River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-06-12

for that reason the commissioner of
insurance should not be called upon
to bear the expense of his own de-
Tense.
Mothers Pension Bill.
Debate over the mothers pension
subject in the assembly was character
lied By much bitterness in which AS
semblyman Mahon, a McGovern lead
eT, read an editorial from La Fol
lette's magazine in which the Schnitz-
Ter bill, favored by the McGoVern
men, was strongly recommended as
the most adequate bill on the subject
before the legislature.
Assemblyman Rosa, a La Toilette
man, refused to break ground because
of the editorial, and said that he
knew as much about mothers pen
sion as anyone on the La Toilette
staff. The bill that was finally ad-
vanced favors local administration
by the courts, as suggested by Mr..
Rosa. The Schnitzler bill favored
administration by especially appoint
ed officials, with most of the power
of administration centralized in the
state board of control.
Appropriations to the amount of
100000 for normal schools will be
asked of the legislature according to
the testimony before the senate
and assembly committees on educa-
ton. The amounts asked will be for
these purposes:
A one-fourth bill tax which will
yield, probably, $4,000.
An annual appropriation of $780,
900 for three years for buildings.
An annual appropriation of $780,
900 for three years to begin system
attic plan of building dormitories for
women at the several schools.
Recognizes Old BattIe-Cry.
An earnest effort was made in the
house by Assemblyman Mahon and
others to have reconsidered the vote
by which the McGovern marketing
commission bill was killed. Assem-
blyman Mahon said that in the argu-
ment of go slow he recognized the
old battle-cry of the stalwarts, the
railroads and big business which for
years has been raised in opposition
to nearly all of the progressive laws
that have been enacted in Wisconsin
Mr.. Mahon declared that the mar
keting bill in its aim to reduce the
high cost of living and improve agri-
cultural conditions was fully as i'm
portant as the laws which created
the railroad commission and the in
dustrial commission. The opposition
charged that the subject is too new
and that there should be months of
careful investigation before the state
attempted to create marketing COM
mission with the powers outlined in
the bill sent to the legislature by the
governor. The opposition favored the
appointment of a committee to in
vestigate, and it was brought out that
if the legislature took a recess that
next winter it probably would have
sufficient data on the subject to pass
a comprehensive and workable bill.
Activity of Lobbyists.
Lobbyists have been so active at
this session that there is talk of pass
ing a bill to provide the secretary of
state with a special agent or detec-
tive to aid him in the enforcement of
the law relating to lobbyists. 1t is
charged that in spite of the present
law the lobbyists are operating as
successfully as they were in the old
days, and it is impossible for the sec
rotary of state to enforce the law
for the reason that he is not in pos
session of sufficient evidence. A de-
tective, it is argued, might be able
to uncover information which would
result in an upheaval among the men
of the third house."
Committee Favors Milwaukee.
AS anticipated some time ago, the
committee named to fix site for the
state fair returned a report favoring
Milwaukee, providing that city plr-
chases and donates to the state GER
tain tract of land on the east side of
the fair grounds which the state has
been anxious to acquire. The sugges-
ton by Secretary of State Donald that
an exposition of a week or ten days
to be held in Madison be substituted
for the fair made favorable impress
sion, and the report OF the committee
does not necessarily mean that Mr..
Donalds idea has been dropped for