Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-03-24
NEWS FROM MADISON
Review fthe Past Weeks Doings.

review OF the Fast weeks U01nSS.
MADISON, Wis, March 21.-The
Legislature is making good head Way
these days, particularly in the killing
of bills. While much progress was
made in legislation the past week
there was no final disposition of any
of the big measures before the leg
islature or of many bills of considerable
interest and significance. The three
big propositions, the railroad rate |
bill, the civil service measure and the |
new capitol problem, are all in the |
hands of committees still, but these |
committees are hard at work on them
and will report them in due season. |
What is regarded by many as the |
most important development of the !
the week in the legislature was the |
advancement of the Evans anti
cigarette bill, whose enactment into |
law is now practically assured. 1t is |
drastic and sweeping in its provisions, |
absolutely forbidding the manufacture
or sale Of cigarettes or cigarette pa
per. The bill went through the !!
assembly with but one dissenting
vote, and the senate has advanced it |
to third reading, by vote of twenty
two to eight.
Little has been done with The rate
commission bill. The members of the
committees are engaged in the task of
redrafting it SO as to eliminate some
Of its chief objections. Senator Frear,
who is its chief champion, is maSSing
statistics and other data to show the
, operations of the commission system
in other states. One OF the surprises
of the session was the defeat by the
assembly of the sOlutasraaaszsaa-aO priat-
ing S25, 900 for state exhibit al the
Portland exhibition. Unless this
action is reconsidered, Wisconsin will
probably not be represented at the
| Pacific fair. The civil service bill,
which proposes to apply civil service
to Wisconsin, is one Of the very dig
| geSt measures before the legislature.
Last week national trio appeared
and argued for the bill. Alvord W.
Cooley, of the civil service commission:
r. FL. Deans, of Boston, and E. S. d.
| Goodwin, secretary Of the national
civil service league. The bill is being
| opposed by the heads of the state
charitable and penal Institutions, and
| this is giving its adherentS some
apprehension.
There will probably be no tampering
with the barber law, as both houses
have reported for pOStponement bills
prohibiting Sunday shaving and other
wise changing the law
In order that town elections might
be held, the assembly, Friday, rushed
through two bills, one creating the
town Of Roosevelt, in Taylor county,
and one creating the towns of
Athelstane, Beaver and Lake, in
| Marinette county.
A determined war is made upon the
| bill that proposes to regulate fraternal
beneficiary associations. The idea is
| to make them uniform and the bill is
strongly fought by the newer orders,
who object to the tendency to he put
on the same insurance basis to which
the older orders have been compelled
to CO. High officials from many Of
| these orders appeared before the COM
| mittee and protested against the
passage of the measure.
| Among the recent bills passed were:
| To change the law relating to the
| commitment of boys to the state
industrial school, SO as to provide that
children between the ages OF aud 10
instead of 10 and Is may be committed
there, and to authorize the state
sealer Of weights and measures to
collect and retain fee OF 16 cents for
every scale or measure he tests.
By vote of % to 81 the assembly
ordered to engrosSment the Andrew
bill providing for the removal Of
aldermen by petition method. The
| fire coroner bill was refused advance
ment.
Attorney General Sturdevant has
rendered an opinion in regard to the
authority of the capitol commission |
He holds that the capitol commission |
is absolutely unauthorized To issue |
warrants on the state treasury for the |
cost of the plan, or other expenses.
Members of the assembly committee
on railroads have said unofficially that
the powers of the proposed railway
commission would be changed from |
the right to initiate freight rates to |
right to investigate complaints and /
to order corrections of all discrimin-l
alton discovered in the investigation |
started by the complaints. The |
corrective power will thus not be
limited to just the. discrimination On