Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1905-12-21
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.

WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE.
Madison, Wis. Dec. 12.-The as
sembly today ordered to engrossment
the bill to require railroad corpora
tons to pay their assessed taxes il
full before bringing any action in
court to contest the assessment, and
allowing them to recover in the even
that the assessment be subsequently
declared void by the courts. The as.
sembly passed the bill to provide that
should local rate Of general property
taxation be found higher than the
constitutional limit and therefore
void, that act should not invalidate the
ad valorem railroad assessment. This
bill is designed to meet the last point
raised by the railroads in their second
set of law suits resisting the cot
lection of the increased taxes under
the ad valorem railroad taxation law
enacted by the legislature of 1903,
The roads declare that some local
rates are too high and therefore I'm
constitutional, and therefore the rail
road rate, being computed upon the
local rates, cannot stand, being based
in part at least on unconstitutional
local rates. The assembly advanced 20
third reading the Metzler bill to pro-
vide that prim Try election inspectors
be appointed IN February. for the
spring and fall elections. The Thomas
bill 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 tights of voters, AS
semblyman Warner OF Madison ana
others favored the measure as de-
signed to carry out the purposes OF
the primary election law and reduce
the expenses OF a primary campaign,
Madison, Dec 12.-ln the senate
the bill 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. ID. The assembly
bill to protect the ad valorem rail
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 favorably reporter.
The senate Concurred in the bill to
give county boards of supervisors
more latitude in the voting of county
aid for building and repairing bridges.
Madison, Dec. 19.-There will be no
sweeping investigation of the dea'-
ings of railroad, life insurance and
other corporations as demanded by
Governor La Toilette in his special
session. The senate this morning by
a vote of Is to II refused to concur
in the assembly joint resolution pro-
viding for the investigation
The assembly also was in an anti
administration mood, for it defeated
the two ballot reform bills that de-
veloped from the recommendations or
the governor that the straight ticket"
circle on the ballot should be
abolished. The Warner bill, q
duplicate of the Massachusetts law,
was killed, SO to 35, and the Roycraft
bill, like the Minnesota law, was
killed, 81 to So. The eight-hour
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. t3-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 McGilliyeray made
long speech in opposition. One OF
/, the strongest arguments of the op-
ponents to the general corporation and
Insurance Investigation was that the
senate already had committee OF
. Senators Frear, Roehr and Rummei
to investigate insurance, and that 2
, new committee is unnecessary. Sen
ator Sanborn proposes to increase this
: committee by the addition OF four
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
Madison, Wis, Dec. 1.-THE as