Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-02-12
BILL AIMED At
FEDERAL LOBBY
POSMASTERS AND COLLEC
MAY BE RESTRAINED.
NO STATISTICAL JOBS
Will be Created at Annual Cost of
Donald Would Tax Circuses
500 ard Side Shows S2u-Many
New Bills in Legislature.
Madison, Feb. 10.

Madison, Feb. 10.
A bill designated to put al end to
the ''pernicious activity of federal Oh
fee holders" was introduced in the
assembly last night by Assemblyman
E. B. WhitsOn OF Lincoln county. 1t
provides that 1t shall be all onense
Tor any postmaster, internal revenue
collector, United States district attor-
ney or any other holder OF ONCE Of
any kind under the constitution OF
government o. the United States 70
circulate nomination papers under a
primary election system (presuming
that the election plank of the republi
can state platform will be honestly
carried OUT, to solicit funds for pc
litical campaign, to lobby in the state
legislature or in any way work for
the passage Of the bills or for their
defeat.
The bill provides penalty or
fine Of from $1,000 to $4,000 or i'm
prisonment in Jail not to exceed one
year. 1t is stipulated that the inform
ant on whose complaint the conviction
is made shall receive nine-tenths ofthe
fine that is collected. The bill is
said to have been prompted by the
activity Of the federal Office holders
in defeating the primary election bill
that was introduced in the assembly
two years ago by Mr.. Stevens. Of
this opposition the phrase ''peTnicious
activity" was born and although it
has since been used some times in re-
ferTing to game WardenS, it is origin
ally known to refer to those officers
who were given their places as the re-
suit of the favor of Senator SpOoner
or other members of the congressional
delegation at Washington.
DonaId's Circus License Bit.
Assemblyman John S. Donald intro
duced bill relating to the licenses to
be required of peddlars, shows anG
transient merchants. It provides
that in addition to the statutes on
this subject at present there shall be
required of all circuses entering this
state for the purpose of giving eXhi-
billions license fee of 500 and that
the fee to be charged of smaller
shows, such as side shows and merry
gO-rounds, shall be $40.
Would Create Fat Jobs.
Assemblyman Whitson of Toma-
hawk, Lincoln county, introduced a
bill which if enacted into a law will
create state jobs to the aggregate of
$4,000 a year. His bill is perhaps the
most vOlUminous that has been intro
duced during the present session. 1t
is entitled, "a bill to provide a more
adequate system of the registration
of births and deaths and to provide
for the recording of vital statistics"
1t makes the city or town clerk the
local vital statistician where there is
not already such an officer. The bill
also creates the department of vital
statistics and creates the office of vi
tai statistician. This officer is to be
appointed by the state board of health
and he is to receive a salary Of $1,000
a year from the state for his services.
He is to travel over the state in the
discharge of his duties. perhaps in the
same way in which deputy same war
dens travel in the enforcement Of the
fish and game laws, and his expenses
are to be paid. He is also allowed to
appoint assistants and these are to be
paid at an annual expense to the state
| of not to exceed $4,000.
Non-Partisan School Officers.
Assemblyman H. L. Ekern Of Trem-
| pealeau county introduced bill which
has for its purpose the eliminating of
all party politics from campaigns for
school officers as well as for judgships.
The bill, if enacted into law, would
make it unlawful for candidates
names to be placed on election ballots
as the nominees Of any political party
City Lighting Plants.
To allow cities to establish and
maintain lighting plants for the pur-
pose of furnishing lights for CONNER
cial purposes, in competition with pri-
vate lighting plants is the purpose Of
a bill introduced by Assemblyman E.
w. Evans
The part Of the statute which the
bill would repeal states that no city
shall at any time establish a lighting
plant to do private lighting in compe-
tition with the plants of private cor
pOratiOns or private individuals. The
only method by which a city can es-
tablish a lighting plant under the
present law is to purchase the plants
already existing in the city
Many Bills Introduced.
The session Of the assembly last
night, although brief, saw the birth Of