The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-07
PINGREE'S FIRST GUN
Reforms Suggested from
Primary Elections to
transportation
Charges.
DENUNcIATIoN OF TRUSTS
Strong Recommendations for the
Taxation of Railroads and
Telegraph Lines.

LANSING. Mich. Jan. Z 1S97.-The
first annual message OF Governor Pingree
was presented to the Legislature today.
The Governor suggests that the reforms
which he proposes to exploit should be-
Gin with reform of primary elections. He
believes that conventions. of political
parties should be abolished and suggests
8 system whereby a direct vote of the
ballot holder for party candidates should
be permitted. On the subject Of tax
alton he opposes the policy of the specific
taxation of corporations, and recon-
mends that steps be taken in the form
of local or general taxation TO make cor
porations bear their proper share of
lakes. The Governor argues that the
Legislature having a constitutional right
to fix charges for transportation of pas
sengers and freight, should exercise that
power by reducing passenger rates to
two cents per mile in Michigan. He IA
vors the adoption of the system of the
referendum to the granting of public
franchises as q check upon corrupt local
officials.
Referring to the subjects of trusts and
corporations, the Governor makes a num-
Der of recommendations. He our
b growth of the system of combina-
tions. He does not suggest any form of
law, but confines his suggestions to
statements OF facts largely directed at
the Rockefeller combination of mineral
land ownership and control of shipping
interests of the great lakes. He urges
State control of corporate stock and
bond issues by insisting that all issues
shall represent capital actually paid in,
and that a system whereby only a per-
centage of subscribed capital is paid and
upon this payment great credit obtained,
dh0yrld he Cfnnnn6 hn 1nUfsln ffnrr E Ny
Pingree shows that railroads in Michigan
are taxed less than in any other State
except Indiana. He holds that the pres
emit system of railroad taxation in Michi-
gan, as also the system applying to tele-
phones, telegraph and express companies
IS t~neQuable and he recommends that
steps be taken to add to the system of
specific taxation by such legislation as
will give a State board of Taxes and
Assessments power over corporations
against whom taxes are to be assessed.
The Governor opposes the taxation of
mortgages, n ugges changes In the
tax title law. He suggests a general en-
abling act, by which all property here
tofore sold for x may be redeemed
by original owners within five years of
its passage, upon payment of the original
tax. costs and six per cent interest.
Upon the subject OF public franchises
h Governor devotes considerable atten-
ton to street railway franchises. His
resume of his suggestions is that in CIV
ing such franchises, If they may not be
actually m~unicipalized, that reservations
should be made in the grants which pro-
hibit mortgaging of the franchise; will
reserve to the legislative authority the
right to fix tolls; will require the actual
cost of construction to be known to the
municipality, to prohibit consolidation
with opposing companies and the owner
ship of stock by individual stockholders
of one p in any other. He also
would have it provided that M mortgage
shall be executed upon any street rail-
way omDauysS prOparty for a greater
amount than one-half the actual cost of
the property.