The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-03-17
to create a court which shall

a
have final jurisdiction in all cases in
volving less than $500. the right of
the supreme court TO grant appeals In
these cases for special reasons being re-
served. The third makes 1t optional
with each county in the state to elect
road commissioner and levy a tax Of
not to exceed 81 on each $500 Of valua-
tion for the purpose of improving the
! highways.
Bicycle Path Bill.
The farmers in the legislature looked
after the interests Of the grangers
when the bin to protect bicycle side
paths was up In the house for passage
couple Of days ago. They SHE'D at
the word negligent" and insisted on
the bill being referred back to the COM
mittee. AS finally passed 1t provides
that the law shall apply only to paths
at least twelve feet from the center Of
the highway, and that nothing in it
shall be construed to prohibit person
from driving across a path in order to
enter upon his premises.
During a hearing before the house ju-
dietary committee on the bill rearrang-
ing the judicial circuits in southwest
ern Michigan the fact that Berrien
county's criminal calendar was very
large was commented upon, and this
was explained by the attorneys from
that county, who said 1t was due to the
frequent violations of the liquor law
by dealers at Benton Harbor and st.
Joseph, such violations being incidental
to the visit of an average of 5000 Chi
cagoans to those cities each Sunday
during the summer months. One of the
attorneys said it was utterly impossible
to keep the saloons of those places
closed on Sunday. 'They run wide
open," he said, the proprietors being
quite willing to pay an occasional fine
In order to reap the harvest the vio-
lation brings them" There are circuit
judges in this section Of the state who
would break up the practice in short
order. They have a habit Of trying
what the application of a term in pris-
on will do toward intoxicating respect
for the law about the second time a
saloonkeeper is up before them for SEN
tence. This always has very salutary
effect, and the plan is commended to
those who may desire to enforce the
law in Berrien county.
An Amusing Incident.
This reminds me Of an amusing Incl
dent that occurred in the senate a day
or two ago. Senator Potter was strug-
Cling with his colleagues to induce
them to vote for bill to incorporate d
village in his district, but the latter
were inclined to think the village ought
to incorporate under the general law.
In response to a demand for reasons for
the special legislation Senator Potter
ooid nth mo
to regulate the saloons. Il would like
to ask" put in Senator Helme at this
juncture, what need there can be for
regulating saloons in a local option
county" Senator Potter smiled grim
ly as he informed the senate that 1t
"is a question of fact and not of law
we are dealing with.
1t is a fact, according to reliable au-
thority, that more liquor is sold in the
average local option county now than
before these counties adopted the local
option law. Antrim county tried the
law two years and then abandoned it,
and Representative Burdick of that
county told me that the experience cost
the county $4,000, this amount being
expended in prosecuting liquor sellers.
He said that these prosecutions de-
pleted all of the regular funds and ate
UP $l2, 900 that was In the sinking fund.
Senator Humphrey, who resides in
the local option county of Allegan, has
had favorably reported a bill which re-
quires druggists in local option coun-
ties to make a weekly report to the
prosecuting attorney, such report to
give the name of each purchaser of in
toxicating liquor and the kind and
amount of liquor purchased.
Asks for "a Large Appropriation.
The university is asking the legis-
lature for a heavy appropriation this
year. The amount looks large, but
when the needs of the institution, and
vastly larger appropriations that other
states make for their universities an
nually are taken into consideration, it
dwindles notceably. Under the law of
1893 the university now gets the pro-
ceeds of a one-sixth of a mill tax which
yields an annual revenue of $4,000
President Angel and the regents report
that there is absolute need for a new
science building and a hospital, and
they ask for a special appropriation of
$3.50, 900 for these purposes. Some of the
friends of the university have suggest
ed that an effort be made to increase
the standing appropriation from one
sixth to one-fourth of mill, but well
informed legislators are convinced that
this could not be done.
The fact that the attendance upon the
agricultural college has doubled during
the past three years has handicapped
that institution badly and rendered nee
essary an appeal for an appropriation
for a woman's building and other i'm
provements which call for an expendi-
ture of about $4,000. Graduates and
friends Of the college in all parts of
the state are flooding the legislators
with letters urging the passage of the
bill making these appropriations.
Normal School Location.
It was supposed that the action of the
Upper Peninsula delegation in deciding
on Marquette as the location for the
proposed new normal school settled
that question. The other places which
contested for the honor did not like the
way the matter was settled by the
delegation, and the whole affair is in
the air again. The committee on edu-
cation, which has charge Of the bill,
have been invited to visit the sites Of
fered by the various contesting cities,
but the house tabled a resolution CIV
ing the committee permission to make