The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-01-13

| lawyers in tine assembly this year, so
the old growl that attorneys run the
| state will be less in evidence There
| is no reason why the session should
not be fairly short, for, despite the
general opinion. there is no such
pressing legislation as is usual. MI.
| McCarty. the legislative expert, who
has rooms in the capitol, is 4 useful
man to members who contemplate
! introducing bills.
Keeps Records of Bills.
| He is in correspondence with all the
states and keeps records of bills pro-
| posed and introduced. The man who
| has an idea, whether it be like the
famous Daggett's of abolishing corsets,
| or along the more serious line of re-
turning to the death penalty can learn
from Mr.. McCarty what, if anything,
other states are up on those lines. For
instance, he has been collecting facts
as to the destructiveness of the corn
shredder, and it appears that this use
full, but perilOus device, initiates
more men than does the steam loco
motive.
The handiest man about Madison in
drawing bills"-the most skillful in
framing them, has just gone on the
federal bench A. l.. Sanborn-WhO
succeeds Judge Bunn-has annotated
and revised statutes until lega.
phraselogy and the unity Of statutes
are u, b, to him. Mr.. Sanborn will
be missed as legislative convenience
to members who want to know what
the law island how it can be changed.
Mr. Sanborn has always been very
hard worker and there has been a light
in his office more nights than dark
ness. He has wife and three boys,
the oldest his partner in the law Of
fee Judge Bum, who retires, is as
active at Is as few men at Co. He
has been thirty-siX years on the bench,
an almost unprecedented record. He
came from Sparta to Madison. In
dress and manners. he is most simple,
and the bar has some amusing stories
suggestive of his unaffected, uncOn-
ventional ways. But he is an intel
lectual giant. and his culture does not
stop at legal lore, but marches through
many fields of scholarship. Whether
at whist or Shakespeare, he has nation
al standing.
Civil Service in State.
1t will be good news that civil serv
ice is to be advanced in this state.
Anyone who knows life in other capt.
tai cities of the Union has blushed for
the spoils system. which upheaves Of
ficeholders with the installation of
every new governor. In some of the
old states, a sense of fitness and digni-
ty controls and heads of departments
and clerks stay at their work for
lifetime. acquiring skill and facility.
In other states, as New York and Mas
sachusetts, there are commissions,
which govern appointments as does the
civil service commission at Washing
ton. The Madison assemblyman, Mr..
Warner. is said to have been collecting
data on the subject with the purpose
of Introducing the system into WiscOn-
sim The effect will be. of course, to
arouse opposition among practical pol
iticans. but the people will be back Of
him. Whether he can hope to attain
his result without a tiresome pledging
Of legislature candidates under the new
primary system or not remains to be
seen. One advantage OF this system is
that it forces candidates to tell their
fellow citizens what they will do and
what they will not do, either through
the newspapers or on the stump.
Primary Election Law.
The primary election law itself will
come up for some amendment Of the
emitting of county school superinten-
dents these weekly letters have al
ready spoken. and the governor HIM
self has an Improvement. I'm his
Toledo interview he said: Zone Of the
next things we will have in Wisconsin
will be an election law providing that
every voter shall put his mark opposite
the name of every candidate for whom
he votes There will be no more Of
putting your mark in the circle and
swallowing the whole thing"
Primary election legislation is sweep
Ing the country: especially the western
states have been eagerly pouring i'm de-
mands for Wisconsin's law, and the ar
guments on both sides. Only the other |
day 1 had an application from Robert |
Washburn. a nephew of Governor Cad |
wallader Washburn, of the Spokane |
Review. asking for details
Railway Control
Railroad legislation, however, is the
topic with which this session will be |
remembered. A rate commission is ex-
pected and Senator A4erton, the Wau-
kesha Democrat, and others have |
measures outlining railway control. The |
railway companies will resist anything |
that seems to them drastic, though one |
attorney is reported to have said that |
a reasonable measure, with the origin |
al membership named on the bill. and |
an appointive system for their success |
sors will be accepted by him without |
protest. and his railroad turned over to |
them This idea of naming the origin