Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-01-01
MICHIGAN HAPPENINGS.
INCIDENTS THAT HAVE LATELY
OCCURRED.


An Interesting Summary OF the More I'm.
portant Doings OF Our Neighbors-wed-
dings and Deaths-Crimes, Casualties,
and General News Notes.
THE Legislature of 1889 enacted law
providing for cumulative voting for
Representatives to the State Legislature
In districts whore more than one Is TO be
elected. Under this statute Republicans
Of the Detroit city district, which is en-
titled to seven Representatives, cumu-
lated their votes upon their candidates,
and I'm the district of Grand Rapids,
which Is entitled to two, they combined
upon one. In each case Democratic
boards of canvassers canvassed the
cumulative ballots as single votes, and
issued certificates of election to all the
Democratic candidates. Fred A. May
nard, of Grand Rapids, the Republican
candidate for whom the cumulative votes
were cast, applied to the Supreme Court
for mandamus to compel the Board OF
Canvassers to issue certificate Of cleo
tion to him. This has been denied in an
opinion which declares the law uncon-
stitutional
After quoting from opinions of Justices
Christiancy, Cooley, and Campbell relative
to the construction of the Constitution,
Chief Justice Champlin, who wrote the
opinion in this case, says there can be no
doubt OF the unconstltutionality of the act.
The foundation of a representative form OF
government always has been that every
elector entitled to cast his ballot stands
upon complete political equality with every
other elector and that the majority or plu-
rality of votes cast for any person or meas
ure must prevail. The constitution by
implication forbids any elector to cast more
dnNA nWRd fQ
not in the power OF the Legislature to give
to the choice of an elector more than
single expression. In this case the court
holds that the effect Is practically to order
a certificate of election issued to the
person who received the least number of
votes, for II each elector cast but one vote
for n candidate that Is Maynards predica-
ment. No reason, in the opinion OF the
court, can be given why one elector should
be entitled to vote twice or seven times for
any particular person when any other
elector who desires to exercise his constitu-
tional right to vote for every person allowed
by law to represent him in the Legislature
can vote but once. 1t is no answer to say
that he, too, may forego the right to vote
for the entire number of representatives,
for to do so he is compelled to relinquish n
constitutional right, and his right as an
elector Is I'm this respect abridged.
The choice of the elector who plumps his
vote under this law is equal to the choice of
the two electors I'm Grand Rapids or the
seven In Detroit who exercise their consti-
tutional right to vote for every candidate
to be chosen, and the court can see no diff
ference I'm principle or result between law
which permits one elector to cast more than
one vote for a candidate, and the act OF the
person who stuffs the ballot-box with more
votes for particular candidate than there
are electors voting for him. Both are frauds
upon the rights of the majority OF the
electors, Both alike strike down the safe
guards OF the people and are subversive of
free representative government. III the
people of this State, the court concludes, de-
sire to provide for some different means to
secure minority representation than that
which Is In a measure secured by the single
district system under the pre- sent constitu-
tion, they must do so through an amend
ment to that instrument by which propo-
sition so vltally interesting to the people
may be passed upon by the popular vote;
but, the court says, IL Is to be hoped when q
plan is submitted to the people IL will not
be the system of cumulative voting which
obtains such unequal and unjust results,
overturning in many Instances the will OF
the majority. II proportional representa-
tion is desired in the opinion of the court,
the Geneva or Gilpin plan approaches the
nearest to exact justice, but every plan yet
devised is open to serious objection.
The opinion of the Chief Justice was
concurred in by all the Associate Justices
save Cahill.
THE town of Minden City, Huron
County, was the scene OF Christmas
shooting affray, in which Archie Mooney,
proprietor of the Hurd House, will lose
his life. Marshal Cole was taking a
drunken man to jail when Mooney inter
fered. Cole drew his revolver and fired
three shots, two OF them taking effect In
Moneys breast, infllcting fatal wounds.
DURING the 22S days OF navigation
this year 9,O41, ,213 tons of freight passed
through the Sault Ste. Marie Canal,
two-thirds of which was east-bound, the
valuation being over Sl02, ,000, 900, against
S2S, ,955, 900 worth nine years ago. The
average cost of transportation OF that
freight per ton per mile was one and
five-tenths mills, wheat being carried at
one mill per ton per mile. This against
the five mills per ton per mile OF rail
| freights The ore output has been ex-
traordinary. The Lake Superior region
| output this year was over 8, 500, 900 tons,
of which less than 400, 900 tons went out
by rail.
DIR. FRAZER, charged with overdosing
to death baby near Manistee, is in
| jail.
THE annual meeting OF the Michigan
| Engineering Society will be held at
| Lansing, Jan. 1880.
Mrs. f. r. AxTELL picked Jacque-
mnot rose, just blooming, In her farm
garden up in BeDzie County one day last
i week.
| THE annual meeting of the Executive
| Committee of the Michigan State Agri-
| cultural Society will be held at the Hud-
son House, Lansing, commencing Mon
day evening, Jan. 12, 1891, at O'Clock
| p. m.
DETROIT dispatch: The news OF the
appointment of Henry B. Brown to be
| Associate Justice Of the Supreme Court,
was received here with signs of marked
approval from all sides.
Hoe CHOLERA has broken out in the
vicinity OF Bay City.
CONSIDERABLE ill-feeling is being
| manifest In Wayland over new drug
store that sells liquor for medicinal puf
poses" Reports show that some per
sons get sick quite frequently.
Hon. T.. B. WAcHTEL is favorably
spoken of for Speaker by the newspapers
OF his Congressional district.
MRS POLLY DYE died at Ionia last
week, at the age of nearly 7S. She came
to Ionia as a colonist In 1886, and used Il
narrate many experiences with the rec