The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1913-07-18
REPRESENTATION
J BILL is OPPOSED
Whiteside Measure Puts Check
on Forestry Department.
WATERPOWER is DISCUSSED


to be Left Off Ballot at the Next
State Election.
Madison, Wis, July 15.-The con-
servation of human happiness and hui
man welfare is dividing attention with
the conservation of waterpowers in
Wisconsin before the legislature. A
bill of much interest was introduced
early in this session by Senator Rich
ards of Milwaukee. This bill provides
that persons desiring to secure Ii
cense to marry must first secure a
certificate of good health from a IL
censed physician. The subject of
eugenics has been given national at
tention, which was an aid to the Rich
ards bill. This bill has been report
ed favorably by the senate commit
tee on public welfare. 1t is believed
that the measure will be passed in the
senate.
The Hoyt bill for the sterilization
of the feeble-minded, criminal insane
and epileptics being cared for in state
senate, only three votes being regis
tered against it. This bill is expect
ed to cause much debate in the assem-
bly, and it is not certain that it will
weather the opposition that will
velop in the house.
Waterpower development and refor-
estration are the two subjects that oc-
cupied the attention of the senate
during the past week The water
power question will continue to be
discussed for several days, while the
demonstration problem has been tenn
porarily disposed of.
Check Forestry Department
The senate has passed the White
| side bill which for period of two
years will check the state forestry
| department in the purchase of addi-
| tional land for the reserve in northern
| Wisconsin. No more land is to be
| bought until 1915, and in the interim
a special committee of the legisla-
| ture, composed of five members from
| the house and three members from
the senate, will investigate into the
agricultural possibilities Of part of the
land it is proposed to include in the
| forestry area.
Opposition to the reforestration
program of State Forester Griffith
| made the charge that a considerable
| portion of the land included in the
reserve expansion is good farming
land. A sharp contest marked the
discussion of the Whiteside bill. Sen
ator Husting, chairman of the COM
mittee on conservation, feared that
| to pass the bill would be to drive a
| nail into the coffin of dead forestry
body. He said that in two years the
reforestration scheme would be buried
so deep that Gabriel's horn would not
resurrect it. On the surface, he said,
| the bill did not appear to be particu
| larly destructive, but he maintained
! that it was direct attack upon the
policy of the state forestry depart
| ment. He warned the senate not to
vote for it, and he was supported in
his position by Senators Bosshard and
Tomkins, also members of the COM
mittee on conservation.
Numerous letters from settlers in
northern Wisconsin were read to show
public attitude on the demonstration
program. Senator Husting insisted
that majority of the settlers who
are conversant with conditions in
northern Wisconsin favor the carrying
out of Mr. Griffith's scheme.
Defends State Forester Griffith.
The debate on the bill extended to
the personal honesty of State Forester
Griffith, who was defended by Senator
Husting. Senator Teasdale after read
| ing several reports of the department
had said that he was unable to ac-
count for $1,000. Senator Husting
said this was a "baseless accusation"
He attributed the inability of the SEN
| ator to make figures balance to mis-
understanding of reports covering fis-
Cal and calendar years. 1t was mis-
understanding of the system of book
keeping that is used, he said. The
accounts of the department, as point
ed out by Senator Husting, have been
| inspected by the secretary of state
| and expert accountants on the state
! board of public affairs, who said that
/ they were o. K, and that every cent
was accounted for.
The fact that the department oper-
| ates under three distinct funds was
| given as another reason why its af-
| fairs were not always understood by
| those who were inclined to be I'M
friendly to the reforestration program
/ Bill Has o. K. of LaFolIette.
The senate is face to face with the
| opposition of the waterpower men to
the bill reported out by the senate
| committee on conservation. In its i'm
! portant features this. bill has the
personal o. K. of Senator La Toilette
and Louis Brandeis, but that is not
| sufficient to satisfy the waterpower
men, Discussing the bill at the first
/ hearing, Senator Husting said that the
measure safeguarded public rights and