The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-03-18
AT THE CAPITAL.

1
Cars-Pipe Laying-BOgus Butter
Skirmishing Over the Compilation
-Kerosene-SOmew what Fishy-WOm-
an Suffrage - shade Trees Snn-
dries.
! LANSING, March IL, 1881.
The House began its weeks work on Monday
morning and the Senate its on Monday even
ing, and, considering the fact that several
members OF both houses have been away attend
ing court in their respective counties, while
others have been absent looking after the po-
litcal fences Of their friends or for themselves,
both houses have ground out good quantity
of work, while as to its quality we leave the
public to Judge and time to prove.
PASSED AND APPROVED.
At this writing fifty-eight OF the 1.095 bills
and Joint resolutions introduced in the two
houses have passed both houses and gone to
the Governor for his approval. or the fifty
eight he has approved all but five, and these
will doubtless receive the desired signature
OF the entire lot there arc not baker dozen
that are not purely and solely local in their ma
ture and of no possible interest to the general
reader, even by title
LICENSED DRINKERS.
1t may possibly seem to some like a huge
joke, vet the House committee has reported
upon Representative Yarrington's bill to 81 Ii
cense drinkers of intoxicating liquors. and pun
ish dealers who sell to unlicensed drinkers"
recommending that the bill do pass. The bill
provides that the drinker must produce his Ii
cense upon applying for his drink, or else be
considered as an unlicensed drnker." III the
seller can have a monopoly of selling by virtue
of his license, why not the drinker have
monopoly IN his line AZ well. and iii the same
manner?
While upon this subject we might add, regard
ing
THE PRoHIBIToRY AMENDMENT,
that it is now generally understood that the
amendment is to be changed so AZ to provide
for its submission to the people in 1882, and
that, after the requisite number of petitions
have been presented, it will be again brought
up for passage, and it is hoped by the friends
of the measure that the additional one vote in
the Senate and three in the House will be forth
coming.
AS We have before written, the
TAX QUESTION
Is perhaps the most important OF any that has
yet come before the present Legislature, or that
will come before it's successors for perhaps
wears To come. As no less than three continu-
Gus Legislatures have tried to patch up the old
tax laws, but have found at last that the job
was too extensive for completion III any regular
session without the exclusion Of much other
work that seems more necessary to be done, it
has come to be pretty generally conceded that
nothing short of an extra session or a
TAX COMMISSION,
or perhaps both, would ever be able to accom-
plish the desired end. In view OF this fact, a
bill for Tax Commission has passed the
Senate, and as the subject is of such import
ance, we copy 1t entire, AK follows
A BILL to provide for the appointment of a com
mission 10 prepare and report bin for the assess
ment levy aud collection Of taxes, and to pre-
scribe their duties and provide for their compen-
saton.
SECTION /. The People of The State of Michi-
gan enact, That it shall be the duty of the Gov
ernor, by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate, to appoint commission, consisting
of five proper and discreet persons, whose duty
1t shall be 10 prepare suitable bill for the as
sessment levy and collection OF taxes, and to
report the same to the Governor on the COM
pletion thereof
SEC g The said commission shlll forthwith
after their appointment meet at the Capitol and
proceed, with all reasonable dispatch, to prepare
and complete such bill, and report the same as
above provided, and, upon the said bill beng 80
reported, it shall be the duty OF the Governor
to cause the same to be printed by the State
Printer, and forward copy thereof to each
newspaper in the State applying therefor, to
each member of the Legislature, and each
County Treasurer, and submit the same to the
Legislature, If then III session. and If not, then
at the next general or extra session.
SEC 3. Alter the submission of said bill to
the Legislature the members OF said commits
sion shall be entitled to seats upon the floor Of
the Senate and House, for the purpose of ex-
planning the provisions of the bill and no
amendment shall be made to said bill in either
house until after the same shall have been
proposed and submitted to the said commission
for at least twenty-four hours, and they have
an opportunity to report TO the house in which
such amendment originated thor views in rela-
ton thereto.
CT u,ho ,,,o,,hor, 90 so;J ooc,,o;ss;o,,
shall each receive a reasonable compensation
for services and expenses, to be fixed and al
lowed by the State Board OF Auditors.
RAILROAD FIGURES.
II il claimed that the Chicago and Grand Trunk
Railroad Company refuse to give the proper
officials access TO their books and accounts, as
Michigan roads are required to do. and bill
supposedly to tit the case, passed the House
yesterday and is substantially as follows:
"Ths accounts of all railroads dong business
in this State shall be kept in accordance with
uniform system to be prescribed by the Com
missioner Of Railroads, and which shall not be
liable to be changed by him oftener than once
in two years, and then only on due notice to
the accounting officer of each company al least
six months before the beginning of the year in
which such change Is to take effect.
The above mentioned accounts shall
be at all reasonable times open to the
inspection Of the Commissioner of Railroads
for verihcation and examination of detail. Also
that every railroad company owning or operat-
ing line Of railroad in this State shall keep a
general Office, at some point on its line of rail
road and within the United States where the
general accounts of the company and the de-
tailed accounts of its current business shall be
kept"
SLEEPING CAR CHARGES.
Senator lockers little bill regulating tho
charges for berths in sleep!ng-cars, and re-
stricting such charges to 81 for lower berths
and 80 cents for upper, has been the cause of
quite a stampede of railroad men to this city,
presumably to oppose its passage. Rates at
present charged are no doubt exorbitantly
high, while these proposed by the bill may pos
sibly be too low.
PIPELINE COMPANIES.
Every politician knows what pipe-laying
means, but the bill to provide for the incorpor-
alton of pipeline companies has reference to
different subject, and, when laid, the lines are
for the transportation Of brine from the wells
to some point more convenient for salt manu-
featuring.
oLEoMARGARISR.
bill has passed both houses providing that
"every person who shall manufacture for sale.
or who shall offer or expose for sale, by the
tub, hrkiu, box or package or any greater