Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-05-23
SENATOR PROPOSES A FRAN.
cHIsE TO THE UNIVERSITY.
FOR RIVER IMPROVEMENT
Says State Should Not Give Away
Valuable Rights Without compen-
sation Better Give Advantage to
State NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Says
Proposition is Unconstitutional.
Madison, May 1

mduibOifs MAY IL.
A new principal was introduced in
the senate yesterday when Senator
Burns of Platteville offered an amend
ment TO the Wisconsin river feser-
weir bill providing that the franchise
rights and privileges proposed to be
granted by the state to the Wisconsin
river Improvement corporation be
granted instead to the regents OF
taking advantage ofpower that now
goes to waste. but he believed that It
would be farw User for the state to give
the university regents the work and
give the advantages derived to the uni
versity instead of to a private corpora
ton. He said that the corporation
was organized with capital stock
of 100000 and this was not SO large
a sum that the university could not
properly execute plan to be handled
with such an amount of stock. He
laid emphasis upon the fact that the
bill proposed to give away valuable
rights without compensation, and he
declared that when the state posses
sed an institution able to take adj
vantage of such valuable rights, It
was best to give the advantage to the
state institution rather than to priv
ate corporation.
Senator Brazeau, one of the spons-
ors of the bill, acknowledged surprise
that such an amendment should be
offered, declar ring that its adoption
would be equivalent to Hnling the bill,
He said that as the university was
simply an instrument Of the state, it
would be unconstitutional to attempt
to do what the amendment proposed,
for 1t would be an appropriation for
internal improvements and to ac-
compish IT would require an amend
ment 10 the constitution. To this
suggestion Senator Burns replied
that the university regents are COL
poration as the wisconsin river i'm
provement company is a corporal on,
and he proposed that the bill be laid
over and an opinion of the attorney
general be secured on the constitu-
tionality of the amendment, and he
said he would abide by the opinion.
Various other amendments were
offered, several by Senator Hudnall
to provide that in the event that the
senate proposed at any time to pur-
chase the property of the improve
ment company it could do so and the
purchase price would be calculated
On the then actual value of the ma
terial property. The bill was laid
over until Tuesday.
Senator Mobiles lengthy bill to
give cities the option by an election
to abolish the aldermanic system -ot
city government and establish there
for system of government by com
mission. was advanced to engross-
ment without discussion, by vote
OF 22 to s. This bill will doubtless
meet with serious opposition in the
assembly.
The bill to appropriate some $4,000
to the legisl tors who served on the
committees which investigated the
state university and the business OF
life insurance. was laid over.
After the adoption of some minor
amendments which were agreed upon
by the friends and opponents Of the
measure. the assembly residence dis
trict saloon option bill was advanced
to third reading without opposition.
The same action was taken on the
Keup bill to build another trout hatch.
cry. which was the subject of de-
hate IN tho conata a fau dave ava