The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-04-13
THE STATE CAPITAL.

The appropriation bills progress rather
slowly. Only two of Importance have
been thus far passed. Some members
whose "spring trade" is pressing at
home growl vast deal about the slow
ness of Legislative bodies, and play a
second tune to the enterprising news
papers which find a fruitful source of
puns and sharp hits in the languid
movements of our law-making
body. "'Slower than molasses,' it
used to read" says the Lowell
Journal, "but now they say, Slower
than our Legislature. ," Even the Chi
cago papers are going for us, the last hit
from that quarter being comparison
with the Illinois Legislature. With all
this sharpshooting from outside, the
House and Senate seem not at all con-
cerned as body, but keep right on at
tending to business and making long
speeches at the expense of the State. A
rule was adopted yesterday confirming
speeches to five minutes each, but the
regulation will not be enforced.
The intention of the present Legisla-
ture is to do good work, and SO far no
bill with even the smell of corruption
upon it has passed either house. If
members are willing to stay long enough
to thoroughly consider all bills before
them and act intelligently thereon, in
stead of rushing through poorly drawn
and impracticable laws, the people will
certainly have no reason to complain,
the members themselves being the only
sufferers from the long session, as the
! per diem is too misery TO tempt any
man who has business elsewhere to de-
sire continuance of the session.
During the discussion of the Normal
School appropriation in the Senate,
Tuesday, the question arose as to whether
that school had any right to include in
it's course any except the common En-
glish branches. In answering this ques-
ton the decision of the Supreme Court
in the case of Kalamazoo Union School
District vs. Stuart was cited to show that
the term common-school course might
include all branches necessary to fit
pupils for the State University. The
bill finally passed with little opposition.
During the early part of the week the
House spent considerable time in de-
Gliding whether there should be any
change in the School law as regards the
general supervision of district schools,
examination of teachers, etc. Quite a
strong effort was made to revive the
county superintendency system, but the
effort failed, and the law will remain
without change for two years to come.
The House has passed bill providing
| for holding of teachers institutes in all
the counties of the State, under the SUI
pervision of the State Superintendent or
some person whom he may appoint. The
sum of 81 800 yearly is appropriated from
the State treasury for this purpose, and
the balance of expense will be paid by Il
fee from each teacher attending, or re-
ceiving qualification for teaching in
the common schools
The Senate has passed bill making
it legal for horsemen's associations to
offer premiums on speed trials of horses.
The present law makes this crime, but,
it is needless to say that the law is prac-
tically "dead letter"
A number of bills amending the Game
laws were unceremoniously slaughtered
Wednesday.
A gentleman from Detroit has bill
about sixteen pages long for the organic
alton of mutual benefit loan associations,
which he has been lobbying for several
weeks past, but, so far as your CORE
spondent can learn, with very poor sue
cess. The bill would enable few per-
sons to organize themselves into sort of
savings bank and receive deposits, which
they could loan to others, or TO one of
their own directors or stockholders, for
aught that anything in the bill would
prevent, with very slight security
to the depositors. 1t is generally
thought that the depositors in regularly
organized savings banks under the laws
of this State are quite too poorly pro-
tested, as the aggregate securities are
not one-fourth the amount of deposits,
yet this new-fangled cooperative insti-
tuition, it seems to me, would be several
steps farther from safety. The Banking
laws should be made more stringent
rather than more lax.