The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-04-02
NUMEROUS PETITIONS.
They Reach the Michigan Legis.
lature in a Flood.
MANY DUMMY BILLS INTRODUCED

They Are Presented by Solons I'm Most In
stances to Accommodate Some Friend
Increase in the Proportion of Old Soldiers
As Janitors at the Capitoi-The Michi-
gan Mining Schooi-County Salary BILL
Other Legislative News.
Lansing, Mich. March 30.-The casual
observer or reader of legislative pro-
ceedings is invariably struck by the APP
parent spontaniety with which the peo-
pie of the state petition for or re-
monstrate against pending measure.
This feature of legislation Is remarked
upon more than any other. visitor
to the lower house at the commencement
of the daily sessions, who listens to the
perfect flood of petitions which pour in
from all sections Of the state on this,
that or the other subject, would be
justified in concluding that the taxpay-
ers of the state were sitting up nights to
sign petitions. For the past few days
many of these petitions have called for
the enactment of the Wagar bill provid-
ing for the reduction of official salaries,
and while ii may be true that the peo-
pie of the state are greatly interested in
the passage of this bill, 1 am violating
no confidence when 1 mention the fact
that these petitions are the result OF the
work of a single individual, and that
they but illustrate the method employed
for working up an apparent showing
of public sentiment for or against pend
ing legislation. In substantiation OF
this assertion l need simply to affix a
copy of letter which was sent out over
the state by the person referred to. 1t
is as follows:
Office of State Tax Statistician, c. v.
DeLand, Statistician.
Lansing, March 5, 1897.
l send you today at the request of
Senator Wagar few petitions, which
he wants put into the hands of friends
to circulate Will you please do this?
His bill cuts down some of the big sala-
ries as follows: Railroad commissioner
to $4,000; bank commissioner to $4,000;
the others and deputies to $1,000. Out
side of these 1t is about 10 per cent. cut.
The total salaries last year were $402.-
$50, and a 10 per cent. cut will save the
people about $4,000 1t is good politics,
in my opinion, to push it. Yours, ETC.,
c. V. DELAND.
Not Just What They Seem.
Accompanying the letter were the pc
titions and circular letter covering the
subject. This incident simply serves to
show that all matters of legislation are
not just exactly what they seem, and
that one cannot tell from the number
Of petitions how many are really inter-
ested in a given subject.
One result of this particular bit of ac-
tivity was the killing of the bill provid-
ing for the continuance of the office of
state tax statistician, a fact which
shows that it is not always safe to mon
key with the buzz saw.
did you ever notice the numerous
dummy bills that are introduced at
every session of the legislature" said
well-informed gentleman to me recent
Iy. while they are, OF course, intro
duced by legislators, these officials, in
most instances. have no interest in
them, but introduce them to accommo>
date some friend whose motives are not
altogether what they should be- Posi-
bly, can best convey the idea 1 have
I'm mind by relating a story recently told
me. At recent session a gentleman re-
quested a friend of mine, who was a
a certain bill in which the latter had
no interest whatever. in fact it was a
SHELTON bill with a proper enough APP
pearing title. This much accomplished
the party of the first part hied himself
to neighboring city and sought out
the president of the corporation whose
the bill was designed to dis
astrously affect, and called his attention
IN 10 "a u L.
employed to lobby against the bill and
Kill it IL possible. The latter was
not very difficult task. The legislator
who introduced the bill had no desire
to push it, so nothing was done con-
corning 1t, and along toward the end
Of the session the gentleman at whose
request it was offered, informed the
aF-tiiaker that the circumstances had
so changed that there was no need for
such a law as was proposed. conse-
quently he did not care to have him do
anything further in the matter, and the
bill was never heard of again that ses.
sion.
JOY Turned into Mourning.
But there was very amusing phase
10 the case," continued my friend. Both
the interested citizen and the bill bobbed
up again at the next session, and the
same programme was carried out, an
other legislator being prevailed upon to
the bill. Then the citizen
made another journey to the place Of
residence of the corporation president,
and informed him that that pesky bill
had again been introduced. The visitor
was greatly pleased when the president
told him that he had read about the
DILL in the newspapers and was consid-
arably worried over the situation. His
10y was turned into mourning, however
when the president remarked that a
number of years before he had been
given to understand by one in whose
Judgment he had the utn1 st confidence
that man who would permit himself
to be kicked twice in the same place
by the same mule was good for nothing
else, and that he had, therefore, decided
60 employ -ame one else TO kill the bill
that year. Ard he did So"
Early in the present administration
the board o. state auditors created q
graf deal of ceiling i'm certain circles
by laying down the rule that janitors,
ETC., about the capitol should be limited
to a service Of four years. They also