River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-05-01

EN-0ENA Oh OANBOnNs
both of these will probably be killed.
The five mile dry zone for the state
university, the one mile zone for the
same territory and the county option
bill have all been laid to rest in the
assembly. The Hawn bill and the so
called saloon divorce bill are still
alive and kicking, but both of these
measures will go the way of the dry
zone measures.
The HaWn Proposition.
The Hawn proposition to bring
about law enforcement by giving to
the state industrial commission DO.
lice powers is a dangerous one, when
viewed from the standpoint of the
brewery interests. Under this meas
ure the industrial commission would
be given authority to enforce the law
upon the complaint of certain num-
Der of citizens in cases where it was
established that the police, county of
ficials Or state officials were negligent
in their duty. The bill is based upon
the theory that law enforcement is
largely a matter of sentiment rather
than the carrying out of an oath by
a public official to enforce the stat
utes. By giving the industrial com
mission police power, law enforcement
would be placed in the hands of
state board free from local influences
1t is known that if the Hawn bill
becomes a law that the laws relating
to the Sunday closing of saloons will
be enforced if complaint is made to
the commission that the statute relat
ing to this subject is merely a figure,
head and is not being enforced. This
fact is common knowledge, which is
the best possible assurance that the
strong saloon and brewery organiza
ton within the legislature will fight
the BILL
Saloon Divorce Bill.
During the next few days there will
be another controversy over the bill
to divorce the brewery and the saloon
by prohibiting the brewery from hav-
ing an interest in the retailing of Ii.
quor The program is to indefinitely
postpone this measure, and, on the
surface, at least, there does not ap
pear to be a single serious barrier to
the successful termination of that pro
gram.
The strength of the breweries in
the present legislature is probably the
root from which is springing general
discomfort, suspicion and dissatisfac-
ton among citizens who had hoped
that this legislature would be a con-
structive one. The feeling has exist
ed for weeks that the session would
accomplish little, and that the legis
lature had marked reactionary ten
dencies This feeling is now budding
in the form of public protests and
denunciations and singing editorials
in progressive publications, including
La Follette's weekly.
Threatened by the Breweries.
Assemblyman Anderson, a young
member of the legislature who seems
to have no fear Of ''the cars" brought
this feeling to a head when he arose
from his seat in the house and de
clared that he had been threatened
by the breweries. He was told, he
said, if he did not fall in line for sa
loon divorce bill that some of the
measures in which he was interested
might not fare we'll Others members
of the legislature, who prefer to re-
main under cover, have talked along
the same lines.
La Follette's weekly in an editorial
appeal warns the legislature not to
view favorably any proposition to
limit the length of legislative ses-
sions. These are but many acknow-
Judgements that the legislature is
hardly making good as a progressive
legislature.
The Marketing Bill.
Another interesting hearing has
been held on Governor McGovern's
marketing bill If the political OPP
ponents Of the chief executive desire