The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1897-01-27

They Voted Against Taking . Ten Days
ADJOURNMENT - Efforts 90 Have the Law
Providing for Collection and Publication
% Farm Statistics Repeaied-Other In.
terestins News from the state Capital.
Lansing. Mich. Jan 26.-For q legis-
iature made UP OF men who. regardless
OF party. were required 10 make their
canvass on platform OF economy and
reform. IL must be confessed that the
present body Of lawmakers has accom-
plished less during the first three weeks
'rof its session than OF Its predecessors
Tor many years Your correspondent
has been quite closely associated with the
legislatures OF Michigan for the past ten
years. and his opinion on this subject
has the Endorsement OF Chief Clerk Mil
Ter and Journal Clerk Cook Of the lower
house. who have been connected official
ly with that body for the past quarter
OF century. Speaker Gordon is of the
opinion that the lack OF progress this
year Is due 10 the fact that the passage
OF the blanket charter for the fifty or
more cities of the fourth class two years
ago has shut off the great mass OF To-
cal bills and charter tinkering which
occupied previous legislatures for the
first few weeks OF the session. II being
necessary. in most cases. TO get this
class OF legislation out OF the way so
that action could be taken hereunder
at the April election. Other legislators
profess 10 believe that the delay is due
20 disposition 10 wait until Governor
Pingree shows his hand more extensive
ly than he has thus far done in the mat
ter OF legislation. Affairs in Detroit
have occupied the governors attention
10 such an extent since his inauguration
that he has not devoted much atten-
ton 10 the legislature although. so far
as the daily observer is able 10 judge, he
has given II all the attention its work
has demanded
Claim That Is Hardly Tenable.
The claim that legislators are wait
ing 10 see what legislation the governor
will have introduced is hardly tenable.
for the reason that several of the most
important matters which he recon-
mended in his inaugural message have
already been introduced In the shape
OF bills and are ready for considera ton
by the committees, but the committees
do not show any marked disposition 10
work. The bill &c prevent stock water
ing. the income tax BILL the measure
TO require railroad companies to grant
a uniform passenger rate of cents per
mile in the lower peninsula. and bills
TO reduce upper peninsula fares from
4 to 3 cents per mile. TO increase the
specific tax paid by railroads y Of
per cent. thereby increasing the annua!
revenue of the state from this source
about $4,000 per annum. 10 make
stockholders who lend their names TO
corporations simply 10 give the latter
credit liable for the debts OF the cor
poration, and 10 make II unlawful TO
enter into any combine trust agree
ment or contract designed TO lessen
competition in mercantile trade or man
ufacturing are all Pingree measures
and all Of them have been duly started
on their way through the legislative
hopper.
Experienced legislators and officials
are all agreed that IL would have been
considerable money in the taxpayers
pockets if both houses had adjourned
for ten days. so that all the commit
lees could have visited the state insti-
tutions al the same time. This opin-
ion is expressed with full knowledge
OF the fact that nine tenths of the tax
payers take contrary view OF the mat
ter. In fact had il not been for the
fear OF their constituents a majority OF
the members OF the lower house would
have voted in ooncurring in the action
OF the senate in this regard
Constituents Could Not see IL.
Several OF the hold lover members
freely said thar they knew that a re-
cess would be an economical measure.
but they voted against the resolution
because. a they said. they could never
get their constituents TO see the case
in that light. The last time no such
recess was taken was in 1891. and that
year the session lasted until July 4
and was the longest session in the his
tory OF the state. The house has been
plugging slowly along doing little
or nothing. and whatever IL has accom-
plished has been simply piled up await
ing the return OF the senators, who
have purposely absented themselves so
that the upper house has been without
a quorum Without nearly simuitane-
QUE concurrent action by the two houses
no progress can be made In the matter
OF legislation. and the result will be
that the house will have 10 daily along
for a week while the senate IL lspos.
ing OF the matters II has been dalying
with.
The most persistent effort thus far
put forth in the matter Of legislation is
in the direction of the repeal Of the law
providing for the collection and publ
cation of farm statistics The house is
being flooded with petitions on this SUBJ
ject. all of them having been circulated
from a central point. as the heading OF
each is printed in the same type and
couched In the same language At first
the supporters OF the bill said the repeal
of the law was desired because OF the
great expense attached 20 the publica-
ton. but this was exploded by the state
ment OF the secretary OF state. in re-
Spouse 10 resolution OF the house. that
the annual cost Is less than 81. 500. An
other reason advanced is that the only
persons who profit by the information
are the commission merchants and
grain dealers. who use IL 10 the detri-
ment Of the farmer. taking advantage
Of the knowledge thus gained 10 man
.ipulate the market However this may
!. ~. the fact - that the publication OF
Ne statistics was instituted for the pur.
pdFe OF putting the farmer on the same
levei with the dealer in this regard. the