The times., 1897-01-29
LAWMAKERS ARE SLOW
But Little Progress Being Made
at Lansing.
RECESS WOULD HAVE SAVED CASH.


RECESS WOULD HAVE SAVED CASH.
Several Hoid-Over Members Explain Why
They Voted Against Taking u Ten Days
Adjournment-Enorts to Have the Law
Providing for Collection and Publication
OF Farm Statistics Repealed-Other In.
teresting News from the State Capital.
Lansing. Mich, Jan. 26.-For a legis-
ature made up of men who. regardless
! oi party, were required to make their
canvass on platform of economy and
REFORM, 1t must be confessed that the
present body of lawmakers has accom-
piished less during the first three weeks
or Its session than of it's 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
mas the Endorsement of Chief Clerk Mil
Ter and Journal Clerk Cook of the lower
mouse, who have been connected official
ly with that body for the past quarter
or q century. Speaker Gordon Is of the
opinion that the lack Of progress this
year Is due to 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. It being
necessary, In most cases, to get this
class or legislation out of the way so
that action could be taken Hereunder
at the April election. Other legislators
profess to believe that the delay Is due
to disposition to wait until Governor
P1ngree shows his hand more extensive
ly than he has thus far done in the mat
ter or legislation. Affairs in Detroit
nave occupied the governors attention
to such an extent since his Inauguration
that he has not devoted much atten-
ton to the legislature, although, so far
as the daily observer is able to judge, he
has given 1t all the attention it's work
has demanded.
Claim That Is Hardly Tenable.
The claim that legislators are walt
ing to 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 consideration
by the committees, but the committees
do not show any marked disposition to
work. The bill to 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
to cents per mile, to increase the
specific tax paid by railroads u of 1
per cent, thereby increasing the annual
revenue Of the state from this source
about $135,000 per annum, to make
stockholders who lend their names to
corporations simply to give the latter
credit liable for the debts Of the cor
poration, and to make 1t 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 It would have been
considerable money in the taxpayers
pockets If both houses had adjourned
for ten days, so that all the commit
tees could have visited the state insti-
tutions at the same time. This opin-
ion is expressed with full knowledge
Of the fact that nine-tenths of the tax
payers take a contrary view Of the mat
ter. In fact, had 1t not been for the
fear Of their constituents a majority Of
the members of the lower house would
have voted in concurring In the action
of the senate in this regard.
Constituents Could Not See 1t.
Several of the hold-over members
freely said that they knew that a re-
cess would be an economical measure,
but they voted against the resolution
because, as 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 It 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
q quorum. Without nearly simultane-
ous 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 to daily along
for a week while the senate is dispos-
ing of the matters 1t has been dallying
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 publi-
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
couohed 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 to the publica-
tion, but this was exploded by the state
ment of the secretary Of state, In re-
sponse to a resolution of the house, that
the annual cost is less than $4,50o. An
other reason advanced is that the only
persons who profit by the information
are the commission merchants and