The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-04-16
thing should be done to the game

ruled that hereafter. the state must not
be held responsible for any tips that
] its employees may choose to give while
travelling at the expense of the COM
monwealth. Some members of the
states big official family, commission
! members, game WardenS, bank exam
! liners, etc., are always on the road, and
| in the past have been in the habit OF
| tipping sleeping car porters, walters
and others, and charging the items up
is their bills of expense. These have
always been allowed, but have grown
| into somewhat of an abuse since many
are disposed to be quite liberal when
the state pays the bill. Now the atIor-
ney general has ruled that these are
not legitimate items of expense, and
must be paid by the officials out CT
their own pockets. He says in part:
mo statute seems broad enough to
! authorize the payment of an expense
arising out of gratuities such as tips.
| In fact, so far as the legislative in
| tention has been manifested in such
! matters, it is against the payment 10
or receipt by agents, employees and
servants of bonuses, gifts and grarui
! ties. 1t may be contended that IN
| der present conditions such gratuitics
/ are practically obligatory and are sane
! toned by the almost uniform GUS
tom of the travelling public. The a.
swer is that they are not legal cha &c
against the state unless authorized by
: law.
| IF officers and employees of the state
wish to reward extra attention and
service bestowed upon them personal
| ly it is private expense not neces-
sary to the discharge of their official
| duties. In my opinion you should not
draw your warrant for such items"
+, Game Warden Changes.
! Some radical changes in the state
! game warden's department are con-
| templated in two bills pending before
/ the legislature, one for the abolition
of the office and the other for a coun-
j ty system. Upon one of the meas
ureS some of the members of the leg
islature expect to draft a substitute
] bill which will greatly reduce the
game warden's power, if the bill be
enacted into law
/ The revelations before the senatorial
, Investigating committee of the manner
| in which the wardens participated in
| politics have decided the members of
the legislature to affect some changes,
and it is said that the investigating
committee will make a report to the
effect that the warden force should be
reduced. Assemblyman Roethe will
| make contest before the legislature,
it is said, for the passage of the repeal
bill, using the testimony of wardens
before the committee as basis for his
remarks.
Two Bills Now Pending.
Two bills are now pending before
the legislature, either one of which
can be modelled into a substitute BILL
which shall effect the change sought.
One of the measures is the bill intro.
duced by Assemblyman Stewart, of
Dane county, which provides for the
abolition of the state game warden's
department and that county system,
the county board electing Wardens, be
substituted. The other bill is the re-
peal measure of Assemblyman Roethe,
of Grant county.
The law, which will probably be ia,
vored by number of the assembly
! men, will probably reduce the force Of
game wardens to seven or eight
salaried officials, with prescribed dis
trlcts for work, and with duties. clear
! ly prescribed. The department will
then be placed fully under the opera
tons Of the civil service law.
One argument is being used for the
retention of the department as a
branch of the state government. This
is that fees collected from hunting Ii
censes be turned into fund that will
pay for the wardens' work. 1t is be-
lleVed by some OF the members of the
legislature that under such a law the
the game could be amply protected
and large amount of money annually
so into the state treasury, which if
unused might go into the general fund.
Changes in the State House.
Great changes in the appearance
fore the coming of another winter The
present plan of the commission is to
demolish the south wing this summer
and begin the foundation for the new
one to take its place. The present
dome may also go down this summer.
Before any of this work can be done,
however it will be necessary to re-
move q large number of Offices from
their present quarters. This will be
brought about as soon as the legisla-
ture adjourns, when the offices of the
governor, secretary of state, bureau If
labor, railroad commission, state tax
commission, game warden, bureau ot
immigration, civil service commission
and the Grand Army will be moved
into the west wing. This is expected
10 be the final removal of the most of
these Offices for years to come Much
work remains to be done on this wing
and there is a possibility that an i'm