Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-03-28
MANY BILLS KILLED OR SERIOUS
LY MANNED.
MILLER BILL GOES OVER
Sprague Bill Providing for Annu i
Meeting of County Clerks Indefinite
Iy Postponed After Warm Debate
Bill Limiting Campaign Expenses
Re-referred.
Madison, March 81.


| tive mood yesterday morning an
slaughtered things right and left, Eak
| ing the judiciary committee an effec
| tual burying ground for measures no.
| to their liking. OF the fourteen bills
| recommended for passage by the vari
Gus committees, three were re-referreG
to the judiciary committee after dis
cussions, two were laid over to Ia
ter date, one was rereferred to the
committee on state fairs and two were
killed outright.
The SDrague bill providing for al
annual meeting Of the county clerks
of the state with the secretary of state
stirred up a hornets nest in spite Of
its innocent exterior. The author
was called upon to give an exposition
of the bill and declared that he h ID
modelled it after the laws providing
| for similar conventions on the. part OF
supervisors of assessment and schoo
superintendent The object of the
bill is to secure uniform practices
among the various county clerks.
Assemblyman Ingram believed the
attempted legislation a dangerous
venture which might enable the secre
tary of state to build up, with the
, assistance of the county clerks, {
! powerful political machine. NJ
, Burke of Brown county arose in de
Tense of the county clerks, and rid
culed the danger of a ''Cromwel7' d:
Madison. Mr.. Sprague assisted Wit.
eulogy of the county clerks in his
part Of the state~
AssemblymGn HarIing denounced
the practice OF taking little jaunts al
over the state on all sorts of PIE
texts, spending public funds for eY
curs.Ons. He declared that when {
man was elected to the office OF
county clerk he was supposed to be
equipped for the position and did lOt
have to come to Madison for further
instructions. Il he were rot equipped
he had no business running for the
office. In answer to the euIOgistiC
remarks of Messrs. Burke ard
Sprague as to the efficiency and good
standing OF their county clerks fUI
the past three generators. Mr.. Har
ring desired to know whether those
men had ever found it necessary tC
come to Madison to post themselves as
to their duties. He moved to indef
nitely postpone the bill, and, in spite
of its recommendation for passage
the measure was killed by vote q
SO to q.
Don't Want to Limit Expenses.
The Miller bill to limit campaign
expenses caused an outburst wae3 ii
came up for engrossment 1t was
opposed by Assemblymen Hejlborn CT
Milwaukee and Ledvina of ManitONOC
Mr. Miller alone champio1ed MS
cause.
MI Ledvina called into question the
cOnstitutionality Of the bill, inasmlrch
as it barred from Office men who had
violated the terms of the measure fer
five years after conviction. He point
ed out that the constitution prescribes
the requirements for offices of Goa
gressmen and United States senator.
and yet what was contemplated III this
bill was virtually another requirement
which the state legislature had no
right to make. He also called into
question the wisdom of limiting the
expenses to such an extent as the
bill cOntemplates. Two hundred dol
lars for 5000 votes is too little. IN
an ordinary assembly district, be
pointed out, the votes ran up to about
400, Allowing $50 for literature and
postage, $75 for hustlers in each of
Is precincts, there remained S35 for
livery. railroad, speakers, halls, music,
and all the other items made lawful
by the bill Of course such an amount
is totally inadequate.
Mr.. Miller pointed out that he did
not oppose reasonable amendments,
nor did he especially oppose rerefer-
ring the bill for the time being. He
showed that the New York bill al
lowed the candidate for governor a
limit of $4,000. and that on a CORE
spending basis the Wisconsin gov2r-
nor was allowed $3.50, according TO
the bill. The motion to rerefer to
the Judiciary committee was carried
43 to %.
AIdridge's Bill Rereferred.
Two other bills rereferred to the
judiciary committee under protest