The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-01-14

near that truet your committee will persd&
tuents
OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
commend also to your committees the In
terests OF tho school for the Blind and the Res
form School. Opportunity will cheerfully DO
given for u full understanding of their respect.
Two needs. regret my inability to visit them
The state Public School, tho industrial School
for Girls, and the Soldiers Home will. / trust.
receive your earnest attention. l am unable
10 speak OF them from personal knowledge but
they belong To our system and are justly en-
titled TO their share OF your attention
ASYLUM FOR THE INSANE.
At the Eastern Asylum met members OF t4e
other asylum boards, and the needs OF the
three institutions were discussed. IL WAS
agreed that more room is required In all our
asylums. This seems imperative, unless some
plan can be devised TO relieve them OF az large
class OF patients who are harmless but incura-
Die. IL is obvious that II TINS class were re-
benefited by treatment r!ght DO received. ~
tho present practice Is adhered to, the demand
tage system will be far more economical than
the multiplication OF separate institutions.
The reports submitted by the Trustees give full
information, and the care of our insane will
require your serious consideration.
Michigan 10 advanced in her treatment OF the
mentally diseased, and one has only to visit our
asylums to be convinced that these unfortunate
people receive every needed care and comfort.
PRISONS AND REFoRMAToRITs.
The prisons and reformatories are among our
most important institutions, not only AS re-
CARDS the value Of the plants and the character
OF their work, but also ns regards the policy
which should control them. Successful prison
management requires special qualifications in
the warden and his subordinates. Questions
other than the confinement and support OF con-
yicts are involved in prison government and
long study and familiarity with GRIM
inal classes and their conditions are
necessary TO At mon TO deal with them
wisely. Believing that our prisons should have
ha ha aarltfx aud I'm tai IN
able for their management have elsewhere
recommended that all our penal institutions be
placed under the control of single board.
This board should far possible, BIO non
partisan, and should appoint the wardens and
have general supervision OF the institutions.
The wardens OF our prisons are the only officers
at the head OF State institutions who are APP
pointed by the Governor The other executive
heads OF institutions are appointed by the re-
spective governing boards, and sound policy
demands that the prison appointments be non-
political
ELECTION LAW
All are agreed as to the desirability OF ballot
reform, and our new election law ia generally
approved as "a step in the right direction. The
booth feature gives every voter an opportunity
TO be alone with his ballot, and absolute secrecy
is tho best guaranty OF parity in elections. A
practical test of our law has shown that some
amendments are needed to render IL entirely
efficient and satisfactory l suggest the fol-
lowing
l. Let the law apply to all elections.
g Let the distribution or using OF ballots
verest penalties
5. Let the ballots be printed by the county
clerks, under the supervision of the party COM
mittees ard delivered by the county clerks TO
the inspectors of elections. Let the ballots be
paid for by the State in all State elections, and
by the townships and cities in township and
4. A more expeditions method of counting
should be adopted.
5. / favor the Australian system, or some
modification which would render unnecessary
the use OF slips or pastors.
WAGON ROADS.
call your attention to the necessity for some
change in the laws relating 20 the highways OF
OF the State.
The condition OF all wagon roads last winter
was sufficient proof that our present system OF
roadmaking Is n waste OF time and labor.
Roads ordinarily the best were last winter
bad those on which little or no work had
been done. Good wagon roads all the year
round would be more 10 the general advantage.
would add more TO the value Of farms, and yield
comfort, convenience and profit 10 II larger
number OF people than any other work Tor
which public money rs expended. We claim to
be practical people, but surely our road
building has been n failure. vast amount OF
labor has been annually expended upon our
roads for many years, but il has been done
| without system and without competent super
| vision.
As a result the labor is largely wasted and
| yields no final improvement. The estab shment
| of general system OF oa1-making which would
| gradually, even II slowly, result in permanent
| good roads throughout the State would be wise
| and benehcent reform.
TAXATION.
There ia n general feeling among oil classes,
| but more pronounced. perhaps, among the agri-
| cultural and industrial people, that public ex-
| pendtures have increased much more rapidly
| than the ability OF the people TO pay, and that
our civilization is becoming very expensive.
| Greater simplicity would better accord with the
| present circumstances and condition or our
people.
There ia no desire 20 lower our standard of
civilization or impair the efficiency of vRri-
| Gus institutions, but the people believe that
| simplicity and wise economy promote rather
| than impede, human virtues and improvement.
| Our people are willing 10 support generously
those public expenses which tend 10 the general
| welfare, but they also believe that State taxes
are too high, and that no public institution need
suffer if less tax levied. Taxation has
steadily increased year by year, while the abili-
| w to pay at least by the largest class of tax
| payers the farmers, has diminished There
| should be an effort made TO reduce taxation.
| The demand that only careful and needful eX-
penditures be authorized is imperative and
| should be needed.
Your own wisdom aud experience will suggest
| ways and means OF affording relief, but 1 calv
| attention to some feat res OF our present 4
! tenn which seem TO me 10 need correc tqn II 70
Our system of state taxation JlS'y'-
| thorough revision for the purpose OF /,
| the assessment on the two classes /oo,,ei;;,
that subject 10 specific tax and II, eI rn.is
local taxation. Every indust,Jsfhat subject 70
moporuy iheS y, . suouid ppy business, ana
system, that vast amo< Us JusV snare o!
pays specific tax paI1at Of nropertv Witch
III 4I 70 ius at least one-half less
ing TO the burden II local taxation, thus add.
snotber inst ~ those least able To pay, and
| 1870 forate wealth OF orr State.
| dpnobt nSt 10 jcause of complaint is that much
| ue i,, now exempt from taxation which |
I escape. There seems 70 be no good
,Oj, nv property owned and used by rail- |
I Posns Aiming, telegraph, and telephone COM
| Ia and other associations for private pur-
| g. (should be exempt from general taxation.
| Dubt the policy OF exempting any property
| Hn equal taxation. The granting OF special
privileges 10 any class affords Just cause of COM
PLANT TO the masses, / commend this subject |
of exemptions TO your careful consideration.
Many who have given thought 10 the subject
favor n return TO the county system for the col
lection OF delinquent taxes i believe it would |
be less expensive and more efficient than the
present system, which is, in my opinion, cum
bersome and costly.
II each county were required TO pay TO the
given fun control of all proceedings to enforce
collection by the sale OF land, etc, 1 believe a
large saving TO the State would follow and IL
would make the officers OF the townships and
counties more watchful Of their duties in Sec |
ing that the tax il properly and legally laid and
the enforcement of the law would be more GER |
tain.
Another feature OF taxation which should |
have your attention Is the taxation OF real es- |
tate on which there is mortgage incumbrance |
Justice to the owner OF the real estate forbids |
levying tax on a larger interest than he may
have in the land, get for various reasons 1t NAV
be difficult 10 ascertain his exact interest. All /
agree that the mortgage is evidence of property (