Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-03-30
MICHIGAN's COMING ELECTION.
Supreme Court Justice and University Re-
gents TO Be Chosen April 3.

gents TO Be Chosen April g.
| Correspondence Of The Evening Star
| GRAND RAPIDS. MIcH.. March %, 1888.
! Both houses Of the legislature have set the
stakes to mark the time for final adjourn
ment. but the ceremony has been performed
chiefly for spectacular effect upon the spring
election. The house has fixed upon May 81 as
the day for the final adjournment. while the
senate has named May 80 as the limit for the
session These dates will remain good until
after election and then will be showed forward
until June or July. The election will occur
I April 8. justice of the supreme court and
two regents of the state university will be
chosen and five proposed amendments to the
state constitution will be voted on. The cam
paign is extremely quiet that nobody would
know from outward appearances that one was
on. but much interest is felt in the results
nevertheless.
The republicans, who carried the state by
81 900 last fall are confident OF doing it again
this spring. but free to admit the majority
will be materially reduced. The democrats
hope the moral effect of the national victory
will help them very materially and also look
upon the session of the legislature an ele-
ment in their favor. Many of the members of
the legislature are following too closely the
precedent established by former legislatures
Railway passes. which the republican platform
denounced lasI 1ali. are as freely used as ever
ard fully as many pleasurable junkets are ar
ranged As in any former wear.
Early in the session effort was made to
hold Saturday and Monday sessions but most
OF them have been farces. The legislation that
does go through often reaches the governors
room IN crude condition. ard the supreme
court will have plenty to do during the next
year wedding out the fatally defective enact
meni-- As specimen of having bills go
through the village of Belding was incorpo-
rated. and the charter contained a clause allow
ing the limits of the city TO be enlarged apy
time the city council should so decide bv reso-
luton. This Is in direct conflict with the state
constitution. The session has MANY bills for
city charter fights on hand. ali OF which means
much time consumed i'll hearing both sides and
questions which are very largely purely local
IN their nature. COrunna. Grand Ledge Mar
que;te. OwOssO. Detroit, Grand Rapids and
Kalamazoo are among the municipal applicants
for charter changes.
The committee appointed some time ago to
devise and recommend some means of reIiev-
ing the legislature of the weight of the local
legislation has not vet reported and gives no
sign of when i; will be heard from.
NASDAMUs on LEGISLATIVE OFFICIALS.
On April the president and clerk of the
senate and speaker and clerk of the house will
respond to summons from the supreme
court to show cause why a mandamus should
protests against legislation flied by the demo-
cratic member. The trouble all arose from
an Insignificant little resolution introduced
by Representative Furgeson of Detroit the
first colored member of the legislature
the state has ever had. He offered a
resolution condemning the summary way
they have down south of disposing OF
colored criminals. The democratic members
protested against the adoption of the resolu-
ton on the ground that 1t was insulting to a
a-..s
houses refused to admit the protests to form
part Of the record and even the vote by which
the protests were refused was expunged from
the records. The supreme court was asked for
a msndamus and on April the arguments in
the case will be heard. The officials who are
cited 10 appear in court have prepared a de-
Tense which they declare will knock the whole
bottom out of the case. but they refuse to
divuge what line they will follow or who they
have retained for counsel
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
The amendments to the constitution propose
to enlarge the jurisdiction and powers of the
circuit court, to increase the salaries OF various
state officers. TO improve the road laws and to
authorize this CITY TO issue bonds for $500 900
Tor river improvements. The road amend
ment and the salary question ought TO 90
through. but the other proposed amendments
are not of such vital importance as to seriously
affect the future welfare of the state. The
legislature has several other constitutional
amendments in tie mill. which if acted upon
fayorably will be submitted to the popular
vote. either next fall or in the spring. The
most important of these is one TO prohibit the
receiving of convicts in any Michigan penal in
stltution from other states or territories. This
amendment has brought TO the surface the en-
tire question of the employment of con-
Wet labor. The Iowa house of correction
conyicts. over 600 in number. are employed
rfa
BY which the state last year lost over $50 0oO
and the furniture manufacturers suffered from
the competition. The Detroit house of correc-
ton manufactures chairs. with from 100 to
1000 conyicts constantly employed. The fur
HIture and chair manufacturers have combined
with organized labor to do away with convict
competition III their line of trade and they ask
that improved machinery in prisons be done
away with entirely and that the convicts be
employed on manual labor. IL machinery must
be used they ask that the industries be diversi-
ned so that not above 80 convicts be employed
on any one line. The agitation upon the ques-
uon has led to an investigation of the Ionia
furniture contract. which has proven so I'M
profitable. and interesting developments are
promised
In the last campaign the republicans made
an issue of the democratic reduction of the
illuminating oil tests. bill Is now under con-
sideration for restoring the standard.
DISSATISFACTION OVER PATRONAGE
Gov. Rich mas disposed of most of the patron
age at his command and the amount of dis
satisfaction growing out of the choice of Office
holders is much less than might have been ex-
pected. His appointments have a rule been
well received and give fair satisfaction. Presi-
dent Cleveland will hardly have such good for
tune in distributing the federal patronage
among the democrats and he has been wise TO
defer making his appointments until after the
spring elections. Ihe democrats in several
cities in the state lining up for as lively a
fight as could be desired at any Donnybrook
fair over the post Office and other patronage.
NEWS FROM ROCKVILLE