The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-04-21
LETTER FROM LANSING.
Legislative News Gathered by Our
Correspondent.
THE PINGREE RAILWAY BILLS.

Three of Them Were Considered Last
Week and Two Passed. but Not Until
Amended M as To BE Mutually Satisfac-
tory-Michigans New Deputy Attorney
General-Move for Uniform Game Laws
Legislative Inconsistency.
Lansing, Mich, April 20.-The pre-
dction made last week that there was
little, If any, show for the passage OF
the so-caled railroad bills has been
more than verified by the proceedings
of the past few days. During last week
three of these railroad bills were con-
sidered and two were passed, but not .
until they had been amended so as to
he mutually satisfactory. One OF these 4,
bills, which was given immediate effect. |
requires that bicycles be carried free as
baggage but it limits the companys
liability to damages resulting from act
ual carelessness. the company being ex-
empt i'm all cases where hooks or other
proper devices for holding the wheels
en- route are supplied. The second Dill
passed originally sought to make II OBJ
| ligatory upon all railroad companies 10
maintain a warning bell at all crossings,
| both in and out of municipalities. ms
would have entailed an expense OF sew
eral million dollars. Before being passed
the bill was amended so that the Dell
system must be petitioned for by tWeh-
ty-five taxpayers, and then need DE put
in and maintained only in case the rail-
road commissioner decides that the
crossing is dangerous one and so or
ders.
Bill Made Quite Harmless.
The anti-railroaders showed their
hand most effectively when the Atkin-
son anti-discrimination bill came up.
This bill provides that there shoulu pe
no discrimination in either freight ana
Messenger rates Inasmuch as discrlm-
nation in freight rates is already pro-
hibited by law, this feature OF the Dill
was not antagonized. The other pro-
vision rendered il unlawful for the com
pany to give to one person rate De
, tween two points that it would not give
all other persons. The effect or such
law would be to do away with the sale
, of mileage books and also excursion
J rates and il was argued that nsteao
= of lowering the passenger fares, the vi
T would do away with special rates ah'
make fiat 3-cent fare. The result o
n tho discussion was that the passenge
II fare provision was stricken out py
;, vote of AZ to a. thus making the oil
o quite harmless from railroad poin'
s view In this discussion the mempei
II went over the fiat 2-cent rare ques''oi
l. and the vote above noted quite cohciu
y sively seals the fate of the 2-cent lar
10 rim whom II is reached on the calenoal
e, Tbere still remain nine railroad DIS
10 ba considered. They will be taken
III on the 2Sth inst. to which time the spe
n oiol order has been postponed, IN
hill has not come up for final passase'
W Vote On Constitutional Amendments
eu The result Of the vote on the Two 'oi
etitutional amendments, which We
w submitted to the. people TINS sprih
rs very effectually dsposes OF the propos
eV t;on TO amend the constitution 50 az
r nrovide for the initiative anu iele.e
~ dunn one Of the amendments No'eu
M ,his snrine was a purely local measu
III Gov Kent county, permitting that couh
vi IA have a board of county auultoie'
could not possibly have the shghtes,
foot on any other section Oh 'he SO
,,ot county after county rolled up
OF n,oior;tv against il and II was pur'
The out of sipht 1t is safe to say 'hat 1
lit one person i'm fifty who Voteu asai'
nat ,ho nronosition had the slightest reas
the Co... doing so. The result demohstra'
ing ooncmsively that the people cahho'
ut donended upon to inform themselves
are 40 tho merits Of these propositions
as Cor this reason whatever hope thelr
ore for the submission of the relereho
'rts sobome has gone glimmering'
ur- rho manner in which the people
un- ted an voting no on the Kent cou'
ave amendment brings to mind the case
my tha two members of the legislature
lem 1Ssgsvho religously voted no OH eV
as I'M IN which they detected any III
g L so,,orirg of a dollar marx, so ii'
With 80 thew on establishing a repu'a'
nv so, for economy. s..,,,,
for demonstrated Their sincerity.
r. ,,,,, no remembered that the
vic rroy;ous there had been a speciai
ma r,o, ~ the legislature for the purl
mn 90 making an appropriation TOT ue
ore ,,eecrers ND in the Huron ana oan
lrse' oo,ntv region. 1t happened tha'.
any - .a,ief committee concluded lts
nihg - there was still a balance III
let 80 and the money having peen
IL.
ouiu nronriated for a special purpose c
i.cie lever he used until covered paeA
ld' ,ha General fund of the state acc
I, III ;ng,v a bill was introduced makihs
'nn' transfer. but the two gentien1eh !
lei lied above demonstrated their SIT
ange NV of purpose by voting against II
ior Since last Friday Michigan mas Il
SURE -. oo,cial This is deputy at'o
III, neneral. the bill creating this once
sina . salary of $4,000 per annum ia
unu, 80 onnroved by Governor Pingre
niger ,,,o dav named. Heretofore the
ere"' ,oture has allowed the attorney se
90 600 per year out OF whicn ~. nv
obliged to pay his assistant anu VI.
oroI clerks needed for the proper
'mble action of the business OF the oiiiee
antle- low did not recognize any suen
fan .sietant or deputy attorney ger
asks hut the new statute does. A't
ipey General Maynard has appoih.eu
you. y Chase of Van Buren, county ms
it, nv Mr.. Chase has been ms ao'
Ham s,stant for the past two years
e au. Farmers Finally Triumph.
ing! A hill which the farmers OF the
have been bravely bathing ior =,
nast six or eight years has nha''