After being called to order by the president, On motion of Senator Bailey, the senate adjourned. FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1879. The senate met. The president in the chair. The roll being called, the following senators responded to their names: Senators Anderson, Andrews, Bailey, Burrows, Campbell, Chipman, Dering, Grimmer, Haben, Hathaway, Houghton, Hudd, Hyde, Kellogg, McFetridge, Morgan, Paul, Price, Reynolds, Richardson, Richmond, Sacket, Scott, Swain, Van Schaick, Van Steenwyk, Welch and Wolf. RESOLUTIONS. By Senator Price; Jt. Res. No. 5, S., WHEREAS, A bill for reorganizing the army was introduced in the senate and house of representatives of the United States, December 12, 1878, which bill contains provisions which we deem to be unjust and discriminating, and opposed to the interests of our state and the whole country, among which provisions are the following: "Section 444. That the secretary of war and the three general officers of the highest rank in the army shall constitute a commis sion to sell and dispose of all military posts, arsenals, armories and barracks that are now or may become unnecessary for the military service. * * "Section 586. ** * * But hereafter, ordnance and ordnance stores shall not be fabricated by the government, and the unexpended balances of existing appropriations for that purpose, shall be available only for the purchase, preservation and repair of the same." * * * "" "Section 589. That ordnance and ordnance stores shall be provided by purchase, by contract, or in open market. Thus providing, in section 446, for the sale of such armories and arsenals as may become unnecessary, and then providing, in section 586, for making these establishments unnecessary, by prohibiting their use, thus sacrificing national property, worth many millions of dollars, and national establishments absolutely necessary for national defense in time of war, and, it is gravely feared, in the interests of a few rich arms manufacturing companies, located in one section of the country; - AND WHEREAS, Our region of country, viz., the Mississippi Valley, the Northwest, and most of the southern states, has but one source of supply of material of war the Rock Island armory and arsenal where the government, profiting by the sad experience of the late war, has now provided the means of manufacturing and supplying quickly to great armies, the very best and latest models of arms and other material of war, thus avoiding the great danger and incalculable expense of being dependent upon private contractors for means of national defense in times of great peril; AND WHEREAS, said bill not only provides for abolishing this armory and arsenal by rendering apparently useless, and selling it, but also provides, in various other sections, for crippling and destroying the ordnance department, that that department may be prevented ever hereafter from using the national armories and arsenals, and showing thereby the great loss and danger to the nation of being forced to procure certain material of war from private contractors; AND WHEREAS, even if the private establishments in eastern states were able and willing to supply us, surely and quickly, with needed material of war, in sudden emergencies, it is highly probable that we might at such times be cut off from these establishments, and be left with no source of supply whatever; AND WHEREAS, We believe it to be the duty of the government to insure, by careful scientific study and careful experiments, that our country shall keep place with other nations in the character and perfection of its material of war, which can only be done at the national establishment; AND WHEREAS, We further believe that the organization of regiments, as proposed in said bill, is not suited to military service in our peculiar country, and particularly that it is not suited to our peculiar volunteer and militia system, upon which we are forced to depend for safety in any war of magnitude; AND WHEREAS, We further believe that the unusual and great powers which various sections of said bill, especially sections 76, 79, 120, 124, 125 and 153, propose to confer on military commanders, by permitting them to absorb the powers and civil duties belonging to the secretary of war, by transferring from that officer and the president to the military commander, the control of the staff departments and national establishments, by and through which the secretary of war has heretofore applied for appropriations of congress for the support of the army, is unconstitutional and inconsistent with our form of government, and might be, in time of national trouble, a dangerous power to confer on men who are in a measure independent of civil control, and have the force of armories to obey their commands and enforce their wills; therefore, be it Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the senators of the United States and members of congress from the state of Wisconsin be and are requested to do all in their power to defeat the passage of said bill. Referred to committee on Military Affairs and ordered printed. BILLS INTRODUCED. Read first and second times and referred. By Senator Scott: No. 2, S., A bill to authorize Nicholas Abrahamson to build, keep and maintain a dam or dams across the Wiergor river, a tributary of the Chippewa river, in Chippewa county. To committee on Roads and Bridges. REPORTS. By Senator Van Steenwyk: "OFFICE OF LUMBER INSPECTOR." District No. 2, LA CROSSE, Wis., January 7th, 1879. To the honorable, the legislature of Wisconsin: Agreeable to section 13, chapter 83, of general laws of 1861, I have the honor to transmit herewith a statement of amount of logs scaled, and lumber manufactured in the lumber district during the season of 1878: Amount logs scaled at mouth of Black River..... Total product of Black River.... Feet. 112,232,880 3,100,000 115,332,880 Res. No. 4, S., RESOLUTIONS CONSIDERED. Resolved, That the superintendent of public property be directed to furnish each senator with one copy of the revised statutes of 1878, and one copy of the general laws of 1878. Senator Price offered the following amendment: Amend by adding the words "to be returned to the superintendent of public property at the end of the session." The amendment offered by Senator Price was rejected. Amend by striking out, in the 3d line, the words "one copy of the laws of 1878," and inserting in lieu thereof the words "one copy of the journals of the senate and assembly of the session of 1878." Rejected. The resolution was then adopted. RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED. By Senator Welch: Res. No. 6, S., Resolved, That so much of the governor's message as relates to the public finances, state debt, the assessment of property, property. exempt from taxation, taxes and estimates of revenues, be referred to the committee on Finance, Banks and Insurance. So much as relates to education, be referred to the committee on Education. So much as relates to the state prison, industrial school for boys, benevolent institutions; so much as relates to the financial affairs of the institutions for the deaf and dumb, the dependent children and imbecile, and the state board of charities and reform, be referred to the committee on Charitable and Penal Institutions. So much as relates to the state board of health, the geological survey, and fish culture, to the committee on State Affairs. So much as relates to insurance supervision, to the committee on Finance, Banks and Insurance. So much as relates to railroads, to the committee on Railroads. So much as relates to military and tramps, to the committee on Military Affairs. So much as relates to the Superior harbor, to the committee on Federal Relations. So much as relates to productive industries, to the committee on Agriculture. So much as relates to the institution for the deaf and dumb, to a special joint committee, consisting of two from the senate and three from the assembly. LETTERS, PETITIONS, ETC. By Senator Richardson: No. 1, S., Petition of Robert Powell, and forty other citizens of Rock county, asking for the passage of a law making death the penalty for murder in the first degree. To committee on State Affairs. IN MEMORIAM. On motion of Senator Hudd, The special order for 10:30 A. M. being relative to the death of senator elect Charles H. Phillips, Senator Burrows spoke as follows. MR. PRESIDENT: The meeting of this body to enter upon the duties of this session has reminded us of an event which we all deeply deplore. The pleasure of assembling has been darkened, and the darkness which has fallen upon it is "the shadow of death." brother senators, Mr. president, as is well known to you and my on the first day of the new year, Charles H. Phillips, senator-elect from the twenty-third district, with scarcely a moment's warning, was required to take that long journey from which no traveler re turns. Since we have assembled during the present session, we have been constantly reminded of that sad fact and our great loss by the emblems of mourning upon his desk and draped around his vacant chair. Mr. Phillips was a frank, out spoken man, who wore his heart upon his sleeve, and always expressed his opinions without any evasion of mind whatever. His honesty, purity of character and integrity were unimpeachable and above suspicion. He was greatly beloved by all who knew him. Warm and generous in his impulses, affable in manners, as a friend, ever faithful and true, and as you well know, Mr. president, having been a friend and neighbor of his for many years for geniality of heart and pleasing address, he had few, if any, superiors. A gentleman of the old school, simple and unaffected as a child, with feelings as tender as a girl, and convictions of mind as firm as adamant, he was a man preeminently honest and pure, the impersonation of personal honor and official integrity. His aims were unselfish, his hands were clean, his life was pure and full of the tenderest affection for a noble and loving wife but the crowning virtue of his character was his absolute integrity and uprightness. "His life was gentle, and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world: This was a man." He was regarded by men of all parties in his county as an honest man, as a man of superior ability and judgment, and his death 3 - S. J. |