The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-02-12
SEEKS REPEAL OF
ELECTION LAW
SENATOR w. J. 'BICHLER'S BILL
WOULD KILL THE "MARY
ANN" ACT.
HAS BEEN GIVEN FAIR TRIAL
Senator Declares 1t Has Never Been
of Any Aid in Contest-Leads
to Observation-Disclosures
Seeks Other Changes.

Madison. - That the Democratic
members of the senate will make
an effort to repeal the MARY
Ann second choice election law was
indicated by the introduction of bill
by Senator w. j. Michler OF Bel
GUM providing for the repeal of the
law A similar bill has been intro
duced in the assembly by Assembly
man George P. Hambrecht of Grand
Rapids.
'This law has been given fair
trial and it has never been of any
aid in an election contest, unless it
was to complicate matters" said Sen
ator Bichler. ut has never changed
the results that were obtained
without it. and it is no cumber-
some that it leads to much confusion
in results reported. There is no place
in the statute books for useless laws. y
Senator Bichler would also cure the
results of the failure of voters at the
primary to nominate party committee
men, who are given a seat in the va
cal parties when it comes to organic
ing a party for a county political cam
paign. He has found that in large
percentage of the districts no one is
named and that sometimes man is
nominated on both the Democratic
and Republican tickets. Under the
bill which Senator Bichler has pre-
sented, any citizen may file request
signed by five others and have the
name of any person placed in the
primary ballot as candidate for COM
mitteeman. This will call the voters
attentions to the matter and will re-
suit in the position being filled.
Assemblyman H. j. Mortensen of
New Lisbon has prepared bill for
the repeal of the state athletic COM
mission law passed at the last ses-
sion of the legislature. He says that
it is not only unbecoming for the
state to permit these contests, but
that it Is equally bad for the state
to accept a part of the receipts of the
business in order that it may be said
to produce revenues to pay some OF
the states expenses. Mr.. Mortensen
has already presented a bill for the
repeal of the law allowing travelling
expenses of the commission mem
bers, and had his bill to repeal the
entire act ready for Introduction.
There were 1000 less marriages in
TX To- thoy in,
previous. This is the main argument
that Assemblyman Carl Pieper of
Dunn county intends to make in favor
of his bill which would repeal the
eugenics marriage law. A statement
has just been issued by the state
board of health which shows there
were 20,125 marriages in Wiscon-
sin in 1912; 21,052 in 1913, and IT,
245 in 1914 This means that if the
ratio of marriages of 1913 we're
retained there would have been 5000
more people, or 1000 more marriages
in Wisconsin, last year. The state
board of health attributes this decline
in marriages to the financial depres-
sion. 1t says that whenever there is
financial depression the statistics
show a falling off in both the birth
rate and the marriage rate. Assem-
bly:nan Pieper. however, believes
that many people have delayed mar
riage because of the stringency of the
present eugenics law, and if it is sup
planted by simple declaration of the
parties that they are free from dis
ease, the old marriage rate will be
retained. During the past year there
were 81 common law marriages in
the state.
That the chairman of the circuit
judges association should be given
power to direct circuit judges before
whom little litigation is pending to go
into another circuit where the work is
congested and help out is the effect
of bill that will come from the judi
ciary committee of the assembly in a
few days. The bill is the result of
the investigation made by commit
tee of judges and lawyers into the
organization of the courts of the
state. This committee also expects
to present to the assembly bill pro-
viding that when appeals are taken
from orders of, the railroad or indus
trial commission that these shall. be
heard in the circuit courts where the
original complaint arises.
At the present time these matters
are all heard in the circuit court of
Dane county and this has been one of
the primary causes of congested liti-
cation in that circuit. Another bill
will recommend that a judge shall
$1,240,SS4 in Treasury.