate money
for the purpose Of building soldiers
and sailors monuments was sus-
tanned in the senate by a vote Of Is to
IA, the majority being against the gov
ernor's veto, but it requires a two
thirds vote to pass the bill over the
executive objection. On a tie vote
and with Lieutenant Governor David
son voting in the affirmative the
senate adopted the Merton resolution
asking congress to call a constitutions
al convention for the purpose of sub
hitting to the states a constitutional
amendment to provide for the election
Of United States senators by direct
vote of the people. The vote was 13
to 10 as follows: For-Davidsou,
Burns. Hatton, Hudnall, Martin, Nc
GilIivray, Merton, Miller, Munson,
North, Randolph, Stout, Wipperman,
Wolff-14 Against-Beach, Bird,
Gaveney, Green, Hagemeister, John
son, Kreutzer McDonough, OMEN,
Riordan, Rogers, Whitehead, Willy
10. Mr. Cady chairman of the judici-
airy committee, reported back the
Strong bill, giving jury trials to VIC
lators of injunctional orders, anu also
a big batch of petitions from labor
unions favoring the bill. The report
humorously recommended that the
petitions be referred to Mr.. Strong
for use in future political campaigns, .
and raised a great laugh. The as
sembIy passed the Dahl bill, whose
object is to have leaf tobacco assessed
alike in all parts of the state, the vote
being 4S to So. The state affairs com
mittee reported favorably the bill
appropriating $4,000 for a Wisconsin
e..
having been voted before. Among