River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-05-10
ASSEMBLY REFUSES
BALLOT TO WOMEN
Suffrage Referendum Bill Defeat
ed by a Vote of Forty-0ne
to Forty-Four.
WILL BE UP AGAIN SOON
Attorney General Demands That Price
Fixing in Wisconsin Stop-WiIl
Prosecute All Vic.
iators.

| the assembly, by vote Of Al to "A. de-
| feated the wOman's suffrage bill, mo-
| ton for reconsideration has been en-
tered and the bill will come up for fur
| ther consideration again. The suffrage
referendum bill in its original form
provided for submitting the question
| to the voters at the general election IN
| 1918.
When considered by the house
| last an amendment was Incorporated,
offered by Assemblyman John G. Chap
pie of Ashland, providing for the ref
erendum at the spring election in 1920.
Much to the surprise of the suffrage
| leaders, when the bill came up for con-
sideration on the floor of the assembly
on final passage, it was defeated. The
motion to kill the bill was made by AS
semblyman e. J. Poole of Ozaukee
county. Assemblyman A. G. Otto of
| Milwaukee announced that, as amend
ed by Chapple, the suffrage bill was
| unconstitutional.
Wilcox Bill Laid Over.
The house laid over the Wilcox bill
and the resolution to print 10000
copies of President Wilson's war mes
sage. At the suggestion Of Speaker
| Whittet consideration was delayed be-
cause he believed that President Will
sons proclamation on CONSUMPTION
will be issued by that time and should
| be incorporated in the issued booklet.
Because the house tabled the Wilcox
/ nf
President Wilson's message on the
| ground that it was not accompanied
with an appropriation measure, the
| joint finance committee has offered a
bill appropriating $500 for this pur-
pose. This measure will be pushed
passage SO that the message may be i'm
mediately published.
Price Fixing Must End.
Price fixing in Wisconsin must come
| to an end. This is the mandate which
emanated from the Office of Attorney
General Walter G. Owen after consid-
ering the situation at Madison, where
the dealers and producers met and
agreed to advance the price of milk in
this city from 8 cents to 10 cents a
quart. The mandate Of Attorney Gen
eral Owen goes to all producers Of the
state and declares he will prosecute
| and demand full penalty in all cases
of price fixing in Wisconsin. He in.
| vites the public to send in their cSRn-
plants whenever price fixing is discov-
cred. Attorney General Owen said it
was possible to collect penalty of
from $50 to $4,000 for every violation
caused by combinations Of persons to
fix prices. Many of the members of
the legislature have gone to the attOr-
ney generals Office to inquire as to
whether there was sufficient machinery
to protest against price fixing cOmbi-
nations and it is probable that bill
will be introduced in the legislature
greatly extending the power of the at
torney general in this regard.
Speaker Whittet and other leaders of
the legislature are being interviewed
as to the ACCESSIBILITY of securing addi-
tional legislation to cope with the ris-
ing prices throughout the state, espe-
cially where these boosts are made
through secret or open combinations of
producers and dealers.
There will be no primary election
legislation at this session. The defeat
of the Bray bill by vote Of 10 to u
effectively forecloses the threats OF
tampering with the primary election
law at this SSsiOn.
Close Fight Predicted.
The fight on the Evjue referendum
bill promises to be closer in the SEN
ate than in the house. 1t is said that
the contest may be decided by one
vote in the senate, and that this sena-
tor is undecided. The principal argu-
ment that is now being made against
the bill is that the war is on and
vote on this subject will still further
engender strained feelings. Two men,
who three weeks ago were rated as be-
ing with the drys, are now said to be
wavering.
Senator w. T. Stevens, chairman of
the committee which heard the bill,
said that the measure would be re-
ported out for action in the senate.
That both sides to the contest realize
that 1t is a neck-to-neck race is indi-
Gated by the regular avalanche of pc
titions that are being received on the
measure. Over half an hour q day is
occupied in reading the titles to peti-
tons on this subject presented in the
upper house.
Assembly Manual.
The assembly manual which has
just been issued, Is regular legislative
textbook and has attracted such atten-
ton that requests have come from
number of schools for it's use in con-
nection with classes in civics. The
manual is more complete than any
other previously issued, and close
reading of it gives a complete history
of legislative procedure and how bills
are handled and disposed of in the leg
islature. The book was compiled IN
der the direction of G. E. Shaffer, chief
nlnrly nf fh,a n ccnnahly who &c now SprV-