Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-08


week the committee on state affairs
introduced three drastic sumptuJry
bills. One OF these is in line with the
omachOwSki bill. and prohibits the
! smoking of cigarettes in public places.
The DUmachGwski bill prohibits the
use of tobacco IN any form by boy {:
under lG.
Another prohibits the presence Of
minors i'm saloons. and makes Sa-
lOOnkeeper liable if they are permit
ted TO remain there while the third
prohibits the location of any saloon
within thret-quarterS Of n mile from
the main hail of the university = Wis
cOnsin, or within fifty feet of ether
side Of State street.
This week viii see some of the big
measures come i'm. such a tie gene Il
utility bill. which has been lcwritte 4.
and also several Of the impol tant IN
surance measures. Some of the n>ur
ance bills recommended by the in
vestigating committee have already
gone through the senate. One pro-
hibits insurance companies fro II
writing both participating and nom
participating business in the state.
For Constitutional Convention.
One of the features of last week S
session was the assembly debate on
the resolution to submit to the people
the question of holding the constitu-
tional convention. Speaker Ekern.
who led the fight for the same resOlu-
ton two years ago, took the lead
again last week for the measure, and
succeeded in putting it through the
assembly by a to 1 vote. He cited
the fact that there are twenty-eight
joint resolutions in the legislature for
constitutional amendments as show
showing that there is demand for such
revision. The opponents of the idea
urge that it would be an inoppOrtune
time to revise the constitution while
the present frenzy is on the American
people. They said no one knows what
forces might control such a cOnven-
ton nor what unwise things might bo
done. AsSemblyman Norcross in par
ticular champiOned conservatism.
The resolution to submit the queS-
ton of woman suffrage to the voters
is not likely TO have as easy a road III
the assembly, as the committee Oh
elections has made an adverse report
upon it. The assembly has not yet
voted upon the question, and there is
some probability that it will start a
pretty little fight, as three members
of the committee dissent from the re
port, and may attempt to put the bill.
through.
Binder Irvine Plant at Waupun.
The plan of Assemblyman Roycraft
to build binder Irvine plant at the
state prison at Waupun, at which
convicts may be employed in the man.
ufacture of Irvine. was received with
much favor by the assembly, which
sent it to engrossment by a large vote,
although it was opposed by Assembly
man Kander and others. 1t provides
that the state board of control be en-
powered at cost not TO exceed $125.-
600 to erect the necessary buildings.
machinery and equipment for the man
ufacture of Irvine and to put the plant
in operation.
The debate disclosed the fact that
the assembly has an orator in Mr..
Cernehan, q farmer member from Eau
Claire. Mr.. Cernehan has had ball
of Irvine lying on top of his desk as
a warning to the opponents of the bill
that he was loaded, and as Mr.. Ceme,
han is a very ready and effective talk
CT it means something to oppose him
when he is loaded. He showed that
Minnesota is deriving over 81 day
from its prisoners in the manufacture
of Irvine, while Wisconsin cOnyictS
earn the state but 65 cents a day.
With argument and ridicule he over
rode all objections and the bill went
TO engrOssment.
For Waterways Commission.
An interesting event last week was
the appearance of several of the sena
torial candidates before the joint COM
mittee on state affairs in favor of the
bill providing for a waterways commits
sion and appropriating $4,000 a yea"
for two years to investigate Wisconsin
rivers and report upon their naviga-
bility. Congressman Esch, former
Speaker LenrOot. Secretary of State
Frear, Senator Owen and Judge Ray
s. Reid of Lacrosse all appeared for
the bill
The scheme cOntemplateS an investi-
CATION to see if the German system of
chain cables for drawing boats up
stream would be feasible in WiscOn-
sin. Judge Reed says it would mean
a saving Of one-sixth in freight rates
along the Mississippi river, and that
Lacrosse would save a half million
a year on its coal bills alone. The
importance of the water ways and
water powers of Wisconsin is being
given much stress at this session.
Over Six Years I'm Office.
State Superintendent G. p. Cary is
one of the lucky ones in politics. His
term of Office does not expire until
June. 1909. and the election Of his
successor will not occur until April.
1909. This. will mean. over six years
for him in office. In 1902 the cOnSti-