The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1911-06-23

exception of an outbursc from Assem-
blyman Gettle, man who sometimes
is brutally frank in expressing his
views on public questitas and public
men, the meeting was mild and with
out sensation Mr. Gettle, however,
could not endorse Senator LaFollette
without expressing disgust with the
administration of President Taft.
There were Republicans present who
frowned upon that kind Of LaFollette
enthusiasm, preferring to endorse
Senator LaFollette without discredit-
ing the nations chief, The meeting
did not bring out the formal an
nouncement that Senator LaFollette
will be candidate for the presidency.
That was no part of the program.
However, the various speakers en-
dorsed Wisconsin's progressive policy
as the future policy of the nation, and
Senator LaFollette was given full
credit for being the natural and logi-
cal leader of the new movement. 1t
is the purpose of the Wisconsin
league to invade the neighboring states
in the interest of the LaFollette move
ment
1t is planned to make q great cam
paign in Illinois
The league elected the following Of
ficers:
President, Senator A. w. Sanborn;
vice president, F. Mauthe, Fond du
Lac; secretary, Assemblyman T. J.
Mahon, Eland; treasurer, A. NJ Ston-
dali, Madison; members of the execu-
tive committee, officers and T NJ.
Higgins, La'ze Geneva; senator John
G. Kleczka Milwaukee; Senator Otto
Bosshard, La Crosse; John Hicks Osh
kosh; Frank A. Lowell, Rhinelander.
Letters were read from Senator La
Toilette, who is in Washington, and
others.
The proposition to create a text
book commission in Wisconsin in the
interest of uniformity of text books to
be used in the schools of the state is
dead and buried for the present, but
Assemblyman Mahon, author of the
text book commission bill, says he will
IL
the next Republican platform as a
progressive plank. Mr.. Mahon does
not happen to be man of idle words,
and those who know something about
him feel confident that he will make
good his word.
Not to be downed he moved for a
reconsideration of the bill after it was
Ia 1O1 he II IT, IL
his motion for reconsideration the au-
thor of the bill charged that the OPP
position from the local schools boards
was the opposition of the book trust,
which, he said, is as powerful as the
railroads back in the days when Wis
cOnsin began its fight along that line.
Working with much secrecy, appealing
trust said Mr.. Mahon, fought his
bill from the beginning because it's
passage meant reduction in prices
all over the state.
Assemblyman Whelan, one of the
leading Democrats, refused to believe
that teachers all over the state sub
jected themselves to the influence of
and other favors it was charged the
trust liked to bestow upon persons it
could use. Mr.. Whelan said that men
of integrity and honesty served on
school boards in most communities
and he refused to believe that they
were corrupt simply because they did
not favor the bill. Some of the school
| men in the assembly took the position
that a commission composed of public
| men would not be qualified to select
text books as men and women who
were devoting their life to educational
work. The debate lasted longer and
at times was decidedly sharp. Mr. Ma
hon made great showing and his mo-
ton for reconsideration was defeated
only by four votes, the vote being 80
to 35.
Being close to the progressive party
in this state, Mr.. Mahon promises to
keep up the fight for text book COM
mission and he is confident that two
years hence plank in the progressive
Republican platform will promise such
a commission.
Unable to frame an income tax bill
that is entirely to it's liking, the Wis
consin legislature is about to pass
what it considers the best possible
|! bill on this subject and then put the
whole question up to the people, which,
by the way, is graceful way for the
Republicans to carry out party plat
form pledge. The bill already has
passed the senate, but the referendum
was attached to it before the final
vote was taken The bill cannot be-
come law, in case the assembly
passes it, until 1912.
There were nine amendments to the
substitute bill. The most important,
aside from the referendum, were:
Raising the exemptions for single
persons from $500 to $1,000, and of a
man and wife from $500 to $1,000;
providing that any person who had
paid a tax on real estate could pre-