The Yale expositor., 1897-03-05
MICHIGAN SOLONS.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE STATE
LECISLATURE.
Summary of the Principal Bills Intro
duced and of the Doings of the Both
Branohes-Pingree Reform Measures
Beginning to Cut Quite "a Figure.

|
| Republican convention at Detroit and
| held a night session. In the Senate
| 20 bills were introduced, among them
the following: For the incorporation
of military companies; to permit Ann
Arbor to bond for 500, 900 for art gal
| leries for the u. of NJ; to restore Fort
Mackinac to the U. S. government; fix
ing the rate for the transmission of dis
patches by telegraph companies be-
| tween any two points in the state at
10 words for 25 cents; exempting mus
ical societies from taxation; prohibit
the sale of Intoxicating liquors in the
city of Albion; for the designation of
repositories of public moneys by
boards of supervisors; for the incorpo-
ration of bicycle insurance companies;
for the registration of physicians and
surgeons; to prohibit the sale of malt
and spirituous liquors. Out of 95 bills
introduced in the House the most inn
| portant were these: For the taxing of
mortgages on property in Michigan
held by persons outside of the state;
for defining diseases dangerous to the
public health; to license big depart
ment stores; for an entirely new law
for the incorporation of fourth-class
cities; TO do away with the Detroit
board of health; to amend the charter
of Bay City so as to allow that city to
take in West Bay City and Essexville;
| to tax bachelors; providing for a nom
sectarian board of medical examiners; to
permit any railway company to buy or
lease any street railway in any city and
thus enjoy the same rights accorded
the original company in its franchise;
for an excise commission of three mem
bers, with deputies in all counties, to
examine all applicants for saloon IL
censes and to see that liquor laws are
enforced; for a state tax commission
who are TO report on the best system
of taxation on all lines to the next
legislature; to have the receipts from
liquor taxes turned back to the town
ships, villages or cities, instead of hav-
ing all the money go to the county;
providing a 1-l00 of mill tax for the
support of the State Agricultural So
ciety and the maintenance of state fairs;
to prevent the establishment of plank
roads within half mile of any city.
At the close of the so days allowed
for the introduction of bills it was
found that ,225 bills has been pre-
sented TO the House and $40 to the
Senate, total of 1,765 bills, which is
a record breaker for Michigan. The
most important of the scores in the
Senate on the last day were as follows:
To make a total reduction in the state
salary list of $4,000; to annex Spring
wells township to the city of Detroit;
to make liquor taxes payable into the
state treasury; prohibiting public glove
contests, to permit township clerks to
issue marriage licenses; providing that
local boards of health shall examine
all medical practitioners when signed
complaint is made by five citizens; TO
reduce legal advertising rates to so
cents per folio; TO abolish the board of
state auditors and provide for the
election of three state commissioners
of claims and accounts at salaries of
81, 200 per year; to prevent personal
claims for damages two years after the
damage occurred; making the commits
sioners of labor, banking and insur-
ance and the state oil inspector elec-
tive; fixing telegraph tolls at two cents
per word for the first 10 words and one
cent for each additional word; making
the wrecking of railroad train equiv
alent to murder in the first degree; to
have all road taxes payable in money
instead of labor; providing for the
election of a defending attorney in
every county, he to defend and act as
advisor and counselor to every person
accused of crime, and to receive no pay
from friends and relatives of such; for
general liquor license law requiring
druggists and all dealers in liquors TO
pay license of $3.50; to prevent tele-
phone, telegraph or express companies
from raising their rates; to add one
half per cent to the present specific tax
required of railroads; to make the
board of control of Agricultural col
lege elective; to permit military COM
panies to own real estate; to prohibit
women from acting as bartenders, or
dancing or furnishing music where
liquor is sold; to abolish the Office of
state statistician; To appropriate S10,-
600 for a state military armory on the
capitol grounds; to give highway COM
missioners power to open toll gates to
the public where plank road companies
do not keep up their roadbeds; TO pro-
vide for a state department of taxes
and assessment; for civil service in
state, county and municipal offices; TO
place tax of so cents per barrel on
beer; to prohibit card, pool or billiard
playing where liquor is sold; to
repeal the law which exempts clubs
and clubhouses from the provis-
ions of the general liquor laws;
to prohibit Pinkerton detectives being
imported into the state; to increase the
age of consent to Is years; to tax ex-
press companies two per cent of their
gross income; for an appropriation for
a state G.. A. r. hall at Detroit; to re-
peal the present law under which drug
gists sell liquor; to have state printing
done at the state industrial home for
boys; to tax foreign express and insur-
ance companies higher than state com
panies; TO have railroad commission