The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-16

Thompson, Of Detroit, who was re-
elected after one Of the most strenuous
nights Of the state campaign. Without
doubt he will try to clip the governors .
wings, although ne says he will support
any Pin2ree measures that command
his good sense. Arrayed with Mr..
Thompson are some blue bloOds and a
coterie of old-timers in the senate. who
will without doubt be united in OppOs-
ing many Pingree reforms.
However, the mayor will have some
fighting material In the upper house.
From Detroit there will 60 to that body
Senator c. W. Moore. who has served
in the lower house, and who has served
as comptroller of the city of Detroit.
He will be the exponent of Pingree
ideas. and there will gather at once
around him considerable element in
sympathy with the reform ideas Of the
new governor.
CONDITIONS OF THE HOUSE.
In the houSe, which is looked upon as
more nearly rejecting the feeling Of
the people at large, there will be no
small opposition to Pingree reforms.
Nothing more Is expected of the old
time members. who are in sympathy
with the Mcmillan machine, than that
they will make all possible trouble for
the new governor. 1t Is impossible to
reflect at all closely the opinions Of the
lower house before its organization or
to determine with an accuracy the Pin
gree elements
This situation, with the senate al
most certain to be anti-Pingree and the
lower house uncertain. is Just what Is
sure to make lively session. for It
means opposition, and the more OppO-
sition the mayOr-governOr has the
harder and often the more effectively
he fights. Some of his municipal fights
were made against the biggest odds
and out of them came his greatest VIC
tories.
HOPE OF THE PINGREEITES.
If the governor cannot have his way
in legislative matters he will leave no
room for doubt in the minds Of the
people that the legislature and not him.
self is to blame. And right in that
point lies a bis post Of reliance for the
Pingree adherents. They say that
opposed, to Mr.. Pingree personally and
politically. its members will not dare
to fly into the face Of the people in
openly fighting some Of the reforms
that he has so assiduOusly preached,
in and out of season. They argue that
no representative will want to go to
his constituents and face their anger
after a vote adverse to their interests.
given just because the measure In is
sue was the product of Mr.. Pingree's
reform propaganda.
Perhaps this view is correct. At any
rate there is no doubt that the per-
sOnal hatred of Mr.. Pingree in the leg
islature will make some interesting sit
uations certain, while the ro-Pingree
members will see to 1t that he has good
fighting lines for his reform attacks on
the corporations.
The mayor will scarcely acknowledge
that he has any legislative pro
gramme." This Is the way he prefers
to state 1t: II have some ideas that
want to see made into law, but l have
no programme"
The Pingree programme, in brief, as
can be seen from the foregoing, in
cludes proposed legislation Of five sorts:
Taxing corporate property as other
property Is taxed, exercising the right
of the state to fix maximum rates OF
fare and freight, amendments to cau-
Gus laws looking to the abolition Of
the convention system, giving Michi-
gan cities the right to purchase and
own street railway tracks, and the ref
erendum in cities for the final adoption
of important franchises.
What the people Of the state, who
are primarily responsible for the big
Pingree majority. will look for will be
laws controlling more effectively the
giant corporations, especially the rail-
roads. The farmers are pretty unan-
imOus in thinking the railroads impose
upon them. and there are thousands
besides the farmers who want lower
fares, and these the mayor governor
stands for almost before anything else.