River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-06-09
REGENTS BILL IS
KILLED BY HOUSE
Act Provided for Farmer-Labor
Members of Boards.
CIVIL SERVICE BODY DOOMED
Measure Engrossed Doing Away With
State Commission and Creating
Office Of neutrality-suspicious.
ment by Governor.

Madison.-No law will be passed at
this session of the legislature requlr-
ing the governor of the state to ap-
point farmers and laboring 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 or
regents of the university, normal
schools and the state board of educa-
ton 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 vote of 40 to
40.
At first the bill was refused indefi-
mite postponement by vote of 81 TO
80. 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 it would be as sensibl" 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 unimpor-
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 a salary of $4,-
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 a few interesting resemblances
to noted personages are visible in the
legislature. For example, how like
Gen. e. 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 Sauk-Columbia
district, who is something of replica
of General Pershing, while Assembly
man Rush Bulls of Eau Claire might
be readily taken for Thomas r. Mar
shall, vice president during the Will
son reign; and who is not reminded
somewhat of Abraham Lincoln when
John d. Grandine, assemblyman from
Forest county, begins the leisurely OPP
Grafton of unwinding himself prepare
tory TO speaking, and of Daniel Web
ster in the square and solemn visage
and beetling brow of Assemblyman
Conrad Weittenhiller of Platteville.
Then comes Speaker Riley S. Young,
a veritable John d. Rockefeller facial
", 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
teachers retirement bill by the assem-
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 fractional tax on incomes over
$4,000 and up to and over $1,000 when
a one-mfll fax is assessed
Deputy Attorney General Ralph Nj.
Hoyt. in an opinion, states that the
constitutional requirement OF uniform
ify of taxation is not violated for two
reasons: first, the uniformity rule OF
the constitution with reference TO the
property taxes does not apply to in
come taxes, and secondly, because the
uniformity rule applies only to the
levy and assessment of taxes and not
to the distribution of taxes after they
have been collected.
The fact that the city of Milwaukee
is already supporting teachers pen
sion system is not at all conclusive
upon the constitutional question of the
amendment, Mr.. Hoyt says. That is
matter solely for the legislature 20
consider in determining what IS just
distribution of the burden he holds.
The ingalls, party convention bill
was sent to engrossment in the house
by a vote of A to 43. This bill pro-
vides for a party convention system,
for the nomination of state candidates
and the drafting of platform. Others
may be candidates, but the machine
will be back of the men indorsed by
the convention.