Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-06-09
RE GENTS BILL IS
KILLED BY HOUSE
Act Provided for Farmer-Labor
Members of Boards.
CIVIL SERVICE BODY DOOMED
Measure Engrossed Doing Away With
State Commission land Creating
Office of Examiner-Appoint
ment by Governor.

MadisOn.-No law will be passed at
this session of the legislature requir-
ing the governor of the state to ap-
point farmers and lahOring men on the
boards of regents for the higher edu-
cational institutions Of the state. The
farmer organizations of the state have
demanded a law of this character.
Senator Titus bill for the appoint
ment of six members Of the boards OF
regents of the university, normal
schools and the state board of educa-
tiOn at large two Of whom shall be
women, two farmers and two appoint
ed from the manual arts trades, was
killed in the house by a vote of 40 to
40.
At first the bill was refused indeti'
mite pOstponement by vote of 81 to
35. Then the assembly refused to en-
gross the bill. The attack on the
measure was led by Assemblyman
Clark NJ. Perry Of Oshkosh. He said
that 1t would be as sensible to have
two butchers or two blackSmithS on
the board and that it was up to- the
governor to appoint whom he pleased.
Assemblyman John L. Dahl wanted TO
know If he did not believe In a repre-
sentative board of regents. This
stirred the Ire of Assemblyman Perry,
who charged politics.
The committee program for reduc-
ing the size of some of the uninpor-
tant commissions in the capitol was
favored in the assembly. The bill
changing the conservation commission
from three members to one member
was engrossed. This one member
would be appointed by the governor
for six-year term at salary of S4.-
500 annually.
Without debate the house engrOssed
the bill abolishing the state civil Serv-
ice commission and creating the office
of civil service examiner, appointed by
the governor for six years. at salary
of $4,000 annually.
Not few interesting resemblances
to noted persOnageS are visible in the
ItRlStdluIe- OI IlO" iihC
Gen. U. S. Grant is J. G. Hanson, as
semblyman for the east Dane county
district, with his close-cropped gray
hair and there Is Senator George
Staudenmayer of the Columbia
district, who Is something of replica
of General Pershing. while Assembly
man Rush Bulls of Eau Claire might
be readily taken for Thomas X. Mar
shall, vice president during the VIII
son reign; and who is not reminded
somewhat Of Abraham Lincoln when
John d. Grandine, assemblyman from
FOres county, begins the leisurely OPP
Grafton of unwinding himself prepara-
tory to speaking, and of Daniel Web
ster in the square and solemn vfSage
aud beetling brow of Assemblyman
Conrad Weittenhiller of Platteville.
Then comes Speaker Riley S. Young,
a veritable John D. Rockefeller facial
ly, If not at golf or In oil.
Attorney General William J. Nor
gan, in an opinion, declared that the
Dahl surtax rider attached to the
ISdC1lSkS ISlII Dt1l bg TIC hoSCiii-
bly, was constitutional.
The lower house amended the bill TO
the extent that the property tax pro-
vision which is to raise the needed ST.
100000 annually be replaced by sur
tax clause. The SurtaX amendment
put a fractional tax on incomes over
$4,000 and up to and over $4,000 when
a one-mill tax is assessed.
Deputy Attorney General Ralph NJ.
Hoyt, in an opinion, states that the
constitutional requirement of uniform
ity of taxation is not violated for two
reasons: first, the uniformity rule OF
the constitution with reference TO the
property taxes does not apply 10 In
come taxes, and secondly, because the
uniformity rule applies only to the
levy and assessment of taxes ard not
TO the distribution of taxes after they
have been collected.
The fact that the city of Milwaukee
Is already supporting a teachers pen
sion system Is not at all conclusive
upon the constitutional question of the
amendment, Mr.. Hoyt says. That is a
matter solely for the legislature to
consider In determining what is a just
distribution of the burden he holds.
The Ingalls, party convention bill
was sent to engrossment in the house
by vote of A to 43. This bill pro-
vides for a party convention system,
for the nomination Of state candidates
and the drafting Of a platform. Others
NAV be candidates, but the machine
will be back of the men indorsed by
the convention.