Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-12-20

declared void by the courts. The as.
semDly passed the bill 10 provide that
olFouiu a local iaee Oh general properly
taxation be found higher than the
constitutional limit and therefore
void, that act snolid not invaIIaate the
al Yaiorem raalgJad assessment. This
bill Is designed to meef the last pJ OF
raised By the railroads in their second
set of law suils resisting the chi
lection OF the increased taxes under
the ad valorem railroad taxation law
enacted W me legislature OF 1903.
the roads dsciare that some local
rates are 100 nlgn and therefore un
constitutional, and therefore the ran,
.e eng computed upon the
local rates, cannot stand, being based
In part at least on unconstitutional
local rates Inc assembly advanced 20
third reading Tie Metzler Lii 10 pro
vide mat primary election inspectors
be appointed N February, for the
. I-s anst iai e4ectiOns. Inc Inomas
Dill limiting the number of signatures
of a primary nominating petition to
ten per cent of the party vote was ad-
vanced after Assemblyman Hanson OF
Beloit had vigorously opposed it as
abridging the lights of voters. AS
semblyman Warner of Madison ann
Others favored the measure as de-
signed to carry cat tho purposes OF
the pfiIneiy election law and reduce
the expenses of primary campaign.
Madison. Dec. I'm the senate
the bin TO amend the railroad rate
commission law, as suggested by the
commission and by Governor La
Toilette. was introduced with favor
able report and was sent to the
calendar for Dec. 49, The assembly
bill to protect the ad valorem raV#
road taxation law from any adverse
effect of a possible invalid local tax
rate and the resolution to Investigate
life insurance, railroads and political
organizations, were ia gorably reporter.
The senate Concurred in the bin 20
give county boards of supervisors
more latitude in the voting of county
aid for building and repairing bridges.
Madison, Dec. 13.-There will be no
sweeping investigation of the dea'-
ings of railroad, life insurance and
otner corporations as demanded by
Governor La Toilette in his specia'
session. The senate this morning by
a vote of IS to ~ refused to concur
in the assembly joint resolution pro-
viding for the investigation.
The assembly also was in an anti
administration mood, for 1t defeated
the two ballot reform bills that de-
veloped from the recommendations OF
the governor that the straight ticket"
circle on the ballot should be-
abolished, The Warner bill.
duplicate of the Massachusetts law,
was killed, 80 to 35, and the Roycraft
bill, like the Minnesota law, was
killed, q to IS. The eight-hou,
amendment to the capitol building
bill, requiring that the building con-
tract shall contain an eight-hour-a-day
clause, was adopted. This would ada
to the cost of the building something
over quarter million dollars.
Madison, Dec. 15.-The senate re-
fused to concur in the joint resolution
passed by the assembly to institute an
investigation of life insurance and
railroad corporations, political com
mittees and organizations, With
reference TO their manner Of opera
ton, expenses, investments and
salaries. Senator McGilIiyeray made
long speech in opposition. One OF
the strongest arguments of the OPP
ponents TO the general corporation and
insurance investigation was that the
senate already had committee OF
Senators Frear, Roehr and Rummel
to investigate insurance, and that 4
new committee is unnecessary. Sen
ator Sanborn proposes to increase this
committee by the addition OF fout
members OF the assembly, increase
their powers and duties and charge
them to investigate the insurance
companies. He introduced a resolu-
ton to this effect.