Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-20

AS was anticipated the Senate re-
fused to concur in the House amend
ments to the Merriman bill for increas-
ing the specific taxes on railroeds.
The House has been officially notified
of this fact; has insisted upon its
amendments, and instructed Speaker
Gordon to appoint conference com
mittee OF five to enter into negotiations
with Senate conference committee for
the purpose of effecting a compromise
The bill to close photograph galleries
on Sundays was made the butt of a
good deal of fun in the House and was
bill to compel notaries to keep record
of all instruments they execute and to
have a notary public seal was killed on
the ground that it involved a needless
expense to notaries. The House also
declined to pass the Bricker bill to
prevent express companies from charg-
ing more for express over the lines of
two companies than the maximum
charge for the same distance over the
line of one company. The Stoneman
bill for the local taxation of railroads
has been referred to the House COM
mittee on general taxation. The
House committee on liquor traffic has
reported out the bill for the taxation
of beer, recommending that it be cut
in two, making it SO instead
of GA cents on a barrel of beer
This rate, if the bill passes, it is
estimated, will raise $500, 900 in taxes.
Apparently the railroads have given
up the idea of opposing legislation in
the House and will depend upon the
Senate to defeat or cripple such bills
as meet the displeasure of the railroad
people. The House in committee of
the whole, with very little opposition,
agreed to bills for Scent passenger
fare in the upper peninsula; for an in
Interchangeable mileage book of 500
miles good for any member of family
or firm for 500 mile book at cents
per mile in the lower peninsula and
cents in the upper. There was not an
objection to the Eikhoff bill; giving
liquor dealers the right to keep their
saloons open on New Years, Labor
day and on July 4. The bill also pro-
vided that township boards may per-
nit liquor dealers to keep their saloons
open from o'clock in the morning un-
til IL o'clock p. III. The Mason con-
stitutional amendment, providing that
constitution of the state in English,
which has passed the Senate has also
been agreed to in the House commit
tee of the whole. The amendment to
the constitution if adopted will not de-
prive those who are physically disabled
from reading, nor those who had the
right to vote Jan. !, 1897, from their
electoral franchise. Rep. Colvin tried
to kill the bill appropriating $1,000 for
the state horticultural society urging
that it was a useless expense and one
only to keep people in offices. 1t was
agreed to however. The House failed
TO pass the Dickinson bicycle path bill,
which provided that boards of super
visors should license bicycles for sum
not less than so cents or more than 81,
and provided for the election of three
-~anty bicycle sidepath commissioners
tto pe UIcycllstsJ, ~ uevoJe the license
@'NONy w viz vi DlCyClc
side paths in the county. The vote on
the bill was As Tor to 16 against. Cy-
clists generally petitioned for the pass
age of the bill and 1T will be reconsid-
cred. The Senate, in response to the
resolution of the House, asking for
conference committee on the Mer-
riman railroad specific tax bill,
authorized the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to
appoint committee of five to meet
the House committee. Senators Mer-
riam, Maitland, Preston, Teeple and
Ioumans were named. The thinner
man bill for an appropriation of SO, 900
to keep the L. of NJ. hospitals open
during the summer met some opposi-
ton, but it passed, as did the following
measures: Amending the plank road
law SO that toll cannot be collected on
less than a mile of road amending the
tax law SO that bondsmen shall sane
ton the appointment of a deputy to
township treasurers; appropriating
$4,000 for improvements at the Jack
son state prison; prohibiting the en-
ployment of barmaids.