The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-03-29
LITTLE CHANGE IN SITUATION
Nothing Noticeable Has Resulted
i'm the Visit of Senator
La Toilette.
Impression That the Senatorial Mud
die Is Hampering Legislation
an Erroneous One-DeckS
Clearing for Action.

fits the senatorial situation and not
agony be over One more week has
gone by and no preceptible change IS
noticed from a week ago. There
seems to be a sort of general under
standing that balloting for senator
shall begin April 10 ana also Il sort
of understanding that conference n
least, if not a caucus, shall be held
this week.
1t is said that practically all the
candidates are now willing to 90 into
q conference to talk it over, The leg
islature adiOurns rather early this
week for a ten days recess and they
would like to see the question settled
one way or another. AS to the
strength of the respective candidates
about all that can yet be said is that
no man among them can safely claim
much more than his own cOnGression-
al district support as yet.
Not Hampering Legislation.
Even Senator LaFollettes visit does
not seem to have changed the situa
ton in any noticeable degree. Sena-
tor LaFollette is now lecturing in the
west and will remain away several
weeks. However, the impression that
| the senatorial muddle is seriously ham,
| pering the work Of legislation is an
erroneous one. True, it is operating
as hindrance to the disposition of
| the larger measures before the two
| houses, but the hopper is gradually
turning out a fair average Of results
! in the smaller things which, Of course.
must be given attention some time.
Committee hearings are not much
| interrupted and busy scenes are daily
witnessed about the committee rooms.
| The transportation committees have
been listening all week to arguments
on negligence bills, mental anguish
propositions, spur track hearings and
| like subjects, all of which will find
| its place in the Leroy public utility
| bill when the members shall have
| finally digested the mass Of bills and
| evidence laid before them. Likewise
with the other committees. All are at
| work. The calendars are growing
| larger, which indicates that the decks
| are clearing for consideration Of the
senatorship and other big things when
| the proper time comes.
New Doctrine Being Heard.
Much new doctrine is being heard
| on the floor of the legislature these
days. Last week Rev. Carl ID. Thomp-
| son, one of MilWaukee's Social Demo
| cratic members, made q long and eff
| fective speech on his resolution for
| government ownership of railroads.
| He made the point that private own
| erShip in this country is colossal
| failure as shown by numerous recent
| and appalling wrecks, by car shortages
| everywhere in the west, by great suf-
| fering in the northwest for want of
| fuel and by recent Wreckings in the
stock market. In contrast he cited
! the better conditions of service and
wages in the fifty-nine countries where
government ownership prevails. one IL
lustration being that while i'm the Uni
| ted States in the year 1904, 10000 peo-
pie were killed, on the railroads in Ger
! many, where the roads are state man
aged, there were but seventyfou
| killed.
Coming from Socialist such views
as the above are not surprising. The
real surprise came in the committee
report which was for adoption Of the
resolution. Then came another when
| C. e. Estabrook, of Milwaukee. former
attorney general, said he believed gov
crnment ownership was coming soon.
| All his suggestion the resolution WAS
| sent back to the committee with in
| structions to set forth the reasons why
+. the Legislature should indOrse ii.
.Bill Affecting Marriages.
A bill that will create not n little
uneasiness among matrimonial candi-
| dates came in last week from the as
sembly committee on public health.
| It seems to have been a sort Of after
| thought. 1t provides medical eXamina
| ton rs a requisite to getting Il mar
riage license. That licenses shall not
| be too lightly issued also it provides
that they shall be granted by county
judges instead of by county clerks.
Licenses must be obtained five days
before marriage and remain in force
but one month. 1t is Oh the PROPOSE
| ton of the medical examination that
| the contest will come
| However, the measure is not Of such
| a drastic character as the one pre-
| scented and killed Il session or two ago
oh,
| animation and had its corresponding
| inhibitions. The present bill does not
| contemplate physical examination, but
examination with a view to nervous
| disorder alone and prohibits marriage
| between persons when either one may
ho fnphla-nlindod a.