The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-05-28


thus leaving the solvent roads to carry
out the contracts with no chance to get
any pay for. doing so. Manager Head.
of the Detroit Grand Rapids and West
ern road, has promised to secure from
the solvent roads of the state an agree
ment to carry out the object sought to
be obtained by this bill, and this may
end the matter.
Burdening the Senate.
The bill repeating the special charterof
the Michigan Central road, which passed
the house much to the surprise of every
one, is also in the hands Of the senate
committee and no one need be surprised
IL 1t stays there. There are some rea-
sens for believing that some of these
Hills were passed by members of the
house for the purpose of making point
with their constituents and throwing the
burden Of defeating them on the senate.
Just how much of this burden the senate
will stand is one of the problems which
enter into the question of just what rail-
road legislation will be eventually
passed. The uniform text book bill has
passed both houses and is in the hands
of the governor. It exempts all districts
that now have free text books or which
shall adopt the system previous to Jan.
/, 1892 1t is also local option measure
in that any district that does not want
to come under it's provisions may avoid
doing so by vote of its qualified cleo
tors to this effect.
Governor Pingree apparently meant
Just what he said when he remarked
few days ago that the chances were
against any special appropriation bills
becoming laws this year, and his lieu
tenant in the house, Colonel Atkinson,
was equally as we'll informed when he
declared that while all state institutions
would be maintained, no improvements
would be made at any Of them. The
significance of these remarks became APP
parent to every one late last week when
the governor sent to the legislature three
messages vetoing as many bills for pure
ly economical reasons. The bills select
ed for the slaughter on this occasion
were those appropriating $4,000 for the
construction and maintenance of road
ways and other improvements on
Mackinac Island State park, and $1,000
for each Of the ensuing two years for
publishing the historical collections OF
the Michigan Pioneer and Historical So
ciety; also increasing $500 per year the
salaries of the two police justices Of the
city Of Detroit
Unjust to Taxpayers.
In each of the messages vetoing the
appropriation bills the governor said:
"In times Of prosperity it would be prop
er enough to indulge in expenditures Of
this kind but in the present depressed
state of the times, when the taxpayers
OF the state are grooming under their
burdens, feel that it would be unjust
to them to make appropriations which
can be dispensed with" These two
vetoes are taken as a sure indication
that other special appropriation bills,
such as those providing for electric light
plants at the university. and other state
institutions, will experience blow from
the veto ak. The senate made an at
tempt to pass the pioneer bill over the
veto, but 1t failed, three less than the
necessary twenty-five votes being re-
corded in favor of such action.
In disposing Of the police justice bill,
Governor Pingree took occasion to call
attention to the great increase Of the
number of judges Of various kinds and
the vast increase in the expense of MAIN
tanning the judiciary of the state since
the present system was adopted. In the
first place he mentioned the fact that
the city Of Detroit, and said that the
situation called for reduction rather
than an increase Of salaries. The cost of
maintaining the judiciary, he said, has
increased from $14y 900 in 1855 to STAG, 1874
in 1896, while the number OF circuit
judges have increased from ten to forty
one, and the number Of circuits from
ten to thirty-flve. He suggested that the
legislature carefully consider the ques-
ton Of reorganizing the circuits and VEN
tured the statement that they could be
increased fully one-half without any
detriment to the service. In support of
this statement he cited the fact that
many Of the judges are not occupied
more than half the time, some being able
to spend months in other circuits for
which service they receive extra pay.
Cash Prizes for Essays
The governors reference to the de-
pressed condition of the times suggests
the fact that he has offered cash prizes
for essays on this subject. To the stu
dent of any college in Michigan prepar-
ing the best HISTORICAL paper tracing the
most accurate parallel in ancient or
modern history with the present social
and political conditions in the United
States, and giving the causes of this
parallel, he offers a. prize Of $25. For
the second best essay he win pay SIS,
and for the third best $40. Papers must
be prepared and mailed to the executive
office in this city not later than Sept. 1.
They will be examined and the award
made by judges.
The senate committee on appropria-
lions and finance has numerically
slashed every appropriation bill that has
come before 1t. This does not mean that
the slashing has been done without judg-
ment. On the contrary the committee
has been very pafnstaking in its investi-
cations and has sought to hold the in
stitutions down to actual needs. Owing
to this fact, which has come to be rec
ognized at both ends Of the capitol, much
surprise has been expressed at the ac-
ton Of the house in cutting $35, 900 from
the appropriate on made by the senate |
for the Michigan College of Mines at
Houghton. The senate allowed the COLI
lege $115,000, but the house reduced 1t to-
$4,000 Two attempts were made by the
friends of the bill to save the hill az IA