county, for a change from the present system of county government to commissioners;

Also,

By Mr. Blackman:

Mem. No. 95, A., of Jonathan Mosher and 95 others, praying for a change in the county government system;

Which were severally laid aside to await the action of the Senate upon J. Res. No. 41, A.

By Mr. Cole:

Mem. No. 96, A, of D. M. Parkinson and 32 other legal voters of Lafayette county, for a law providing for removal of the county seat, and against striking off any portion of said ¿county;

Also,

Mem. No. 97, A., of Elihu Hall and 42 other legal voters of Lafayette county, for a law providiug for the removal of the county seat, and against the striking off any portion of the territory of said county;

Which were severally referred to

The committee on Town and County Organization.

By Mr. Blackman:

Mem. No. 98, A., of F. Lester and others praying for a change of time of paying the interest on swamp land certificates;

To committee on Swamp and Overflowed Lands.

By Mr. McMichael:

Mem. No. 99, A., remonstrance of J. A. Somerly and Royal C. Bierce, editors of North Western Times, against the reduction of the price of legal printing;

To the committee on Printing;

By Mr. Horn:

Res. No. 52, A.,

Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to communicate to the Assembly any correspondence with the Secretary of the Interior, the commissioner of the General Land Office, or with any other person in authority at Washington, which he or his predecessor in office may have had concerning a change of the manner of selecting the the swamp and overflowed lands donated to this State by an act of Congress.

On motion of Mr. Horn, the rules were suspended for the purpose of considering said resolution.

Mr. Cobb moved to amend by striking out all after the word "resolved," and inserting,

"That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to communicate to the Assembly any correspondence with any of the

departments at Washington on the subject of the mode of selecting the swamp and overflowed lands donated to this State by act of Congress, which has been had or received by his Excellency, or any of his predecersors; also copies of any letters of instruction to the Surveyor General, at Dubuque, en said subject, which may be in the possession of the Governor, as well any other information on said subject as may be in the possession of the Governor ;

Which amendment was accepted by Mr. Horn,

And the resolution as amended was adopted.

By Mr. Horn:

Res No. 53, A.,

Whereas, An Institution is located near the city of Madison called the University of the State of Wisconsin, and

Whereas, His Excellency, the Governor, in his Message, does not even mention such an Institution, whereby information about the same might have been afforded to this Assembly; therefore,

Resolved, That a select committee of three be appointed by the Speaker, who shall report to the Assembly at an early day 1st, Whether this Legislature has any control, or can exercise any authority over the affairs of said institution; and

2d. If so, to investigate the financial condition of the same, the cost of buildings, for what these buildings are, and what number of students have attended, and from whence;

3d. Whether that institution has ever been of any benefit to the people of this State, outside the city of Madison, and

4th. Whether it would not be for the best interests of the State to donate said institution to the city of Madison, under the condition to pay the debts of the same, if any there be, and release the State from all other liabilities;

Which lies over.

BILLS, &c.,.

Introduced on leave granted, read first and second times, and referred:

By Mr. Palmer :

No. 150, A., a bill to amend sec. 22, chap. 132, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "of issues, mode of trial and judgment in civil actions";

To committee on the Judiciary, and

Ordered printed.

And

No. 151, A., a bill in relation to appeals in equity cases;

To committee on the Judiciary, and

Ordered printed.

By Mr. Goodwin :

No. 152, A., a bill for an act to amend chap. 151, of the Session Laws of 1859, entitled "an act relating to proceedings for the collection of demands against ships, boats and vessels, and to repeal chapter 150, of Revised Statutes;

To committee on Judiciary, and

Ordered printed.

By Mr. Whittlesey :

No. 153, A., a bill for an act to amend sections 2 and 3, of the Private and Local Laws of 1859, "entitled an act to incorporate the La Pointe Iron Company," approved March 5th, 1859;

To committee on Incorporations.

By Mr. Fairchild:

No. 154, A., a bill for an act to amend an act entitled "an act to incorporate the city of Madison;"

To committee on the Judiciary.

By Mr. Keogh:

No. 155, A., a bill for an act to authorize the aldermen of the third ward of the city of Milwaukee, to issue ward bonds for the purchase of real estate for the use of said ward;

To committee composed of the delegation from city of Milwaukee.

By Mr. Griswold:

No. 156, A., a bill for an act to amend section 16, of chapter 35, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "Of Excise;" To committee on the Judiciary.

By Mr. Cobb:

No. 157, A., a bill for an act to amend an act entitled "an act to incorporate the Mutual Life Insurance Company of the city of Madison, approved March 19, 1859;"

To committee on Incorporations.

By Mr. Lewis :

No. 158, A., a bill to amend chapter 222, of the Session Laws of 1859, entitled "an act to change the name of Amanda Louisa Crumb, to Amanda Louisa Brand;"

To committee on Incorporations.

By Mr. Elmore :

No. 159, A., a bill for an act relating to public officers and their duties;

To committees on Incorporations.

By Mr. Bouck:

No. 160, A., a bill for an act to amend section 7, of chapter 133, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "of costs and fees;' To committee on the Judiciary, and

Ordered printed.

By Mr. Ordway:

No. 161, A., a bill for an act to amend chapter 167, of General Laws of 1859, entitled "an act to amend chapter 167, of the Revised Statutes, entitled 'of the assessment and collection of taxes' "

To select committee under Res. No. 22, A.

By Mr. Cobb :

No. 162, A., a bill for an act to amend chapter 139, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "of appeals and writs of error, and proceedings thereon";

To committee on the Judiciary.

And

No. 163, A., a bill for an act to amend chapter 134, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "of executions, and proceedings supplementary thereto";

To committee on the Judiciary.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.

The committee on Engrossed Bills respectfully report that they have examined the following bills and find them to be correctly engrossed:

No. 80, A., a bill for an act to amend sections 66 and 84, of chap. 19, of the Revised Statutes, entitled "of highways and bridges.'

J. Res. No. 14, A.,

Relative to reducing the capital stock of banks.

M. HOWLAND, Ch'n. The joint committee on Printing to whom was referred Mems. Nos. 41, 42, 49, 50, 52, 54, 55, 56, 59, 62, 63, 70, 75, the same being

Petitions and remonstrances of Editors and Publishers of this State in regard to fees for the publication of sales of lands for taxes and of legal notices, do report that they have had the subject matter of such petitions, &c., under consideration, and from such examination it is the opinion of your committee,

1st. That the printers business, as a trade or profession, should not be a creature of Legislative enactments or regulations, in regard to what reward it shall have for its labors. We believe that competition which settles the prices of labor in

every department of business, would operate equally strong in the business of printing.

2d. That inasmuch as it has become the policy of this State, to regulate such fees, by enactments, we think it unwise and unjust, to diminish the fees now in force.

3d. That the fees for the publication of tax lists may be regarded in the light of penalty. No man need pay them if he comply with the law and pay his taxes at the proper time. That while taxes may be collected from resident owners of property by forced sales and distress in personal property, the non-resident land owner is entirely beyond the reach of such procedures, and he can let his taxes run three years, or longer, and will, in most cases take time, if he can find a sure profitable investment for his money.

4th. That legal advertisements, tax lists, &c. take precedence of all other matter in a newspaper, and a publisher is requir ed to exercise more than ordinary care and attention in setting up and printing such kind of work, also the kind of type used in setting up a tax list is peculiar and costly, and can be used for no other purpose, and even now with all these disabilities, the fees for this kind of advertisements do not exceed on an average the fees charged for ordinary advertising.

For these and other reasons your committee recommend the passage of the resolution accompanying this report.

J. Res. No. 15, A.,

GEORGE B. GOODWIN, Ch'n.

Resolved, by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That it would be unjust and unwise to alter the rates of legal printing, now established by law,

Which, debate being intimated, lies over.

The committee on Town and County Organization have had under consideration

No. 66, A., a bill for an act to divide the town of Wheatland and create the town of Randall, in the county of Kenosha; Also,

Mem. Nos. 3, 31 and 32, A., for the division of Wheatland, and to create the town of Randall;

Also,

Mem. No. 36, A., remonstrating against the division of the town of Wheatland, and the creating of the town of Randall.

The committee have had the whole matter under consideration and are of the opinion, that as the county board of supervisors have the power to lay out new towns in their several counties, it would not be proper for the Assembly to take any further on in the matter, and authorize me to report the back with a recommendation that the whole matter be inely postponed.

J. P. DICKSON, Ch'n.