Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-05-31
.LEC|SLAT URE'S WORK
Synopsis of the Proceedings OF
the Lawmakers at
Madi son.
STATE NEWS OF IMPORTANCE
Items Of General Interest Caught
from the Wires and Prepared
for Our Readers.

Madison, Wis, May Ex-Governor
+, LaFollette has sent to the legislature
a message urging legislation that
would destroy secret lobbying. He
strongly denounces sthe impudent
railway lobby" which, he says, has
cost the state millions of dollars in
the last six years and has been a
nuisance and a disgrace in the legis-
lative halls of the state. The railroad
lobbyists are described as usually a
set of incompetent men "best fitted for
private argument" but whom the
railroads would not trust with a pet
ty damage suit in justice court"
The governor declares members OF
the legislature were doggSd to their
hotels and their lives made miserable
the past winter by agents of railroads,
the book trust and the telephone trust.
The governor declares the practice Of
secret lobbying is wrong in principle
and absolutely certain to be vicious
in practice" The senate recently
killed the johnson bill, drawn along
the lines, of the governors recon-
mendaiOns, but a new measure will
now be presented.
Madison, Wis, May 26.-The senate
passed the Roehri usury bill, making
1t a penalty for loan sharks to receive
excessive interest. The Johnson lobby
bill was laid over and the Watson civil
service bill was sent to passage by. a
vote of 20 for and g. against sEhe
Beedle bill providing for the election
Of delegates to the national conyen-
tons under the primary law was re-
fused concurrence. The Szymarek
bill dividing Milwaukee into justice
and constable districts was advanced.
The assembly sustained the govern
or's vetoes of the four bills which he
returned without approval earlier IN
the week. The assembly concurred in
the senate amendments to the bills CIV
ing telegraph, telephone and power
transmission companies the right or
eminent domain, providing that the
salaries of district and county super
intendents of schools elected last
month shall be the same as heretofore
In cases where county boards failed to
fixGnew salaries, and prohibiting the
use Of wood alcohol in cases where 1t
endangers health. The judiciary COM
mittee bills. increasing, the salaries OF
circuit judges, which. were ons. the
calendar for indefinite postponement,
wereson motion, Of Mr.. Andrew laid
over, for q week. $50 n
a. .eo.sia X.
- Madison, Wis, May 27.-The, state
legislature has adopted resolution to
submit to the people a proposition to
raise the salary Of legislators from x5UO
to $1,000. The senate eoncurred in bills
raising salaries Of circuit judges from
$4,000 to $1,000, and prohibiting tele-
phone companies from discriminating
in charges in cities of the same class
A bill to compel railroads to transfer
cars was non-cOncurred in. e..ss
Until 2:30 in the morning tifty-eight
members of the Wisconsin. assembly
were locked in the chamber under. a
call1of the house. Adjournment was
taken then, with the announcement
that the call would be resumed later
and continued until all the 100 mem.
bers were present
The call arose over an attempt to
pass the mortgage taxation BILL The
opposition demanded that 1t be laid
over to next week and the friends of
the measure refused. Then the op-
ponents brought about call of the
house and tied up business. Now the
friends of the measure declare that no
business will be transacted until every
member absent without leave is
brought to Madison and a full vote is
had. This will pass the bill.
For hours the fifty-eight members
locked in the chamber sang and drank
things that were kindly slipped in
through windows, threw paper files at
the heads of each other and INDUCED
in pranks that made the scene memor-
able for disorder.
Madison, Wis, May Ex-Governor
LaFollette has vetoed the bill author
izing the use of voting machines at
primary elections. He holds that pri-
mary law is too important to be expert
mented with, and that such machines
should not be legalized until there is
not doubt Of their operating perfect
ly. The assembly passed bill ap-
propriating $4,000 for state tuber-
culOSis sanatorium. The senate con-
Cured in the bill authorizing the secre-
tary of state to hold back certificates
of election until the successful candi-
dates file statement of their expense.
Forest Fires in Wisconsin,.
Ashland, Wis, May 27.-The fires
south Of Ashland did a great deal OF
damage. A saloon building belonging
to Peter Miller was destroyed
Siding and many thousand cords of
pulp and cordwood belonging to farm
nd