Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-01-21
WOULD CHANGE
The CONSTITUTION
Senator Huber Offers ResoIu-
tons to Permit |. and R.
FAVORED BY GOV. BLAINE
Stoughton Man Declares Constitution
al Amendments Should Be Adopt
ed in Wisconsin-WiII Bring
Government Closer to People.
By Fred 1. HOLMES.

BY FRED L. HOLMES.
Madison, Jan. 9.-ResolutionS to
change the Wisconsin constitution SO
as to permit of the initiative, referen-
dunn and recall were offered in the SEN
ate today by Senator II. A. Huber of
StOughton
In his statement Mr.. Huber pointed
out that the initiative and referendum
is means of popular expression on
legislation.
He said there was scarcely state
in the Union which does not explicitly
provide for the use of the initiative
and referendum in some form. Twenty
states have adopted the initiative and
referendum for statewide measures or
have provided for the application of
the principles of the initiative and ref
erendum and % states have adopted
the referendum alone. Certainly when
Massachusetts and Ohio have adopted
the initiative and referendum in recent
years Wisconsin ought not to lag be-
hind.
Mr.. Huber declares that the recall
has been adopted by the states of Ore
gon, California, Arizona, Colorado,
Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Michigan,
Kansas and Louisiana
Il believe that these constitutional
amendments should be adopted in Wis
consin,'' said Senator Huber. Cover
nor Blaine has recommended these
amendments to the legislature and /
believe that their adoption will result
IN bringing the government closer to
the people. Before a change can be
made in the Wisconsin constitution it
must pass two successive sessions OF
the legislature and then be approved
by the people. This will be the first
Legislature to which the amendments
have been reported"
Governor Blaine will call a special
election in Green Lake county this
week to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Assemblman Samuel Owens
of Green Lake county, whose funeral
was held Tuesday afternoon.
Assemblyman Edmund B. Grunwald
of the Fifth Milwaukee district, the
baby of the present legislature. is SO
youthful that he could probably de-
fend the title as youngest member
against all who have claimed the hon-
or in past sessions.
Mr.. Grunwald was twenty-one on
March 81. He cast his first vote for
himself and got elected.
"What am / going to do up here?"
pondered the infant Grunwald, who
was being carefully looked after by two
older Milwaukee members. well, I'll
watch the others awhile and get my
bearings before I start to overturn
things with new IDEAS"
In amateur athletics he is well
known, both as a swimmer and boxer.
He served with Company /, Nineteenth
infantry, Eighteenth division, during
the war
Mr.. Grunwald is a brother of John
L. Grunwald, private secretary to Con
gresham KlecZka.
A blue sky law governing sale of
unimproved land to settlers in north
ern Wisconsin will be proposed as one
Of the important measures of the pres
ent session of the legislature affecting
agriculture, Senator w. A. Titus of
Fond du Lac announced. He is pre-
pairing legislation to safeguard the
Wisconsin immigrants to the northern
sections of the state.
Under the proposed law application
would be made by the seller to the
state immigration commissioner at
Madison. Before the sale could be
consummated an investigation would
be made by the county agent or an
agent of the immigration commission
er, to establish the agricultural possi-
bilities of the land. Terms of the pro-
posed law would either give the agent
authority to refuse a permit for sale
or facts of the case could be put by
the agent to the prospective buyer,
leaving final determination up to him
after he had been given the facts.
'aThere is great need for protective
legislation safeguarding settlers from
buying farms which, after great time
and labor has been spent in clearing
them, prove to be unsuited for agricul-
ture,' said Senator Titus. Large
areas of the northern part of the state
are exceptionally well adapted to ag-
riculture after they are cleared. and
there appears to be no reason why
buyers should be inveigled into pur-
chase of land unfit for farming
Wisconsin would become a Mecca
for settlers if assurance could be
given them that the land they were
buying was fitted for agricultural pur-
poses. the senator explained. He said
that land companies would benefit
rather than suffer from the application
of a law which would keep bringing
large numbers of substantial buyers
to the state.
Constitutionality of the proposed
law was declared to be unquestioned,
because of the fact that courts have
upheld the blue sky law in its applica-
ton to the sale of stocks and bonds.
Legislation of the proposed nature is
declared to be unique by the leeisla-
tive reference library, which has found
practically no precedent on which to
base the drafting of the bin