782 



WISCONSIN. 



of 26 fire escapes was ordered, the repair of 76 

 unsafe elevators, the guarding or repair of 32 de- 

 fective or dangerous stairways or other openings, 

 the changing of 16 doors so as to swing outward, 

 the dismissal of 389 children illegally employed. 

 For the same two years the number of establish- 

 ments inspected was 2.463, with 119,026 male em- 

 ployees and 14,711 female employees. Some of 

 the returns under the " special investigation " into 

 child labor are significant; 215 establishments 

 were visited, employing 33,805 workers, of whom 

 practically 10 per cent, were under sixteen years 

 of age. and of these 4.6 per cent, under fourteen 

 years. The average weekly wage's were $2.61). The 

 inquiry further showed that 31 per cent, had 

 attended public schools and 58 per cent, parochial 

 schools exclusively, and nearly 11 per cent, had 

 attended both of these classes of schools. Also 

 that S2 per cent, were born in the United States 

 and IS per cent, in foreign countries. That 72 

 per cent, reported the occupation of the father 

 as that of common laborer, and 28 per cent, as that 

 of one or the other of the skilled trades; that 

 in 60 per cent, of the cases of the 1,216 children 

 who appeared young or weak, and whose homes 

 were visited, the parents owned their home and 

 some other property besides; that of 46 per cent, 

 the father had regular employment; that of 21 per 

 cent, the father was dead ; and that of 32 per cent, 

 the father was either sick or out of employment. 



Wisconsin, it is said, makes one fourth of the 

 cheese produced in the country; there are 2,000 

 cheese factories and 1,000 creameries. Green 

 County, which has a large Swiss population, sold 

 $1 ,200,000 worth of cheese in 1900. 



The report of the Game Warden gives the fol- 

 lowing data: In 1900 were issued 32,037 hunting 

 licenses, of which 231 were to nonresidents; the 

 license fees aggregated $32,316, a decrease of $3,500 

 from the year preceding. More deer were killed 

 2,568 shipped in 1900 and 1,953 in 1899; non- 

 residents killed 104 this year. Of 342 persons ar- 

 rested for violating the game laws, all but 21 

 were convicted; fines collected amounted to $4,800; 

 and there were 190 seizures of nets, spears, etc. 

 Twelve persons lost their lives by being mistaken 

 for deer, and 12 others were seriously wounded. 



The last Legislature appropriated $25,000 for an 

 exhibit at the Pan-American Exposition; the Gov- 

 ernor appointed a board of managers, which was 

 organized in March, with W. A. Van Brunt as 

 president and C. E. Reynolds secretary. 



Lands. The area of public land in the State 

 unappropriated and unreserved but surveyed, is 

 given as 3I3.:>ii5 acres; the area reserved, 365,353; 

 and appropriated, 34,595,962. In the fiscal term 

 ending Sept. 30, 1898, the agents sold 63,293 acres 

 of State lands for $211,871, and it was estimated 

 that those remaining unsold were worth only 

 about $500,000. The fund from all that have been 

 sold amounts to about $3,000,000. School districts 

 can borrow from it to build school houses, the 

 limit being 5 per cent, of the valuation of real 

 property in the district, and the time allowed 

 for payment fifteen years. 



The Forest Warden reported that there were 

 99 forest fires in 1900. aH'cHini: lti:i persons and 

 causing a loss of $23.906. The cost of extinguish- 

 ing them \va> $1.426. In 1S!I9 then- were only 1(1 

 I'm-, involving a property loss of $1.705 and a licet - 

 in- 1 I persons, while the cost of extinguishing 

 them was $502.97. 



Decisions on Laws. The legislative act pro- 

 viding that process may be served on private cor- 

 porations by leaving COpy with register of deeds 

 has been pronounced unconstitutional as taking 

 property without due process of law. 



Doubt having arisen as to the construction of 

 the law for taxing inheritances passed at the last 

 session of the Legislature, in view of the decision 

 of the United States Supreme Court that the Fed- 

 eral law does not impose a tax unless a legacy 

 amounts to $10,000, although the personal estate 

 may exceed that amount, the State Attorney- 

 General gave the opinion that the Wisconsin law 

 makes legacies taxable when less than $10,000. if 

 the total value of the estate is more than $10.000. 



Political. The State election took place in 

 November. There were five tickets Republican, 

 Democratic, Prohibition, Social-Democratic, and 

 Socialist-Labor. 



The Republicans chose delegates to the national 

 convention and presidential electors at large at 

 their first convention, April 25, in Milwaukee. 



The second Republican convention was held in 

 Milwaukee, Aug. 8. Eight names had been men- 

 tioned for the gubernatorial nomination, and 

 there were 6 avowed candidates R. M. La Fol- 

 lette, E. M. Rogers, J. M. Whitehead, A. M. Jones, 

 1. B. Bradford, and De W. Stebbins but before 

 the end of July all except Mr. La Follette had 

 withdrawn. This was a great surprise, as Mr. 

 La Follette has been out of harmony with his 

 party for some time at least with its leaders in 

 the State his ideas on politics and economics 

 being deemed too radical. He was nominated by 

 acclamation, and the present incumbents of the 

 other State offices were renominated without oppo- 

 sition. The platform declared in favor of some of 

 the changes in State law which Mr. La Follette 

 has most earnestly advocated, notably the nom- 

 ination of candidates by primary election and the 

 abolition of caucuses and conventions. It said : 



" We indorse the administration of Gov. Sco- 

 field and the other present State officers as clean, 

 capable, and businesslike; and heartily commend 

 its efforts toward carrying out the pledges of the 

 Republican State platform adopted at the conven- 

 tion of 1898. 



' " We recommend that caucuses and conventions 

 for the nomination of candidates for office be 

 abolished by legislative enactment, and that all 

 candidates lor State, legislative, congressional, and 

 county offices be nominated at primary elections 

 upon the same day, by direct vote, under the A us 

 tralian ballot. 



"The establishment by the last Republican 

 Legislature of a State tax commission for the 

 purpose of an exhaustive investigation of the com- 

 plicated questions of taxation was in accordance 

 with the nrinciples of sound public policy. 



" The growth and development of business and 

 commercial affairs require and necessitate large 

 aggregations of capital, and great enterprises may 

 be honestly and fairly conducted, with legitimate 

 profits to investment and substantial good to the 

 community: but combinations and trusts that de- 

 stroy competition, restrain trade, and create mo- 

 nopolies should be prohibited by law ; and we 

 demand the enactment of such legislation. Stale 

 and national, as shall render these abuses im- 

 possible. 



" We believe that the demand for better high- 

 ways, made by the farmers of Wisconsin, should 

 be encouraged by the State, as favoring an im- 

 provement of great practical value to the agri- 

 cult ural interests." 



Following is the ticket: For Governor, Mohert 

 M. I. a Follette: Lieutenant Governor, Jesse Stone; 

 Secretary of State, William II. Froehlich : State 

 Treasurer. .Tames O. Davidson; Attorney-* leneral. 

 Kmmett R. Hicks; State Superintendent. Loren/o 

 P. Harvey: 1,'aihoad Commissioner. Graham L. 

 Rice; Insurance Commissioner, Emil Giljohann; 



