Evening star., 1897-05-11
Governor Pingree Has Proved to Bea
Disappointment to Friends.
SCARCELY PEEPED Since INAUGURAL
He is Expected to Explode a Mes
sage Soon on Taxation.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

|
The session of the Legislature will close
| about June 1. 1t has been exceedingly
| tame and uneventful session thus far. and
| unless Gov. Pingree breaks out in a new
| ard unexpected spot it will continue so to
| the end. and will probably do so anyway,
| regardless Of what The governor may do
| The governor has been a disappointment
| to his friends and admirers. 1t was
| pected that when he mounted the throne
| he would turn things upside down and
| generally smash all the old usages and tra-
| ditions of the state house. But instead of
| being a smasher. the governor has been
| real nice, quiet little man, and mas scarce
| ly peeped since his inaugural message.
| The lawmakers were in considerable awe
| of his honor when they first assembled
but as the session stretched out this feel
| ing psssed Off; and now the most insig-
| nificant member of the lower house does
| not hesitate to play horse with his honor
| IL the spirit moves. 1t is true, Gov. Pm
gree has been handicapped by legislature
| adverse to his views, but even those who
/ were his stanch friends early in the game
| are an ong those who oppose him now
| The defeat of Capt. Stewart, Pingree's
| candidate for mayor of Detroit, had much
| to do with the change in sentiment and
tfe overcoming of the awe that Pingree's
name inspired, but repeated and well-di-
| rected attacks by the anti-Pngree ma
chlne AL over the state went even farther
| Taxation Message Expected.
Gov. Pingree will, it is announced. full
nitrate long message on the question of
| taxation of railroads and corporations be-
| fore the final adjournment, but the explo-
sion has already been anticipated and dis
| counted. The message. however, Will be
Pirgree's text fer future operations and it
| may cut considerable ice before another
election comes around. AS Things stand
| now Plngree would have very little chance
| TO WIN the next republican nomination for
| a second term. and under any circum-
stances his road to a denomination will be
a hard enc. The federal machine is against
MN, and this means that a great majority
! OF the postm2cters and other office holders
| ABOUT the sta,e will be arrayed in opposi-
| ton to his nomination. Pingree's only de-
pendence will be upon what he calls the
| pee pie, and his taxation message will me
ms hrst step to reach them. He will prob
| apiy call special session of the legislature
| next winter to consider the taxation uues-
tion exclusively, and will endeavor to make
more capital then His opponents In his
own party, however, will be pretty well
| prepared for any move he may make and
| VIII nave II discounted long in advance
Political BoOms Developed.
! Inc session, aside from the depressing
ihnuence 1t has seemed to have had upon
governor Pfngree. has developed compare
| uNelv nttle of political significance No
| partisan enactments have been passed of
any consequence or Importance, and the
oniv really substantial boom brought to
llsht mas been that of Lieutenant Governor
| Ihomas b. Dunstan who NAV go in for
the first place on the ticket next year. He
mas been a popular presiding officer and
mas Favored the federal machine side of
| the republican controversy as against PIN
gree. he has made many friends and is
lapie to attain considera BILE prominence in,
the future political history of the state
| hot h fA,-
ana Tor senator, to succeed Senator Bur
| rows, whose term will expire in 1899 The.
| only member of either house who has de-
! yeloped booms, aside from Speaker w d.
| Gordon, who wants the congressional nom
! nation next year successor to Con-
gresham Crump in the tenth district, is
representative r. d. Graham of this city
| who, like Mr.. Dunstan, would like to he
| Michigans next governor Graham has
| been at the head of the farmers club"
| as the members Of the legislature from
the rural districts are called, and has been
| active in promoting legislation which will
| please the farmers His boom, however. is
| not very pronounced. and he will have diff
| nculty IN making the politicians believe
there is anything to it.
Other candidates who have announced
themselves for gubernatorial honors for
next year are Attorney General Fred A.
! Maynard of this city Col A. T. Bliss of
Saginaw, who was defeated in convention
| by Pingree last summer. and James ODon-
nell OF jackson, another of the defeated of
elected
| commander of the Michigan Grand ARMY.
and will use that as lever to lift himself
| into political prominence again The early
announcements indicate the opposition
Which Ptngree will have to a second term
but Pingree will keep on saving wood, and
| II the republicans refuse him a renomina-
ton he will go in as an independent can
oidate, running on a platform of his own.
| senator Burrows' Troubles.
Senator Burrows will have no easy row
to hoe to secure a reelection. The most
| formidable opposition to him will arise
from the lumber tariff. The Huron shore
| lumbermen like Albert Pack, Arthur HILL
| Ex-Governor John T. Rich, Secretary of
War Russell A. Alger and others equally
prominent and influential in Michigan poli-
| tics are opposed to the 81 tariff on Cana
| dian lumber, while over on the western
side of the state the sentiment is almost
solid FOR the high tax. Burrows owed his
| election largely to the efforts of the Blod-
getts of this city, the Cummers of Cadil-
| lac and other wealthy lumbermen, and
| they demand that he support the s. tariff
| proposition, and he is doing it, The Huron
| shore lumbermen will fight Burrows to q
| finish If the 81 tariff goes through, and his
| position Is really very perplexing. That he
will not have a clear field for reelection is
apparent from the number of candidates
| already suggested, more than a year in
advance of any possible action in the mat
| ter. Lieutenant Governor Dunstan and ex-
| Congressman Samuel L. Stephenson of
| Menominee are mentioned from the upper
peninsula. John Patton. jr., Of this city
| who served a brief term by appointment
| of Governor Rich, and Thomas J. O. Bricn
| of this city are both possibilities, and Con-
| gressman William Alden Smith, also Of
this city, would be willing VICTIM al
| though he will not enter into canvass
| for the honor. The fight against Burrows
| can be said to have already begun. but it
! is too early for the opposition to have lone
i anything like centering on a candidate
| Tho distribution of the federal patronage
| in fhis part of the state will more less
| affect Burrows interests, and he will have
| more than one knotty problem on his hands
before the distribution is completed.