Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-10
MATTERS IN MICHIGAN
Two Senators to Be Elected at Its Coming
Legislative Session
The State to Be ReappOrtiOned as to
Law as to Church Property.
Correspondence of The Evening Star.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich,

december =, 1871.
Many important measures will come be-
fore the session of the legislature, which
will open January 2. The session will, in
fact, be one of the most important held in
years, and the manner in which the bust
ness is transacted will be felt for years to
come. The first and one of the most inn
portant features of the session will be the
election of two United States Senators, one
for the full term and the other for the
vacancy. Never before in the history of
the state have two Senators been elected
at one session of the legislature, and the
departure from precedent will be full of
interest. The reapportionment of the state
into congressional, senatorial and legisla-
tive districts will be an operation in which
men Of all parties will take interest. The
reapportionment will stand for the ensuing
six years, or until after the next census.
and upon how the work is done will de-
pend the happiness and hopes of several
aspiring statesmen. The last reapportion-
ment was made four years ago under
democratic auspices, and was supposed to
be advantageous to the democracy. but in
the first election after the new division had
been made the democrats Jared worse
than they did under the old republican APP
portlonment, and this year they did not get
a smell. In laying out the new congress
sional districts the republicans will in all
probability make radical changes in the
hrSt, second, seventh and tenth districts.
These districts are all democratic under
normal circumstances, and it will be- the
aim of the republicans to make them a
little less so If possible. -Four years ago
the republicans appealed to the supreme
ment for Senators and legislators and the
supreme court in setting the reappOrtton-
ment aside as conflicting with the constitu-
tonal requirements laid down the law in
w will of oil
anything serious in the gerrymander line
this time The republicans will make the
most of such partisan advantage as may
legitimately come their way.
A General Municipality.
The report and recommendations of the
commission appointed year ago to place
all municipalities under general laws in
stead Of each town having a charter of
its OVID will be a measure Of far-reaching
Importance. If the report is adopted the
question will be submitted to the popular
vote. and If approved. 1t will have the
effect Of greatly curtailing the legislative
sessions by doing away with a vast amount
or local and special legislation.
In the recent campaign the democrats
accused the republicans of favoring the
railroads and corporations by relieving
them of taxation. The democrats did not
win, 1t is true. but they brought the sub
Ject so prominently before the people that
the coming legislature will in all proba-
blnty seek to gain such credit for re-
form as may be obtained by a slight
change In the order of things.
The A. p. A. will have a large representa-
ton In both houses and will endeavor to
work through some measures peculiarly
their own. The most important measure
they Will advocate will be a law to put the
Catholic Church on a level with all 9TH,
ers In the matter of property holding I'm
der special enactment the title to all
church property now rests in the bishop.
A law Will be proposed to require each
church society to incorporate and the
property instead of being vested in the
bishop will be held by the separate church
organizations. Bills to tax all church
property above a moderate maximum will
also be introduced.
The restoration Of capital punishment
as the penalty for first degree murder will
be advocated and the large number of
crimes that have been committed in Mich
igan In the last two months will furnish
enough horrible examples to answer all
ordinary purposes.
Additional safeguards will be thrown
around the election primaries to prevent
a recurrence OF the scandals which ac-
companied the struggle for supremacy
between Rich and Pingree on the republi-
can side and between Dickinson and the
anti-referees on the other. Changes in the
election laws calling for prompter returns
will also be proposed.
A Court of Cancellation.
The republicans promised in their plat
form to enact a law, which would give
effect to the old provision in the constitu-
tuition, authorizing the creation of a court
of Cancellation. Whether the proposed en-
actment will take the shape Of law
making arbitration in labor difficulties
compulsory has not been outlined. Sew
eral laws which the labor interests will
ask for will be of interest, especially one
which will, IL adopted, put a stop to con-
Wet contract labor, and substitute work
on the public highways
The republicans will have exclusive con-
troll over legislation, and the party lead
ers and managers will do everything pos
sible to prevent the law-making assuming
an unduly partisan nature. Gov. Rich
will be a frequent visitor upon the floor
of both houses and will do his best to d.
rect legislation in the channels in which it
ought to go. Two years ago he lost his
veto ak, but it Is announced that not only
has he found the AK, but that he has
sharpened it for frequent use If necessary.
Gov. Rich will not be a candidate for a
third term, and Will be more independent
than he was during the first term. He
will urge that business be done promptly
and expeditiously, and with becoming econ
omy. and he will continue urging it until
the legislature finally does adjourn.
Patton and Burrows.
The relations between Patton and Bur-
rows have never been very cordial, and
recent events have made them even far
tier apart. Patton had hand In the
post office fight of six years ago, and those
whom he antagoniZed then have it in for
linn now, and, rallying around Burrows,
are leaving nothing undone to encompass
Patton's defeat They fought him in the
caucuses and conventions, and are carry
ing the fight still further now on the eve
of the legislative session. Because of the
fight made against him in his own home
under the Burrows banner the two Michi-
gan statesmen 1t will be observed, do not
speak as they pass by. One Of the
weapons that the Burrows contingent has
been freely Using has been the statement
that Patton had no friends, even In the
city in which he lived. To prove that this
was base campaign fabrication, the
friends of Patton circulated a petition to
the local legislators asking them to vote
for Patton. They secured about 1000
names to the paper and are still hunting
for signatures. Then the Burrows con-
tingent started a similar petition, asking
the legislators to vote for Burrows and Nc
MILAN. This petition is still in circulation
and up to date has received about 1,5OO
names, most of them Holland working
men, Both petitions are being printed on
the installment plan and both sides are
pointing with pride to the magnificent
showing.