Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-01-11

Or ambitious men make their Prefer
ences known quite decidedly. 1t Is
q, curious Fact that there are but eight
lawyers in the 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 10 such
pressing legislation as is usual. Mr..
McCarty, the legislative exper., who
has rooms in the capitol, is 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 Gestructiveness of the corn
shredder, and it appears that this use
full, but perilous device, mutilates
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 legal
phraselogy and the unity of statutes
are a, b, to him. Mr.. Sanborn will
be missed as a legislative convenience
to members who want to know what
the law is and how it can be changed.
Mr.. Sanborn has always been 4 very
hard worker and there has been light
in his office more nights than dark
ness. He has a wife and three boys,
he Oldest his partner in the law of
tee. Judge Bum, who retires, is as
active at rs as few men at 60. lie
has been thfrty-siX years on the bench,
an almost unprecedented record. lie
came from Sparta to Madison. In
dress and manners, he is most simple,
and the bar has some amusing stories
suggestive of his unaffected, uncoA-
yentional 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 hat 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-
fceholders 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, New York and Mas
sachusettS, there area 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
luITOAuClltS luC clCAl4 4lbO W 4HNSAA
sin. 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
nopHtf1o+oa foil fbniT
fellow citizens what they wilt 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. In his
Toledo interview he said; "One 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 in 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 Merton, 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
q 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
al commission is much talked of, the
idea Being that thus personal politics
could be eliminated. The fact is that
determining freight rates is technical
business, and the companies pay enor-
nous salaries to men who can do 1t
~ +ba hos advantage II the rate be