Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-05-01
AFTER EXHAUSTIVE DEBATE
Turner, Thomas and Sprague Make
Vigorous but unavailing Effort %
Save the Measure, but Finally 1t
Is Brushed Aside, 60 &c S2-other
Doings by Lower House.
Madison. April %.

to 10 miles in cities and from % to 20
in the country, which required two
lamps in front and one back and an
additional number in front. The pen
atty r. visions Of the bin were ex-
ceedingly harsh, prescribing fines of
srom SO To S25 for violating the speed !
provision for the first offense and SIS
10 S75 or 10 to 80 days in Jail for the
second. For violation of the sec
ton compelling an autoist to stop
when passing a team the bill provid-
ed a penalty of from $40 TO $50 for
the first offense and Imprisonment of
from 80 days to six months for sub
sequent offenses.
Mr.. Turner of Columbia, Mr..
Sprague OF Walworth and Mr..
Thomas of Racine made an earnest
effort 10 save the measure, fighting
vigorously for it, but the house seemed
to feel that, as Mr., Baker Of Evans
Vile put it, the question is sowing
itseiI.
AS soon as the measure was reached
on the calendar DR., Irvine declared II
absolute nonsense 10 restrict speed OF
autos in the countr: with no one else
on the highway and tina, Sere was no
demand for a reduced speed in cities
Medical statistics showed that more
fractures of the skull occurred from
horses than from any other cause,
yet no bin was in to limit the opera
ton of horses. As a matter of fact,
autos may more safely run by horses
than stop This is the experience of
all autoists. BY the very stopping
process horses are given needless
warning and become frightened, he
said
Mr.. Turner, chairman of the state
affairs committee, defended the bill
Loyalty, and quoted the speed limits
of many states, which are lower than
those proposed in this bill, If we are
wrong on this point we are in good
company, declared he Mr.. Turner
spoke at some length and later was on
his feet again. He was willing TO
have amendments offered, but de
manded that the fight be fair--that
if possible, the measure be perfected
| if 1t is not right now.
Mr.. Sprague favored the restriction,
insisting that the farmers build the
country roads and had first right to
their comfortable possession. He
claimed that most of the provisions OF
the act we're not objected to by auto
ists-at least had not been before the
committee on state affairs.
Mr.. Campbell moved an amendment
restoring the country limits to 25
miles and the city limits to Il. He
spoke briefly. declaring that as far as
he could see the only serious objec-
/ ton to the bill was in the rather re-
duced speed prescribed. II was adopt
! ed
Mr.. Reynolds. directing his remarks
to Or. Irvine, thought that surgeons
might favor the present law since t
! tended to create accidents.
Mr.. Baker. familiar with autos in
sisted that the situation was correct
ing itself that in another two years
probably no horses whatever would
scare at autos. He said that a mater
ial objec ion TO the bill was that
many autos actually could not negoti-
ate hills at the prescribed speed. The
best method Of passing teams was
not. he said 10 stop but TO give as
wide a berth as possible and go
straight ahead. Stopping, he declared,
was usuany the worst sort of policy.
Mr.. Thomas of Racine spoke of the
great trouble his people had from
outside autoists-those racing across
the country from Chicago.
| Mr.. Ainsworth, a Waukesha county
farmer, objected to the bin and said
that the people of his county were
satisfied with the present lava coun-
ty more travelled than any other by
autos
Mr.. Glen came to the fore as a flu
ent and forceful speaker, declaring
that most often the farmer was scared
when his horse wasn't-that this sort
of a BILL which compelled autos to
stop on all sorts of whimsical pretexts
was finely calculated to everlastingly
keep horses from getting used to ma
chimes
Mr. Norcross made a motion that
the bill be laid upon the table but the
proper parliamentary question was
upon the adoption of the so-called
committee substitute and this was re-
fused the total vote being 63 to 81,
as follows:
Ayes-Messrs. Anderson. John +.
Baker, Bell, Campbell, Clausen. Disch,
Estabrook, Goldeworthy. Hager. Har-
ring. Ingram, Jones, Kander, Kay,
Keup, Reyes. Kimball. Kindlin Kuc-
kuk. Frank Mueller. Neitzel, O'Neil.
Roe the. Roycraft, Geo. e. Scott Fred
Smith, Sorengon, Sprague, John o.
Thomas. Ties. Turner-32
Noes-Messrs. Ainsworth, Alldridge.
A. S. Baker, Bancroft Bauer, Berg,
Berner Bichler. Brockhausen Burke,
Cahoon Cain. Carpenter, Coolidge,
Curtiss, Detling, Domacho~ski Doug.
las, Durley. Elver, Everett. Georgi.
Grassie. Hagen. Harrass, Heilbron.
Irvine. Jackson, Keppel, Kubasta.
Ledvina, Leroy. Luy. Mains Mar
Iquardt. McGee, McGregor. Mckenzie.
iT. II. Miller. Nelson, Norcross, Nye,
Glen. Palmer, Perry, Fred Petersen.