The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-02-17
Michigan Legislature.

! nomlnally extended two days longe
S for the purpose of affording the presid
ing officers of the two houses time t
sign enrolled bills for the approval o
the Governor, etc. The two house
remained in session until IL o'clock tbi
evening, and transacted large amour
of business. That the Legislature ha
been eminently working one there i
no reason to doubt. There was $,
strong an outside pressure for local O
private legislation from every quarte
that it was almost impossible for mem
bers to resist its influence, and it wa.
only during the past week that they
have been able to attend to the in
terests of the State at large.
Some idea may be formed of the
amount of local legislation which has
been done, from the fact that the chair
man of one committee alone that OF
towns and counties = reported about
eighty bills for the organization of new
townships or counties, for changing the
boundaries of the former, for detaching
them from one district and attaching
them to another, or for charging their
territory, and other committees have
been as prolific as his, and, indeed,
some OF them more so. There has
been an endless number of bills re-
ported by the Judiciary committee
upon all conceivable subjects, but most
ly to amend the Compiled Laws. If
all the bills reported says the Detroit
-1ocertsser, for this purpose had been
enacted into laws, they would make
a volume nearly as large as the one
they were designed to amend.
Many of the acts passed at this SEES
sion are fraught with the most import
ant consequences to the State, and
cannot fail to elevate its character. and
promote its future prosperity to an ex-
tent beyond any measures adopted
since the Republicans came into power.
The most important measure before
the Legislature-the bill providing for
the drainage and reclamation of the
Swamp Lands by means of system
OF State roads, passed both Houses,
and has become law. The act will
render doubly important and valuable
the one giving to actual settlers upon
the swamp lands under judicious re-
strictions, forty acres of swamp lands,
and the two together will make the
north In a very few years, what the
other part of the State now is. From
this time forward emigrants will
speedily flow into the new counties.
and take possession of our vast uncut
tiyated, but rich productive territory.
Acts have been passed authorizing
. geological survey of the State, and
for the appointment of an emigrant
agent. Both acts are said to be of
great benefit to the State.
The Registry Law act has fnaii;,
passed both Houses, and is probably,
1t this time, a statute of the State. We
rave last week a comprehensive synop- I
lis of the bill, SO that all who wished i
could become acquainted with its pro- t
'isions. As all elective governments Il
est upon the purity of the elective t
ranchise, the passage of this bill was t
an almost absolute neaessi- Z
Y. The bitter determination the Lo- i
ofocos showed to defeat it, would, of il
self, have been sufficient evidence of C
his necessity without the positive P
roof of stupendous frauds which S
very election affords. 1t seems to be e
ell guarded and considered, and we b
elieve is destined to be one of the il
lost popular acts ever recorded on b
ur statute books. n
All the appropriation bills have been tt
assed, and have been kept within the r;
Dunds of economy. al
The bill rcpelling the bred Scott
ecision have passed the Senate-21 to +
There is no equivocation in the re- al
'onse which Michigan gives to this OF
famous and monstrous decision. So
The Sault Canal bill, in accordance. d
18th the views and recommendations tn
the Governor, was likewise passed. al
The Investigating committee, ap- p
'inted to investigate the charges of NJ
aud on the part Of certain railroads, nc
omitted their report on Saturday. 1T =
quits all the companies except the SO
nboy & Lansing, of any violation of as
e law, and expresses the opinion that ar
ey are all acting in good faith, and m
IS one it fully acquits from any at OF
npt to bride members of the Legis- - I.
ure. ~
The Governor has vetoed the bin to Ct
ox,,l~