River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-12-07
EXTRA SESSION IS ON.
THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE
MEETS AT MADISON.
sENAToRsHlP A QUESTION
Eleven Subjects for Calling Special
Meeting Are Given in the Gov
ernor's Proclamation-So-
Ions in Mystery.

Madison, WIS, Dec. T. Wv Ao' -
lette's special session of the legislature
convened this afternoon amid an air
of mystery, which has not as yet been
cleared The IL points for which the
governor called the session, as given
in his proclamation, are as follows:
/. To amend the law providing Tor
additions and repairs to the capitol.
2. To amend the so-called railroad
rate commission bill.
3. To provide for the change in tax
alton or license fees of railroads and
to provide for their collection.
A. To alter the primary election law
5. To provide a form Of ballot.
6. Relating to fishways in dams.
Z. Relating to the erection OF
bridges.
8. To amend the act forming grain
inspection commission passed by the
last legislature.
3. To provide funds temporarily for
the university.
10. To enact laws against abuses in
surance companies, railroads and other
public service corporations.
l..
the governorship or senatorship.
Togo Is Subject of Call.
And, of course, every follower of
legislative doings will at once ask what
the primary motive for converting the
session might be in the governors
mind. The eleventh provision of the
gubernatorial document, it is believed,
by almost every authority in state poll
tics here, holds the key to the mystery
of the special session of 1905, the first
since the ten-day extra meeting OF
1892. Gov. La Toilette will doubtless
embrace the extra session as an oppol-
tunity for placing another man in his
gubernatorial shoes while he Journeys
to Washington to take his seat in the
senate, to which Office he was elected
by the regular legislature of 1905,
There are many who adhere to the gen.
eral belief of last summer, in which
the governor was to decline the Sena-
torship and stay with the Wisconsin
administration, but just now the gist
of political opinion places the governor
in his senatorial toga and some one
else, whose identity is still clouded, in
the governors chair.
Who Will Be Next Governor?
Those who are interested in the pro-
ceedings of the solons call attention
to Gov. La Follette's declaration dur
ing the regular session, when he said
that he would continue to hold the
gubernatorial chair if the railroad rate
bill was not passed. The measure was
passed, and there are some who DECLARE
that this statement of the governors
is a sure indication that he will sur
render the chair to some able man OF
his party. Just who that man will be
it is impossible to state at this time
with any sense of certainty. Davidson,
McGillvray and LenrOOt are among the
numerous candidates for which ever
position the governor vacateS, and
close friends of the executive give the
latter a shade of the favoritism. Len
root brought himself into prominence
through his service in the speakers
chair during the last regular session.
Capitol Question Again UP.
Beside the governorship question, the
other two most prominent matters are
those named as one and two, which
embrace the capitol rebuilding plan
and the railroad rate law. In the lst-
ter enactment the governor is said to
have found several defects, which he
believes he can remedy with the aid
of an amendment. The capitol COM
mission is said to be powerless to
spend any of the 100000 allotted to it
by the solons, through defect in the
law and this also will form theme
for considerable controversy. 1t has
been limited in official circles that per-
haps Mr.. La Toilette will push meas
ures to curb the corporations and ad-
wise stringent enactments to regulate
the insurance companies, which have
been the subject of the great scandal
in New York. These subjects, of
course, are not included in the body of
his reasons for the call, but it is just
possible that the administration wishes
to take the big firms off their guard
and perhaps miss the lobbyists.
Session May Be Long One.
There is no question but that there
is much more to do than can be crowd
ed into the three weeks which num-
Der of political lights declare will be
the length of the session, and Senator
McGillvray, in an interview recently,
voices this sentiment: If we open up
all the subjects he has included in his
call am afraid the special session VIII
lie a protracted one. Some one has
suggested that it will last two or three
weeks, but 1 do not believe we shall
be through this year-that is my judg-
ment.
'The gene1al feeling among the
members of the legislature with whom
/ have converseo upon the subject is
that we spent enough time in Madison
last winter, and unless there is the
| most urgent eed for additional legis-
lation long session woull be useless.
1.-THE only regret l have IS that he
did not call the session in lime to
have permitted him to have taken his
seat in the United States senate at the
beginning of the session.
Il have felt all along that the great
state of Wisconsin should have been
represented in the upper house of con-
gress by both her senators.
1T may be that the insurance inyes-
| tigation which is being made is of such
| inheritance tn fha neo1Ie of the state