The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-04-27
THE STATE CAPITAL.
LANSING, April %, 1877

hANSiNo, hPIil 20, 1917.
A discussion of the Liquor Tax bills
during the past week develops a great
diversity of opinion on the temperance
question. The prohibitionists seem in
clined to oppose any moderate measures
to restrict the liquor traffic, and fondly
cling to the delusion that prohibition u
is the only measure desirable, notwith-
standing the twenty years of constant
failure which made up the history of the
old Prohibition law in Michigan. A Tax
bill passed the committee of the whole, a
few days since, the essential features OF
which were very nearly the same as the
law now i'll force, except that it placed
the malt liquors upon the same basis as
VINE, whisky, etc. This, of course,
would not be at all satisfactory to the
German element of our large cities, who
don't like to have their favorite bev-
erage classed with the more Intoxicating
drinks. After a very lively discussion
committee of the whole. A bill known
as the Police bill, intended to strengthen
the present Tax law was found, after pass
ing the committee of the whole, to be
somewhat defective in phraseology, and
was referred to the special committee
on the liquor traffic The contest be-
tween city and county as to which shall
receive the revenue derived from the
traffic was substantially settled by a
test vote on an amendment proposing
that one-half the tax be placed to the
credit of the general fund of the county.
1t was decided by vote of 40 to 20 that
the cities, villages and townships in
which the saloons were located should re-
tain the full amount of tax collected.
The first cutting down of official sala-
ries took place the other day in an amend
ment to the bill making an appropriation
for current expenses of the State Agri-
cultural College. The amount asked for
salaries of professors was cut down 10
per cent. OF course, there was little
squirming over this first expression of
economy, but, the ice once having been
broken, there will probably be a good
deal of cutting down ON the emoluments
of professional men employed in the
State institutions, such as the State
University, etc, that is if the Senate
should concur in the experiment made on
the Agricultural College bill
The Senate passed bill reducing the
salary of the Railroad Commissioner from
81, 900 to 81, 500 per year, and the House,
not being satisfied with the moderate re-
duction, cut off another $500 per year.
Should the Senate agree to this further
reduction, there is some doubt as to
whether the State will be able to secure
the man it should have to fill this office.
The position is one of great response
bility, and involves no little expense not
provided for outside of the salary
A joint committee of the House and
Senate are busily at work tinkering up
new Tax law. 1t is proposed to relegate
to the counties much of the management
of delinquent tax sales, redemptions,
ETC., now controlled by the State. The
occasion for this is the fact that under
what is known as our "Five year law +"
there is constantly accommodating an in
debtedness of the counties to the State.
There has been held out by this system
great temptation to townships having a
large amount of nearly worthless lands
to assess the largest part of their tax
upon this poor land.
All resolutions introduced to fix the
day of final adjournment are promptly
laid on the table, and the Legislature
evinces determination to adjourn when
it gets ready, and not until then, what
ever may be the opinion of outsiders.
The bill providing local option on the
liquor question for Hillsdale county was
defeated yesterday, though receiving a
much larger vote than was anticipated by
many of its friends. It's discussion was
made the occasion of some sharp and
uncalled-for invectives from one or two
prohibitionists and "license man.
The bill providing grant of lands for
the Alpena and South Shore railroad was
defeated in the House on Wednesday,
referred back to the Committee on State
Affairs, and it will be greatly amended
and the vote tried over again. A two
thirds majority will be required to pass
the bill, and its prospects are by no
means fattering, though it seems to
have merit, as the people of that section
of our State are much in need of railroad
during the winter season.
The Marquette and Mackinaw land
grant will undoubtedly be extended
for two years more, during which time
it is hoped that the revival of the iron
and copper-mining interests will secure
the construction of this important road
the upper and lower PENN
sulas.
The laws relating to mining corpora
tons have undergone thorough re-
vision, in the form of a very voluminous
bill which has now passed both branches
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