Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-06-05
WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE

Madison, May 23.-After debating
the Wisconsin river reservoir i'm
provement bill for more than two
hours and just as the friends and
opponents of the measure had agreed
to vote and either pass or kill the
bill and settle the wrangle, Senator
Sanborn interposed that he, IS a
friend of the bill, was not ready 10
say that there might not yet be some
better disposition of the matter to be
found and asked that the bill be laid
over until Tuesday night The re-
quest was granted. The friends Of
tne bill were represented in the de-
bate by Senators Brazeau, Marsh, Bird,
and Browne. and the opposition was
presented by Senators Burns. Husting
and Lockney. The NAH argument
of the opposition was that the state
should itself make the desired i'm
proyement, or at any rate the legisla
ture ought not to make a valuable
grant of a franchise that to all in
tents and purposes would amount to
a permanent gift of valuable property
although tbs property is now of a
speculative or undeveloped character
The friends of the bill maintained that
the promoters CT the improvement
could not make much money out Of
it directly, for the bill limits the profit
to the rate of six per cent CT the
money invested
The assembly by vote Of 40 to
20, placed itself on record as favor
ing the retention of the present
straight ticket voting system by re-
ferring to the committee on elections
the Peterson ballot bill with instruc
tons to so amend chat the party
circle would be retained at the top
of the ballot The entire bill barely
escaped being killed by a vote Of 40
10 &c. Speaker Ekern led the fight
in favor of doing away with straight
ticket voting and adopting the Massa
chusetts plan. He contended that
more intelligent voting would be pro-
duced by such law Assemblyman
Cleary also favored the bill arguing
that candidates would be required to
stand on their own merits ii the
chsnces of being carried through on
a party wave were minimiZed AS
semblyman ingram also was for the
bill. But Assemblyman Hebron op.
posed the bill on the ground that it
did not provide for the same rule in
cities where. he urged, non partisan
elections were much more necessary
than in the elections in larger dis
tets. Messrs Durley, Thompson,
socialist, and Mckenzie were the
leading opponents of the measure.
The Elver sterilization bill, after hav-
ing gone through the assembly a
few days ago after a stubborn fight in
its behalf by Assem- blyman Elver. was
practically emasculated by the as
sembly when it killed the appropria-
tion necessary to vitalize the bin by
a vote Of IS 10 &c The only recourse
for the friends of the sterilization bill
now is to get the senate to amend the
original bill TO provide for an appro-
priation. Then the bill would come
back TO the assembly for concurrence
in the amendment The Milwaukee
fire and police commission bin passed
after an attempt to re-refer and amend
had failed. The committee on towns
and counties offered bill to permit
the purchase of machinery by drain
age districts and the committee on
cities offered another juvenile court
bill, relating to delinquent children
in counties containing cities of the
first second and third classes. The