Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-09-10
THE SECRETS OF LAW.MAKING.
Revelations of a reformed Legislator


Revelations of a Reformed Legislator.
Hon. George Lewis, Representative
in the Michigan Legislature, from Bay
county, delivered lecture recently in
Bay City, on Legislating, for the
benefit of the Methodist Church of that
city. He said:
GENTLEMEN AND LADIES could have
said ladies and gentleman had l wished
to conform to the customary style of
orators, speakers, and lecturers, but l
did not nor do / intend to. / have had
lots of trouble with female women in
all my lifetime. / never could endure
to be dictated to and have always had O
yielding disposition toward them, and
for the sake of peace was always willing,
when / couldn't help it. to submit
tamely to their encroachments. How
ever, 1 will not anticipate will at
tend to the women as proceed.
[Cheers.
In giving this lecture, my friends and
fellow citizens, / have two objects in
view, virtually killing two birds with
one stone. as the old farmer said when
he stopped at the mill in returning from
his wife's funeral, and took home load
of lumber. The two birds propose to
kill bythis stone-or lecture-are, first,
make money for the church so theymay
meet their liabilities and become an
honorable and honest church; and,
second, give an account of my steward
ship to my constituents they have a
right to ask, demand and expect that
of me, and / would be recreant and
falthless to my trust if 1 failed to show
my hand when called out. 1t was pro-
posed at first that our Senator q. d.
Lewis) shcul rise and explain in con-
nection with myself, and thereby place
his record before the public. If he
had said anything he was sorry for and
was glad of it, let him come up flat
footed and own the corn. Airing would
do him no good, and repenting might
bring trouble on his peaceful con-
science. He is Of good address, and /
am slow of speech; he is literary, but
L am not, but / don't think he has the
best of me there. Applause. There
were many bills passed and not passed,
of a local and general nature, during
my Legislative career. that 1 would like
to explain, but it will be impossible for
me, in single evening, to dwell for a
brief period and at length on any, and L
will give only a passing notice of few.
Appreciation. The most important
bill of the session, and the one / feel
called on to consider more fully and at
length because of its vast, varied, and
insignificant Importance, is that which
relates to the sabject of dogs.
If there are any ladies present who
dislike my method of treating this sub
ject, / hereby apologize, and, if neces-
sary, will shed tears. [Cheers and
sympathy. Buell., OF the upper PENN
sula, introduced law to regulate labor
and Ileal-time. L think it became a
law. Ripley, of Saginaw, favored the
bill in an elaborate speech, which killed
it. Then we had a milk bill which did
become law. 1t is very important
and well-known law, and l presume but
few of you are aware there is such a
law. The main features of said law
are:
THAT whoever shall knowingly sell to any
person or persons, or shall bring to be manu-
featured to any cheese or butter factory in
this State, any milk diluted with water or in
any way diluted, or milk from which any
cream has been taken, or milk commonly
known as skinned milk, or shall keep back
any part of the milk known as strippings.
shall be be subject to fine and imprison-
ment, etc." Loud laughter.]
There is law have no doubt you
all will rejoice over, with. perhaps, the
exception of a few milk sellers who
keep back strippings and adulterate
milk by mixing the same with common
water.
I opposed that bill because, first, ]
did not think it could be enforced Sec
cond, my constituents sell milk, there
fore it might interfere with my interests
or my wife's, which is one and the same
thing and, third, it did not go fan
enough. 1t should punish thin cows
milk as well as adulterated or watere6
milk. Thin cows milk is the meanesi
kind, and should be looked after and
made to suffer. Prolonged merriment.
There was another bill introduced Il
prevent babies from eating matches
Richardson, of Detroit, opposed the bill
was afraid it would interfere with the
demand. / expected his opposition
would cause it to prevail, until WILDER
offered his amendment, which provided
as follows:
each box of matches shall be labeled
Poisonous and kept from babies
mouths. All matches are poisonous
Antidote for the same, onion syrul
and goose oil. DIR. Bartholomew
Cheers.
The same WILDER, the author of tn,
goose oil amendment, soon after made
tremendous speech on resolution il
relation to a ship canal across the lowe
peninsula. Shaw offered a resolution
authorizing ], 900 copies to be printe'
for the use of the House. DIR. BarthOlo
NEW offered an amendment that tn
"onion syrup and goose oil prescrip
ton be added to the resolution an,
printed with Wilber's Speech" whicl
amendment prevailed. The doctor go
all he asked for, but was not happy
Applause and laughter.
There was another dog bill passed
but its provisions are violated ant
held in contempt by the dog men, tn
friends of the dogs, and the dogs them
selves. That law requires that ever.
dog must wear collar with the nam
of the dogs owner engraved thereon
/ wrote an amendment and got my part
ner, WEIGH, to offer it, which requires
the DOGS name also To he enOraved OF