Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1905-05-16
THE WEEK I'm
THE LEGISLATURE

Deems naZy-.lmp0rtant Bills
to Come Up For Settlement
Next Week-.Some Of Those
Passed.
With the middle of May at hand
the Legislators cannot yet see light
ahead for final adjournment. So far
as the assembly is concerned it could
wind up it's business in week or two
more with hard work, provided too
many bills did not come back from
the upper house, 1t is in the senate
where there is sticking. Nearly all
measures of large Importance, such
as the railroad rate bill, the civil SER
vice measure, the Thayer bill, the
Stout liquor bill, the forestry meas
ureS and others, yet await final ac-
tion at the hands of the senators and
since all will be subjected to more or
less debate it is plain to be seen that
the session cannot end much if any
before June l. Indeed Senator Hage-
meiSter, who has had long experience
in legislation, sees no hope Of winding
up the business of the session before
the middle of June.
Several of the big measures will be
up next week, as for instance, the
rate bill which has been favorably
reported by the committee on claims.
The fact that there are two bills
complicateS the situation somewhat.
The committee bill asks for an ap-
peintive commission while the minor
ity report is for an elective one.
This and the further point that one
provides for stay if an appeal is
taken from ruling, while the other
wants an injunction issued before a
stay is granted constitute the main
points of difference.
The Thayer bill comes up early in
the week now in the form of a refer
endum on the local license PROPOSE
tion instead of the remonstrance
feature in the original bill. Even
in this form the bill will be hard
fought.
The appropriation bills are now
coming along nicely. The bill giving
1915, 900 for normal schools at Platte
vile and Milwaukee having been
signed by the governor the other in
stitutions that were dependent on the
fate of these will now get relief.
One of the important bills that
went through the assembly this week
is one providing for the abolition of
dover and courtesy and the substitu-
tion in their stead OF statutory divi-
siOns of property after the death of
either husband of wife. Under its
terms one half Of the estate of the
husband, both real and personal re-
verts to the widow and one third Of
the estate of the wife under like Cir
cumStanceS.
One of the surprises of the week
was the passage by the senate over
the governors veto of the bill giving
certain parole powers to the board of
control, The veto may be sustained
by the assembly but the vote will be
close even there as many members
think it good bill.
The bill compelling telephone COM
panies to make physical connection
was first turned down by the assem-
bly,, then reconSidered and passed by
a good vote. The assembly also
passed the bill prohibiting discrim-
inatlon in telephone charges in cities
of the same class
There is another telephone war on,
involving the question whether the
companies shall be taxed on the ad
valorem system, instead Of by license,
as at present, and strange as it may
seem, the Bell company favors it,
while the opposition comes from the
Independents.
The bill to compel counties to en-
ploy supervisor of assessments has
passed the house, but will have a
hard time in the senate, where the
fight will be renewed. On general
principals the assessors of the state
object to being upervised.-Mad adiSOn