Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-05-31
STATE OIL INSPECTOR
SENATE CONFIRMS APPOINT
MENT OF &. L. TRACY.
DAM MEASURE ISDEBATED
Senator Owen Shows That BIZ to I'M
prove Wisconsin River Cores
ponds With National Work
on the Mississippi.

Madison, May 30.-The appointment
of &. l.. Tracy as state oil inspector.
made by Gov. Davidson some three
weeks ago, was unanimously confirm
ed by the senate. AT the time the
appointment was made the senate re-
fused to act upon it owing to allega-
| tions made dating back to the time
Tracy acted as deputy game warden.
! The matter was referred to the ju-
! dietary committee, the assumption be-
ing that this committee would look
| into the allegations.
| AS soon as Tracy ascertained that
, the committee desired to investigate
| his record, he requested hearing and
ever since the appointment was refer
| red, he has sought to determine what
| the charges were. The matter came
up in the judiciary committee Tues
day afternoon and no one appeared
| against Tracy nor were charges filed.
In view of this fact the committee re-
ported the name for confirmation.
| Tracy takes the place of e. e. Mills,
| of Burlington, who has officiated as oil
inspector dating from Gov. La Fol-
| lette's first term.
Owen on Wisconsin River Bill.
Senator Owen carried the honors of
the debate on the bill permitting the
| Wisconsin River Improvement COM
| pany to create reservoirs SO that I'M
| iform fowage Of the Wisconsin river
can be maintained. In his argument,
Senator Owen stated that he was OPP
| posed to the granting of franchises of
any kind by the state, but was at
loss to understand why this bill
had been singled out. Going into the
provisions of the bill he pointed out
how this measure safeguarded every
| interest of the state: how 1t conform
| ed with work the United States gov
eminent was doing in the headwater
region of the Mississippi and for
| which millions of dollars were being
| expended. Senator Owen read re-
ports to show what was being done
and how great an advantage to the
state this project would be If author
| lied.
Barker License Bill Passes.
The Barker high license bill was
passed without only four dissenting
votes, those of Senators Froemming,
Husting, Rummel and Smith This
measure brings about in case the as
sembly approves of it, an increase In
| the amount Of license to be paid by
| saloon keepers, fixing the minimum
amount at 5000 instead Of at 800. as
| it provided in the present law. The
| amount is subject to the increase pro-
vided for in the law which authorizes
| special elections to be held In Sep
| tember In it's effect the bill is de-
| signed to increase the amount Of The
saloon licenses in unincorporated viii
lagos and towns to 5000 where the IL
cense now is $100
Money for Insurance and Capital.
The bill appropriating money to pay
| the expenses of the two legislative
| committees investigating the insur-
! ance companies and the university
passed with only one dissenting vote,
that of Senator Hudnall. The appro-
priation bill for the new capitol carry
ing 100000 annually for nine years
was passed, Senators Husting, Hazel
wood and Smith voting in opposition
to the measure. A number of other
| important measures were on the cal
| endar, but owing to the absence of so
many of the senators interested, ac-
ton was deferred. The assembly res
olution to adjourn after Wednesdays
session until next Monday night, was
concurred in.
No Use of Rivals Terminals.
The senate committee on transpor-
J tation decided to recommend for in
definite postponement the bill giving
the state railroad commission authori-
| ty to compel railroad company to
| grant the use of it's terminal facilities
to another company. The decision OF
the committee was unanimous. The
bill was understood to be intended
to enable the Wisconsin Central road
company to use the terminal facilities
of the Milwaukee and Northwestern
road in Milwaukee.
Assembly Rushes Work.
| The assembly has manifested a sim
] cere desire to bring the legislative
/ session to as early close as possible.
I Following is a summary of the prin-
| cipal things that 1t did: Concurred in
the senate amendments to the Baker
! district option bill, enabling residents
of cities to prevent saloons being To-
Gated or operated in certain districts;
killed bills increasing the salaries of
circuit court reporters, providing for
county option and requiring dairy cat
| tie to be tested for tuberculosis be-
fore being sold; reconsidered the vote
by which it yesterday ordered the
Bancroft antistudent voting bill to en-
grossment and third reading; receded
from its amendment to the bill prohib-
| iting the state veterinarian from hold
| ing stock in a company manufacturing
proprietary medicines; refused to re-
cede from its amendments to the bills
permitting persons to hunt rabbits
with ferrets and authorizing town,
city and village clerks to acknowledge
conveyances Of real estate, and adopt
ed resolution requiring committees
to report on all bills in their posses
sion by week from next Sat
urday.