The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-02-07
PLAN To PUT EKERh
CASE UP To PEOPLE
RETURN TO ELECTION OF IN
SURANCE COMMISSIONER
IS NOW SCHEME.
AMENDMENT TO INCOME TAX
First Steps Toward Remodeiing New
Assessment Law Taken in Senate
Upper House Passes Initiative and
Referendum.

Madison The McGovern- Ekern con-
troyersy may be submitted to the people
for decision at the judicial election III
April Announcement was made
from authentic sources that another
elective insurance bill is being
drawn, which will either be submit
ted to the legislature as a separate
bill or as a substitute for the Han
son bill already before the assembly
on the subject, the new bill Will pro-
vide for again making the Office of
insurance commissioner elective after
May /. Provision is made that the
term of the office shall be four years
and that an election shall be held
at the time Of the April judicial cleo
ton TO fill the office. This means, it
is said, that if the bill is passed Mr..
Ekern viii make run before the
people for the Office which he now
holds but against which occupation
there is an order for removal pend
ing, signed by Gov McGovern It is
said the plan of the friends of Mr..
Ekern is that this bill shall be pass
ed no matter what the court decis-
ion in regard to the Ekern case may
be. Action on the bill proposed will
have to be taken very soon if it is
to be made effective for an April
election The general opinion is thai
the measure if passed will be vetoed
by the governor and thus if it should
become law it would have to be
by second passage over the veto
by tWO-thirds vote Of both houses.
Income Tax Amendment.
Senator Kileen in behalf of the tax
commission has introduced import
ant amendments to the income tax
law. The most important change in
the law relates to the. amendment of
the schedule and rate as it applies to
assessments of corporations. The
first amendment of significance pro-
hibits the voting of excessive or I'M
reasonable salaries to members of
firm or corporation so that the pur-
poses of the income tax law can not
be defeated. When only part of
the income is assessed, only a cor
responding deduction can be made in
payments.
Initiative and Referendum Passed.
The assembly has followed the ex-
ample of the Legislature of two years
ago and went on record overwheIm-
ingly in favor of the initiative and
referendum. The vote by which the
constitutional amendment resolution
was advanced through the assembly
IN its course through a second legis-
1ature was SO to IL. After the meas
ure passes the senate, which it un-
doubtedly will, it will be ready for
submission to the people.
Would Change Primary law
An amendment to the primary cleo
ton law was offered by Assemblyman
Allison. 1t provides that candidates
for party nomination must swear
they voted for a majority of the can
dldates OF that party at the last cleo
ton. 1t also provides for the pay
ment of fees by candidates to go to-
ward the expenses of the primary.
The highest fee to be charged Is 500
Tor candidates for the United States
senate and the amount of the fee is
graded downward
The Hansen bill permitting county
boards in their discretion TO increase
the per diem pay of members from So
to maximum of So was killed. so to
80, the committees report being up
held. Everett's bill for the naming
of farms was likewise defeated, as
was Roessler's relating to duties of
county treasurers and clerks and asy-
lum trustees. The Smith bills per-
hitting peaceful picketing'' and pro-
hibiting ''coercing or influencing of
employers to discharged employees
were also killed