Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-06-03

These bills passed the House Monday:
To punish attempts TO wreck trains by
life imprisonment 10 compel telegraph
companies TO exchange messages with
other lines AT intersecting points nearest
sender of message, prohibiting females
from being employed as barmaids. In the
Senate these bills passed: To require
township boards TO make and publish an
nually itemized statements of the condi-
ton of finances; permitting villages to
vacate their charters in certain cases; TX
ing per diem of railroad crossing board at
50: repeating obsolete statutes: to author
ize sale Of land by State Board of Agri-
culture and purchase of other land: for
the specific taxation of gross earnings or
express companies Mt 2 per cent: amend
ing law relative to liens upon real prop
erty; amending divorce law relative to
support and maintenance of minor chill
dren.
The fight over the Merriman bill which
was expected in the House Tuesday gave
way to what ended in a most harmonious
session. The Governor had put his min
imum at an increase of $1,OOO,OOO. A
careful canvass of the situation, how
ever, revealed that nothing better than
the increase of $205, 900 provided by the
conference committee report could be
hoped for from this Legislature, SO it
was decided to accept that amount and
renew the attack on the railroads before
the next Legislature. This advice was
given by Col. Atkinson, the chief Pin
gree lieutenant, early In the afternoons
session. 1t was readily accepted by all
of the Governors adherents and the con-
ference report was adopted with a rush.
Under 1t the revenue of the State from
this source next y>ar will be $945,OO as
compared with $4,000 this year. The
Senate Committee on State Affairs has
made favorable report ona bill restoring
capital punishment, and both houses have
passed the Perry bill, which makes
| sweeping reduction in the number Of
State reports and other documents to be
published annually.
Gov. Pingree sent a special message to
| the Legislature Wednesday afternoon rec
| ommending that the session be extended
at least fortnight, saying the additional
| expense would be insignificant compared
with the advantage of having pending
bills properly considered. The measures
mentioned by the Governor, with the ex-
ception of the appropriation bills. were
hung up in committees. They require
corporations paying specific tax to adopt
uniform system of bookkeeping, to be
presented by the State, require railroad
companies to sell interchangeable mileage,
and 5OO-mile books for So and include
antitrust bills and bills to tax telephone
and express companies and to prohibit
discrimination in freight rates. The
| House adopted the Governors suggestion
and also adopted concurrent resolution
| resembling it's former action and extend
| ing the session to June IA. The Senate,
however, rejected this resolution by
vote of three to one. The Senate defeat
ed the bill cutting passenger fares on the
| Upper Peninsula roads to cents and the
hanging bill and passed a bill limiting the
bonds issued by gas companies to 80 per
cent of their capital. A bill prohibiting
the exhibition of prize fights, ETC., was
passed by the House.
| The Senate Thursday refused to take
from the Railroad Committee three i'm
portant bills. The bills sought to require
the sale of interchangeable mileage and
| 5OO-mile books, and repeal the Michigan
| Central special charter. The Senate also
| refused TO concur in the action of the
| House in voting to extend the session I'M
| til June IA. The Senate declined the re-
quest of the House that a conference
committee be appointed to consider this
subject. The Governors veto Of the bill
making an appropriation for the Mackinac
Island State Park was ignored and the
measure again passed. The general APP
preparation budget for the expenses Of
the State Government outside of spe-
cial appropriations came from the Ways
and Means Committee. 1t calls for So
sol, 451 for the years 1897 and 1898, or
i .La,. 4 -
last Legislature. The committee esti-
mates the total saving effected this year
at S94S,0O0. A State board Of arbitra-
ton and mediation has been appointed
by Gov. Pngree. 1t consists Of Carl
Schmidt of Detroit, Jerome w. Roberts
of Pontiac and Thomas Roberts of Ne
gaunee.
Gov. Pingree had his final say to the
Legislature Friday night. 1t was in the
shape of a special message on the railroad
| tax question, in which he maintained that
the Merriman bill increasing the specific
tax rate would yield an annual increase of
but $155, 900, or over $4,000 less than its
| advocates claim. He also submitted that
| the law is clearly unconstitutional, in that
| il usurps the functions of the Interstate
| Commerce Commission. Both of these as
| sertions were backed up by figures and a
legal opinion prepared by Railroad Com
missioner Wesselius, which the Governor
said was conceded in by number of
eminent lawyers. He urged that the SEES
sion be continued until this fatal defect
could be remedied. Prominent Senator's
and Attorney General Maynard upheld
the constitutionality. of the laws. Neither
house did more than direct that the mes
sage be printed in the journal. The ses-
sion came to an end at midnight.
How Chinese Do Various Things.
The Chinese do everything backward
lThey exactly reverse the usual order Of