The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-01-20
NEW PROPOSALS BY GOVERNOR
Gave Data to Prove Need of a
Ra way Commission g..
with Powers.
OWL Service To Be Pushed Taxation
Scheme for Telephone and Tel
eGraph Companies jn
the State.

appointed and the Introduction of bills
may begin The two days of last week
were devoted to getting down to busi
ness. Tn the senate Lieutenant Gov
| ernOr Davidson made his speech or
welcome. and Senator McGillivray. who
! for the third time was chosen presto
| ing officer, (when Mr. Davidson is alb
| Sent. thanked the senate Both the
gentlemen are administration men. and
| there was a vein Of reform legislation
In what they said. The lieutenant gov
ernOr has a large general store at Sol
diers Grove, in the Kirkapco valley.
3rd Mac. as he is popularity called. is
an architect and contractor at Black
River Falls. where bill" Trfce. long
! dead land whose son. succeeding the
! father in congress. passed away a few
! days ago. did his work. ana the home
Of Byran I. Castle Of the land office.
who is one of the Lest campaign talk.
| ers, in these parts.
| Services Run into Third Terur
| senator's term is for two sessions.
| or four years. and Mr.. McGillvray is
| enc OF the few whose service runs into
q third term, which when concluded
makes twelve years. This is also true
| Of julius +. ROehr of Milwaukee.
chairman of the committee on banking
| and insurance. Senator Stout and
Whitehead are also on their third term.
| The Blue Book shows the term of serv-
| iCn and If is SOmaIybat S1,r,,ricipu RI
note how few have served six sessions
or more until about twenty years ago
| the sessions We're annual. Here is the
further list Of those honored by six
sessions service in the senate--most or
| them are now dead or retired from
| life: Blair Of Waukesha William II
Hiner Fond du Lack; Lemuel W.
Joiner, iowa county: William Ken
| nedy, Appleton: n. M Littlejohn
Whitewater: Joseph Rankin. Manito-
woe: George Reed Manitowoc; Will
! lam w. Reed. Jefferson: John A. Rice.
| Merton, Waukesha; Hamilton Richard
son. .Ianesville: Adam Schantz. Addi-
! son. Washington county: Frederick
| Van Schaick, DenisOn. Wcrthington
Frederick A. Horn Of Cedarburg
served five sessions, one of which was
in 1913 and the other fOrty-tve years
laterr71S93 Satterlee Clark Of Hori-
con served eleven sessions, yet the new
! generation does not know the name
r. e. Davis of Middleton. Dane county.
served eight sessions: Thomas r. Hudd
or Appleton, seven sessions; Lyman
| Morgan. Orankee. ten sessions: Will
| lam T. Price. lack River Falls, sew
| en- sessions; Thomas r. Scott, Grand
! Rapids. ten sessions. We would lie
wiser in Wisconsin to longer keep pub
| lie officers in service. for thus they ac-
! quire experience and confidence The
new primary law has the effect of per
petuating men in office, if they be
worthy. But if serious charges be
| lodged against a congressman. for in
| stance. the voters have Il remedy at
| hand under either system.
The GOVERNORS Message.
| Few governors can make long mes
sage so interesting in delivery as Gov
| crnOr LaFollette. and once more The
remarkable spectacle of holding q big
audience foY three hours was enacted.
He brought forward some new issues.
! notably the taxing Of telegraph and
| telephone companies ad valorem. as are
the railway companies The plan is
to go out and value the plants. as one
| would house and lot: and the gov
| ernor had page after page of figure;
to show the work that had been done
I'm an accounting way. Life insurance
| taxation was given much attention.
Nothing is more important. however.
than the proposed introduction Of civil
| service. which means that state. coun-
| ty and cry officials woul' take thei
| positions only after stri examina
tions. as is the Roosevelt idea.
| course. the plan IS In operation in
Washington. but New York and Massa-
chusetts are the only states where the
thing is done in earnest The system
would apply to the tate institutions.
As to railroads. the governor touches
on excessive rates. Determinations in
favor Of individuals. corporations and
places He quoted rate sheets of this
and neighboring states
Other Matters RecOmu'nn6~
Other matters in the message are the
recommendations for the continuance
of the state tax commission as a per
manent branch of the public service:
the taxation of telephone companies,
nearly doubling the present tax if as
sessed on the same basis as are rail
roads assessed; the taxation Of foreign
life insurance companies on the same
basis 5 domestic companies are taxed
regardless of ''retaliatory" taxation of
Wisconsin companies in other states.
Reference is made to better protection
for employees and further antitrust
legislation. As to incompetent and un-