Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-03-02

been willing to fix March 10 as the
day on which the primary should be
acted upon on the floor Of the senate.
They tried repeatedly to get an agree
ment for action at an earlier date
than March 25. When this was found
impossible Senator Miller moved that
the Merton bill with the amendments
be reported with the recommendation
that it be passed. The motion was
carried, to 2. The majority prs
pared the amendments and Senators
Whitehead and Morse went out into
the hallway near the door Of the COM
mittee room and held a conference.
They would not say whether they
would place the reasons for their dis
sent in writing or not.
Hot Hearing Is Held.
Action toward a report came after
warm afternoon hearing had been
held before the committee.
T. M. Kearney of Racine made a
long and elaborate speech in OppOsi-
ton to the bill, speaking for an hour.
He said the bill should fail Of passage
for the following reasons:
For the reason that it is an attempt
ed interference with the right of as
sembly for deliberative, political pur-
poses as that right has been enjoyed
by the American citizen from the
days of the revolution to our own
time; that it is grounded in dis
independence Of the citizen, and is at
war with the fundamental idea of
popular government; that it is cum
brOus, involved, an obstacle in the
way of the poor man who seeks polit-
ical preferment,, and threatened
source of unnecessary expense to the
state; that it deprives the young and
the uneducated of valuable means of
information as to the affairs Of the
state and as to the important func-
lions Of the citizen as an elector; that
instead of weakening it will, in prac-
tice, strengthen the opportunity of
the political machinist and manipula-
tor to the great injury Of the people.
J. W. Owen, also of Racine, spoke
in opposition and was armed with a
petition of Ga names of persons from
monument square. He said he would
regard the passage Of the law as a
calamity to the state. He said it
would be difficult for men to get sig
natures to petitions. He said that a
cry had been raised aaginst the rail
roads, but he believed that under the
proposed system the railroads could
more easily control.
Senator Miller asked Mr.. Owen If
he believed that all the railroads
would have to do would be to press
the button and they would be able to
get their men to do what they wanted
in regard to circulating petitions.
YES, sir" replied Mr. Owen.
do you believe the men would
obey the head officials of, the roads in
such matters?" asked Senator Miller,
81 think they would" replied Mr..
Owen.
Cuttings Makes Reply.
! G.. G. Cuttings of Racine replied to
Mr.. Kearney and Mr.. Owen. He
showed that the claims which were
made in regard to the Racine meeting
by Mr.. Owen must have resulted from
what Mr.. Owen really imagined that
meeting should have been. He point
ed out errors in the speeches Of the
opponents and made laughing matter
of the mass meeting held in Racine, at
which seven persons appeared. He
referred to the repeated demands of
the republican party for a primary
election law and to the obligation up
on the republican party to- pass such
a. measure now. Continuing he said:
'"The strongest argument brought
by those gentlemen is that in states
where similar laws have been tried
they have been found to be impracti-
cable. If that charge is true it is a
serious one and if it was true [ would
advise this committee to go slow be-
fore it should recommend any law
which would put an impracticable
system upon the state. But L cite the
| case of Minnesota where the system
has been tried. 1t is true there mas
been some fault found with the Min
neSOta law but not with the system
and the legislature of that state Is
now at work remedying the defects
in their law which ale not in the bllls
! pending here in the naming OF the
party conditions. In Racine county
after the bitter contest of last summer
less than one quarter Of the repub
lican voters came out to the repup
lican caucuses and less than 10 pei
cent. of the democrats attended the
| democratic Caucuses.
"Ir. Kearney says that the method
proposed, that Of having the platform
drawn by the candidates, would no
be representative, that it is no way II
which to draw a platform. l woult