The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1911-05-25
REFERENDUM IS
ADVANCED IN HOUSE
RESOLUTION LOOKING TO DIRECT
LEGISLATION is ADOPTED
BY THE ASSEMBLY.
MANY AMENDMENTS KILLED
Troop A of the Wisconsin National
Guard May Get an Additional
~ Appropriation of $4,000

After All.
.ssS@sasgssAa-.'-s'dszss..
! Madison.-After going through the
same old monotonous program OF
wrangling over amendments, shouting
for roll calls, disagreeing with the
spesker and then finally coming to-
gether in peaceful fulf1llment of a
platform pledge of three political
parties, the assembly advanced the
initiative and referendum resolution.
This action was important but of
course it is only one of the prelim-
mary steps toward direct legislation;
for the same resolution must be ap-
proved by the 1913 legislature and
then sent to vote of the people who
must approve the amendments to two
articles of the state constitution.
There was considerable discussion
of the obvious points involved in the
question of direct legislation. Most
of the talking was directed to sew
eral amendments offered one by one
by Assemblyman Bichler, Democratic
leader. Each one of these amend
ments was voted down on roll calls,
the Democrats supporting their leader
Loyalty. After all the Bichler am
munition had been consumed. the rep
resentatives Of three parties came to-
gether and passed the resolution by
vote of 72 to 6. The dissenters
voted against the corrupt practices
| bill
The amendments offered by Mr..
| Bichler were for the most part of a
trivial nature. The most important
one was that excluding from the reso-
luton the sending to a referendum of
any questions affecting the personal
liberty of the citizens of Wiconsin.
Troop A of the Wisconsin National
Guard may get an additional appropri-
alton of $4,000 after all. The bill
which has had such hard shedding for
two months came up in the assembly
again. and was advanced, the decisive
vote being f. to SO. Roessler led the
fight against the bill on a point of or
der. Brockhausen and Weber, Social
Democrats, opposed reconsideration of
the bill
Assemblyman Wheelan, Democrat,
tried to kill off the Zophy resolution
for federal constitutional convention
but failed utterly to get support. The
resolution has passed the senate.
Roessler tried to block the senate bill
appropriating expense money for the
dedication of the Vicksburg monu
ment this month, but Assemblyman
Smith, Civil war veteran, explained
that the money was to come from
the $4,000 unexpended balance origin
ally appropriated for the monument
The bill passed under suspension of
the rules by a vote of sc to Is.
During the week the senate will be-
gin marking time, with little to do be-
sides waiting for the assembly to send
over it's daily grist. Chairman San
born of the finance committee told
the upper house that all committees
probably would have their unfinished
business reported out by the end of
the week. He urged the attendance
of all senators during the next few
days.
The committee substitute for the
fire and police commission bill was
offered in the senate. It provides for
a commission of five persons, not more
than two of whom may belong to the
same party. The decisions of this
body are to be sui ect to review by
the court, and any fireman or police
man discharged from the service is
to have the right to take his case to
the commission.
The senate passed the bill providing
for the payment of the dedication OF
the Vicksburg monument and 1t was
sent over to the assembly, where it
also was passed without delay.
Three new bills of considerable
Importance on the subject of for
estry conservation and fire protec-
ton came into the senate, represent
ing the results of the labors of the
special joint committee which has
been working on the matters for three
months. Briefly, the bills provide:
1. Appropriation of $250,000 a year
for ten years for the purchase of in
tervening forest lands, in order to
bring the present reserve of 385,000
acres up to 100000 acres.
2. A county fire warden system for
the northermost twenty counties Of
the state, to be paid for out of fund
of about $250,000 to be raised by a
special tax of two cents per acre on
all lands to be benefited by the sys-
tenn.
8. Creating a Public Domain Com
mission to take the place Of the