I, Peter Doyle, Secretary of State of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct list of the Members of the Assembly of the State of Wisconsin, elected at the general election held on the second day of November, 1875, as appears from the certificates of the county clerks of the several counties named in the foregoing list, now on file in this office.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the great seal of the State of Wisconsin, at the Capitol, in Madison, this 12th day of January, A. D. 1876.

PETER DOYLE,
Secretary of State.

All the gentlemen above certified as members elect were present, and subscribed the oath of office, which was administered by Hon. E. G. Ryan, chief justice of the supreme court.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

There being a quorum present, and the Assembly qualified to do business,

On motion of N. D. Comstock,

The Assembly proceeded to the election of Speaker.

The roll being called,

Messsrs. Marshall, Fisk, Mills, M. Griffin, J. G. Griffin, Dole,

Seamonson, Lawrence, Bump, Stocking, Scribner, Putnam, Jones, Bock, Brown, Luchsinger, Flint, Coates, Phillips, Curtis, Booth, Bradley, Neff, Fagg, Vance, Kraatz, Ellsworth, Fink, Zautcke, Colburn, Carbys, Anderson, Field, Hoyt, Pullen, Gleason, Barlass, Merrill, Hulburt, Seymour, Noll, Comstock, Stevenson, Jordan, Teeple, Reynolds, Stearns, Dent, Walker, McArthur, Schufelt, and Chase-52.

Voted for Samuel S. Fifield: and

Messrs. Resch, Dewane, Lees, Horst, Wiltse, Fergus Mills, Zander, Johnson, P. Griffin, Germain, Kite, Schott, Higgins, Washburn, Brost, McCoy, Gray, Schinnick, Robinson, Zorn, Mohr, Tische, Goodell, Ringle, Drew. Keogh, Cook, Walther, Lavies, Wells, Pahl, Hammel, Goetze, Taylor, White, McCollum, Blount, Boyden, Knowlton, Wedig, Wolf, Schneider, Martin, Hardy, Mumbrue, and Wall-46.

Voted for Mr. Charleton.

Samuel S. Fifield voted for Wm. J. Fisk.

Wm. Charleton voted for Edward Lees.

Mr. Fifield having received a majority of all the votes cast, was declared elected Speaker.

Messrs. Charleton, Ellsworth, and Lees, were appointed a committee to escort the Speaker elect to the Chair, who, upon assuming the chair, said:

GENTLEMEN OF THE ASSEMBLY:-For the high honor conferred upon me in my election as your Speaker, I return you my sincere thanks.

presiding

Coming to the chair as I do with little experience as a officer, I am distrustful of my ability to acceptably serve you. shall make mistakes. I bespeak the kind assistance and charitable forbearance of you all, promising to serve you with faithfulness and strict impartiality to the best of my ability.

We meet here to-day as the representatives of the people of a thriving State to legislate for their benefit, and to promote the general good of the commonwealth. Many matters of weighty importance will be presented to us for our consideration; and while the demand of the hour is economy, a short session and a general retrenchment of expenses, still I trust that no member of this Assembly will for a moment believe that through hasty legislation economy can be secured, but that every item of moment should receive due and timely consideration, and be acted upon deliberately, and so, judiciously. Hasty legislation, to my mind, is one of the greatest evils permitted by our system of government, and should be more carefully guarded against in the future than it has been in the past.

Let us now give ourselves entirely to the work before us, seeking to accomplish that which will be for the greatest good of the greatest number, without prejudicing the interests of capital or labor, but rather endeavor to decide upon all questions bearing upon that great irrepressible conflict, so that equal and exact justice may be done the capitalists developing the material interests of the State; and the hard-working tax-paying people. Coming here strangers

to each other, let our intercourse be such that, when the heated contests are over, when the excitement incident to the routine of legislation has passed away, and it shall become my duty to sound the gavel for the last time during the session of 1876-the Centennial year of our country's history and glory-we may return to our homes bearing with us pleasant memories of the scenes enacted here, and of our social companionships.

Again thanking you, gentlemen, for your compliment, I ask what is the further pleasure of the Assembly?

On motion of Mr. Keogh,

The Assembly proceeded to the election of Chief Clerk of the Assembly.

The roll being called,

Messrs. Marshall, Fifield, Fisk, H. B. Mills, M. Griffin, J. G. Griffin, P. O. Dole, Seamonson, Lawrence, Bump. Stocking, Scribner, Putnam, Jones, Rock, Brown, Luchsinger, Flint, Coates, Phillips, Curtis, Booth, Bradley, Neff, Fagg, Vance, Kraatz, Ellsworth, Fink, Zautcke, Colburn, Carbys, Anderson, Field, Hoyt, Pullen, Gleason, Barlass, Merrill, Hulburt, Seymour, Knoll, Comstock, Stevenson, Jordan, Teeple, Reynolds, Stearns, Dent, Walker, McArthur, Chase, and Shufelt-53.

Voted for R. M. Strong.

Messrs. Resch, Dewane, Lees, Horst, Wiltse, F. Mills, Charlton Zander, Johnson, P. Griffin, Germain, Kite, Schott, Higgins, Washborn, Brost, McCoy. Gray, Schinnick, Robinson, Zorn, Mohr, Tische, Goodell, Ringle, Drew, Keogh, Cook, Walther, Davies, Mills,Pahl, Hammel, Knowlton, Goetze, Taylor, White, McCollum, Blount, Boyden, Mumbrue, Wedig, Wolf, Schneider, Martin, Hardy, and Thos. Wall-47.

Voted for Jabez R. Hunter.

Mr. Strong having received a majority of all the votes cast, was declared to be elected Chief Clerk of the Assembly.

The oath of office was administered by the Speaker, and he entered upon the duties of the office.

On motion of Mr. Charleton,

The Assembly proceeded to the election of Sergeant-at-Arms. Messrs. Marshall, Fifield, Fisk, H. B. Mills, M. Griffin, J. G. Griffin, A. O. Dole, Seamonson, Lawrence, Bump, Stocking, Scribner, Putnam, Jones, Bock, Brown, Luchsinger, Flint, Coates, Phillips, Curtis, Booth, Bradley, Neff, Fagg, Vance, Ellsworth, Fink, Zautcke, Colburn, Carbys, Anderson, Field, Hoyt, Pullen, Gleason, Barlass, Merrill, Hulburt, Seymour, Knoll, Comstock, Stevenson, Jordan, Teeple, Reynolds, Stearns, Dent, Walker, McArthur, Chase, and Schufelt-52.

Voted for Elisha Starr.

Messrs. Resch, Dewane, Lees, Horst, Wiltse Fergus Mills, Charleton, Zander, Johnson, Germain, Kite, Schott, Higgins, Washburn, Brost, McCoy, Gray, Schinnick, Robinson, Zorn, Mohr, Tisch, Goodell, Ringle, Drew, Keogh, Cook, Kraatz, Walther, Lavies, Wells, Pahl, Goetze, Taylor, White, McCollum, Blount, Boyden, Hammel, Knowlton, Wedig, Wolf, Schneider, Martin, Hardy, Mumbrue, and Wall-48.

Voted for Charles Oesthelder.

Mr. Starr, having received a majority of all the votes cast, was declared to be elected Sergeant-at-Arms of the Assembly.

The oath of office was administered by the Speaker, and he entered upon the discharge of his duties.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE.

By A. J. TURNER, Chief Clerk thereof:

MR. SPEAKER: I am directed to inform you that the Senate is duly organized by the election of A. J. Turner as Chief Clerk, E. T. Gardiner, Sergeant-at-Arms, and R. L. D. Potter, President pro tem., and is ready to proceed to business.

By Mr. Pullen:

RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED.

Res. No. 1, A.,

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk inform the Senate that the Assembly is now organized by the election of Hon. S. S. Fifield as Speaker, R. M. Strong as Chief Clerk, and Elisha Starr as Sergeantat-Arms and is now ready to proceed to business.

Adopted.

By Mr. White:

Res. No. 2, A.,

Resolved, That the rules of the last Assembly are hereby adopted as the rules of this Assembly until otherwise ordered.

Adopted.

By Mr. Chase:

Res. No. 3, A.,

Resolved, That the members of the Assembly do now proceed to the drawing of seats, as follows: That the members retire to the lobby, and that the Clerk put the name of each member on a separate piece of paper, and put all of said pieces in a box to be drawn therefrom one at a time, and upon the drawing of the name of any member he shall select his seat and announce the number thereof, and shall occupy said seat until the drawing is completed under the penalty of losing his claim thereto, or remove his desk to another part of the Assembly Chamber after he shall have selected his seat.

Adopted.

By Mr. Comstock:

Res. No. 4, A.,

Resolved, That the use of the Assembly Chamber be and the same is hereby granted to the Hesperian and Calliopean Societies of the State University, Friday evening, January 14, for the purpose of joint discussion on taxation of church property.

Laid over.

By Mr. Coates:

Res. No. 5, A.,

Resolved, That the Speaker is hereby requested to invite the resident clergy of the city of Madison to open the Assembly on each morning during the session with prayer.

Which was adopted by the following vote:

Ayes-Messrs. Anderson, Barlass, Blount, Booth, Boyden, Brown, Bump, Charleton, Curtis, Coates, Colburn, Chase, Dent, Dole, Drew, Fagg, Field, Fiske, Germaine, Gleason, Goodell, Gray, M. Griffin, J. G. Griffin, Hammel, Hardy, Hoyt, Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Keogh, Kite, Knowlton, Lawrence, Luchsinger, Martin, McArthur, McCoy, McCollum, Merrill, H. B. Mills, F. Mills, Mohr, Mumbrue, Neff, Pullen, Resch, Reynolds, Schneider, Schott, Scribner, Seamonson, Seymour, Shufeit, Stearns, Stevenson, Stocking, Teeple, Walker, Wall, Washburn, White, Wiltse, and Mr. Speaker-64.

Nays-Messrs. Bradley, Brost, Comstock, Cook, Corbys, Dewane, Fink, Goetze, P. Griffin, Higgins, Horst, Hulburt, Kraatz, Lavies, Lees, Marshall, Noll, Pahl, Phillips, Putman, Ringle, Schinnick, Taylor, Tisch, Vance, Walther, Wedig, Wells, Wolf, Zander, Zautcke, and Zorn-33.

By Mr. Hardy:

Jt. Res., No. 1, A..

Resolved, by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That the joint rules of the last Senate and Assembly are hereby adopted as the joint rules of this Senate and Assembly, until otherwise ordered. Adopted.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE.

By A. J. TURNER, Chief Clerk thereof:

Mr. SPEAKER:-I am directed to inform you that the Senate has adopted and asks the concurrence of the Assembly in the adoption of

Jt. Res., No. 1, S.,

Appointing a joint committee to wait upon his excellency the Governor, to inform him that the legislature is organized and ready to receive any communication he may have to make, and has appointed on the part of the Senate, Senators Barron and R. E. Davis, as such committee.

Said resolution was concurred in, and Messrs. Ellsworth, Barlass, and Lees were appointed as such committee on the part of the Assembly.

REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE.

The joint committee appointed to wait on his excellency, the Governor, to inform him that the legislature has organized and is ready to receive any communication he may have to submit, have