The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-19
At CROSS PURPOSES.
Governor Pingree and the Senate
of Michigan.
DISLIKE is FULLY RECIPROCATED.

DlSLlhE Is FULLY KECIPKUCATED.
Two Nominations Made by the Executive
the Beet Sugar Bounty Bill Defeated
Changers Win Victory In Both Houses
Bill for the Taxation of Real Estate
Mortgages -Fishermen's Fears.
Lansing, Mich, March .16.-Last week
was an eventful one in the legislature.
Several things of an interesting nature
happened, and that is more than can
be said of many a week in the earlier
part of the session. Several of these
things combined tended to show yery
conclusively that the governors dislike
for the senate, which he has taken no
trouble to conceal, is reciprocated fully.
The turning down of Ex-Governor Luce
for place on the Ionia prison board,
and of Rev. Morgan Wook of Detroit
for place on the state board of cor
rections and charities, the practical
adjustment of the Office of state stat
istician to which Governor Pingree pro-
posed to appoint ex-Mayor Cox Of Bat
tie Creek, the refusal to adopt State
Senator Moore's amendment to the beet
sugar bounty bill so as to place the APP
pointing Of weighmasters and inspectors
in the hands of the governor, and the
taking from the state affairs committee,
made up wholly of Pingree men. Of the
bill providing that all vacancies taking
place before or during the legislative
session shall be filled before adjourn
ment so that the senate may pass upon
the nominations, are samples of the
treatment accorded the chief executive
by the upper house. These incidents
simply go 10 confirm the opinion ex-
pressed several weeks ago that it will
be far easier for the biblical camel to
go through the eye of needle than for
any of the so-called Pingree measures
to go through the senate. Plenty of
them may pass the house, but that is as
far as they will get on their way to be-
come laws in this year of grace.
Bishop in the Senate.
IT is a singular fact that not more
than one or two persons have discovered
that the senate numbers among it's
members q genuine bishop. In its efforts
to secure some one to open the daily ses-
sions with religious exercises the sem
ate has run the gauntlet Of about all the
Protestant clergymen of the city, has
frequently pressed into service Rev. c.
c. Miller, one of the assistant sergeants-
alarms, and, at times, has called upon
State Senator Nudge, who is a clergy
man, and State Senator Campbell, who
is not, but has never learned that all
this while a bishop has sat in the cham
Der unsupported. The person referred
to is State Senator Blakeslee of Berrien,
who is one of the three ruling bishops
of the ReorganiZed Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints. Bishop
Blakeslee is not gifted as speaker, al
though he has no difficulty in stating
clearly and forcibly what he may have
on his mind, and for this reason he has
been assigned the duty of handling the
financial affairs of the church, a duty
which he performs with signal ability.
He confines his church work to this
feature, although having full authority
to perform all of the functions OF an
elder in the church.
Victory for the Changers.
The grangers won a decided victory
in both houses last week. This was in
connec; on 18th the bill making IN an
proprio,i - the travl'r2 ':,:A
Five ttcUsa; dollars was L. sd + = ti.
purposc for lie ensuing tv t'', bat
the senate cut this to $3,500. The LA
hung fire in the house for two or three
weeks, the disposition of the committee
on ways and means being to cut the APP
propriat on still further. About this
time p .tions for the passage of the bill
as originally drafted began to come in
from the oranges all over the state.
These petitions stated that the farming
community received the greatest bene-
fit from the travelling libraries and the
grangers earnestly protested against
the cut. The result was that the orig
inal amount was restored, and when the
bill was restored to the senate that
body went back on it's former action by
an almost unanimous vote. Had it not
been for the grange petitions it is ex-
tremely doubtful If the appropriation
would have exceeded $4,000.
There is little doubt that the bill to re-
peal the law providing for the taxation
of real estate mortgages will become a
law. 1t passed the senate several days
ago by a decisive vote, although the
senator's engaged in quite lively scrap
DefOre the vote was ldken IL mas al
ready been favorably reported to the
house, and a careful canvass shows
that a majority of the representatives
are in favor of its passage. AS amend
ed in the senate the bill restricts the
exemption to mortgages on Michigan
real estate, and limits the rate of in
terest that can be contracted in such
mortgages to per cent. The argu-
ments used in favor of the bill are
that, while the mortgage tax law was
designed to reduce the rate of interest,
it's practical effect has been to increase
it, the borrower, in nearly every in
stance, being required to pay the tax.
1t was furthermore urged that another
effect Of the law was TO drive Michigan
capital to other states.
Foreigners on Public Work.
State Senator Lawrence's bill reuur-
ing that foreign-born persons shall be-
come citizens Of this country before en-
titled, to work on public improvements.
etc. called out much discussion i'm the
senate last week, and was finally re-
ferred to the judiciary committee for
an opinion as TO its constitutionality It
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