Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-20
WORK FOR SOLONS
Week Has Much Business in
State for the Lawmakers
at Springfield.
IMPORTANT MEASURES UP
Cooke-McCaskrin viii Not Be Report
ed Except on Order From
House.

Springfield, ILL.,, March 20.-Woman
suffrage. local option, municipal courts,
civil service, appropriations and cleo
| ton contests are some of the subjects
that will combine to make this week a
lively one in legislative circles. Many
other subjects will receive attention
and consideration, but these are the
most important of the doings in sight.
Tomorrow the real business will COM
mence when Speaker Shurtleff lays the
local option bill before the house for
its disposition. The speaker evidently
thinks the measure is loaded, and
wants the house to assume the respon-
sibility. He has been importuned by
opponents of the measure to let it go
to the license committee, where they
argue it properly belongs. while the
Anti-Saloon league says that according
to precedent it should go to the cleo
tions committee. And so the house
will settle it, and warm fight is look
ed for
Do Little with Contests.
The senate elections committee will
meet to hear the Putnam-Sucher con-
test tomorrow, but indications are that
very little will be done then. 1t is more
probably the reports. minority and ma
jority, will go over for a few days for
the purpose of argument and consider
alton.
The senate committee will get busy
with the primary election bill again.
They hope to finish its consideration
during the week and report the meas
ure out. 1t will likely pass substan-
TALLY as amended by the senate COM
mittee, but when it gets back to the
house the membership there will scarce
~ recognize it as the measure they
caucused over day after day, and fl
nally passed at the urgent behest of
Gov. Deneen. No one can tell whether
they will agree to the senate amend
ments and conference may become nee
essary.
Civil Service Bill.
Civil service may be touched on
lightly, but there will be no civil serv-
ice legislation this week, nor next.
Representative Burke's bill, or more
properly the remains of it, was made
special order for next Friday, but this
was done for hidden purpose. The
leaders well knew that few indeed
would be the members present then,
and the small handful will not care to
tackle such an important subject. They
will accordingly move a further contin-
uance, and the bill will likely go over
until early in April. AS a matter of
fact, no one cares to enact any civil
service measures until the coming mu-
nicipal elections are out of the way.
Woman suffrage is liable to come up
in both Sides The bill granting wo-
men the right to vote for city officials
had been favorably reported out by
the house committee, and will likely
pass first reading early this week.
No fight will be made on it until it
reaches the order of second reading
A bill is pending in the senate. but it
will scarcely be called up, as it is on
the order of third reading, and the
senate will likely postpone final con-
sideration for while.
No Report Except on Order.
The Cooke-McCaskrin election con-
test from Rock Island will not come up.
Mr.. Cooke has been asking a final set
Element, but the elections committee
has announced that it will not report
out the measure without an order from
the house.
The municipal courts bill passed by
the senate will be sent back to the
house. where it originated. The senate
made such radical amendments that
the house will scarcely concur. and a
conference committee will be neces-
sity.
Protests continue to pour in against
any good roads legislation. Farmers
from all over the state are vigorously
opposing the proposition, and forcing
their boards of supervisors to adopt
resolutions against any legislation along
this line. However the house sub
committee will continue it's junket in
the hope of showing the farmers the
error of their way.
Very little of the important Iegisla-
ton has been finally disposed of, so
there is really no talk concerning the
adjournment. Several members think
they will be able to conclude by MAY
l, but this has not yet become any
thing like certainty. Not one of the
big bills has been run its course and
reached the governor.