The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-04-04
FROM THE STATE CAPITAL.
LANSING, March %, 1879.
COMPILING THE LAWS.

Dill Ior new cOmplauon OF the gen.
erai laws of the State. The printed bill
provided for paying the compiler $4,000
and an assistant $1,000, but, on motion
of Senator Huston, the last appropria-
ton was stricken out and the first re-
dnced to $4,000. While the compiler
must be elected by the Legislature, the
bill authorizes the appointment by the
Governor of two Commissioners to ex-
anime the compilation, at compensa-
ton of $3.50. The bill authorizes the
printing of 10000 copies, of which 5000
are to be retained for future use, and
the remainder are to be deposited in the
office of the Secretary of State, to be
distributed as follows: State officers
and their deputies, libraries of State of
ficerS, libraries of State institu-
tons, members and libraries of State
boards, members of the present
Legislature, the Secretary, Assistant
Secretary, and Clerks of the Senate and
the Clerk and Assistant Clerks of House
of Representatives in this State, Sena-
tors and Representatives of this State
in Congress, the Secretary of State of
the United States, and the Library of
Congress, Judges and Clerks of Circuit
and District Courts of the United
States in this State, Justices and Clerks
of the Supreme Court, Judges of the
Circuit Courts, Judges and Clerks of
the Superior Courts and Judges and
Clerks of the Police Courts, County
Clerks, Prosecuting Attorneys, Cir
cult Court Commissioners, Sheriffs,
Judges of Probate, Registers of
Deeds, County Treasurers, County
superintendent of the Poor, County
Surveyor, and Coronors, Supervisors,
Clerks, and Justices of the Peace of
townships; Supervisors, Assessors,
Clerks, and Justices of the Peace of
cities; public, free, and incorporated
Libraries"
Senator Shepard thought that the
publishers of newspapers ought to be
entitled to copies, but the Senate, in
It's wisdom, voted down his amendment.
He also opposed the passage of the bill
on the ground of economy, estimating
that the compilation will cost the State
$4,000. Again, this compilation is
proposed after an interval of seven
years, whereas the last compilation was
had only after an interval of fourteen
years. In these hard times he thought
the compilation might be postponed. 1t
was urged In defense of the bill that
the supply of the old compilation was
exhausted. The bill was finally passed
10 to 2.
ESTABLISHING WILLS.
The House Tuesday afternoon, in COM
mittee of the whole, considered House
bill No. 141, introduced by Mr.. Moore,
of Detroit, to provide for the establish
ment of wills during the lifetime of the
testator. The bill provides "that to any
will hereafter executed the testator may
make and annex thereto his petition, to
be sworn to before, and presented to,
the Judge of Probate for the county
where the testator resides, asking that
such will be admitted and established as
his last will and testament" 1t further
provides for the examination of wit
nesses, and the final determination of
the questions whether the maker of the
will was a person of sound mind and
whether he executed the will without
fear, fraud, importantly, or undue infu-
ence; also, that in such proceeding the
contents of the will were not required
to be made known. This last provision
excited much opposition.
The bill was vigorously opposed by
Messrs. Gould, Henderson, Donnelly,
Turnbun and Robertson, and supported
by Messrs. Thorpe and McNabb.
Mr.. Moore spoke of the desirability
of providing some means to prevent
such litigation as had occurred upon the
Vanderbilt, Stewart, Ward and other
wills.
STATE PRINTING HOUSE.
Believing that the State should do
its own work, Representative Thorpe
will offer the following joint resolution,
to stand as section % of article 4 of the
constitution
SEC %. The Legislature shall establish by
law a State printing house and bindery as an
industrial department of the State Reform
School, and provide the necessary professional
managers for the same. The Legislature shall
also prescribe by law the manner in which the
State printing and binding shall be executed
and the mode Of rendering the accounts made
necessary thereby. The Legislature shall like
wise provide by law that the furnishing Of the
fuel and stationery Tor the state shall be let by
contract to the lowest bidders who shall give
adequate and satisfactory security for the per-
Torrance thereof. No member of the Legis-
laturc nor officer of the State shall be interest
ed, directly or indirectly, in any such contract.
PROTECTION FOR NoN-REsIDENTs.
House bill No. 500 has been consid-
cred by the House. 1t provides that
no warrant or order for payment of
money shall be drawn upon any Town
ship or County Treasurer without speci-
flying on its face its purpose and the
appropriation for which it is drawn; no
warrants to be drawn until the appro-
priation is made and tax voted; nor
shall warrants be drawn in excess of the
appropriation; no township of less than
600 inhabitants shall raise, for ordinary
township purposes, more than $500 per
year; every Supervisor, in making val
uations, shall not discriminate for or
against any one, or make the assess
ments otherwise than relatively equal.
The penalties proposed for violations of
this act are $500 or six months impris-
onment. Evidently the bill was intro
duced to prevent Supervisors in the
Northern Peninsula from laying it on
too thick on non PRESIDENT ovnera of