The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-09-13

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tain, and they may not all realize their
| ambitions The fact that the next leg
islature will rearrange the congression-
| al districts of the state Is being used
10 the best possible advantage 10y some
| OF the congressman who are now serv-
| ing their second terms or better ana
who yearn TO serve their constituents
! for two years more. These statesmen
urge ambitious competitors that IL
will be 10 their interests To curb their
ambitions for two years more Tor
should they happen 10 he nominated
and elected next year, they Will be In
danger of being legiSlated out Of their
districts and thus left TO retire TO pri-
vate life after having served but sin
gle term. Thus far this ingenious ar
gument has not served to induce any
OF the novices TO jump the track They
rather suspect that the solicitude OF
the congressman who are using Ii is
not altogether unsel1sh. There are
sure TO be very warm and spirited con-
tests in several of the districts.
Some skilled Politicians.
Speaking of politics suggests the fact
that the meeting Of the lay delegates
to the annual meeting of the Detroit
Methodist conference last week devel-
oped some skilled politicians If the
newspaper reports are 10 be believed,
and they always are, of course. Some
of the gentlemen who are alleged to
have injected worldly political meth
DDS into the election of delegates to
the general conference fell by the
wayside, but they are not willing to
concede that it was not equally world
/ ly tactics that defeated them. All of
this goes TO show that people are pref
| ty much the same wherever you find
them, and that when a man starts out
to land an Office of any kind, he Is
quite apt to resort 10 whatever meth
DDS are necessary TO land it, There
are exceptions to this rule, of course,
but they lead,a lonely life.
The action OF the state board of au-
ditors in deciding not to allow any y.
| the claims authorized by the last legis
lature by joint resolution unless di-
rected to do so by the supreme court
! appears to be ill-timed. This is SO for
the reason that the direction OF the
legislature was not mandatory, but
merely advisory, il being left TO the
auditors to determine in their discre
ton what sum, If any, should be paid
the several claimants, n limit being
placed on the amount in each case
For this reason the court cannot coerce
the discretion of the board or substi-
tute its discretion for that of the au-
ditors, the latter being coordinate
branch of the state government Great
ed by the same constitution that es-
tablishes the court.
No Mandamus Against Board.
A mandamus will not, therefore, lie
against the board, this fact having
long since been established by the
court. In order TO get the question of
the right of the legislature TO author
iZe settlements with persons injured
while in the employ of the state in
various capacities before the courts,
as the auditors wish TO do. it will be
necessary for them TO reconsider their
action and allow claim and then
draw his warrant for the amount al
lowed. mandamus TO compel the
auditor general TO act can then be
asked for and the question placed in
the way of final settlement. 1t is a
grave question if keeper In prison
or an asylum for the insane is entitled
10 any damages from the state for in
juries received by being attacked by
an inmate. This is one of the risks
of the employment which he assumes
when he accepts such employment and
no one will for a moment contend
that. under such circumstances, an
action for damages would lie against
an individual. firm or private corpora
ton. Just why a similar rule should
not apply where the state is the in
terested party is not apparent, and
there is little doubt in the minds of
many able lawyers that the courts will
hold that it does.
Taxation of Mining Interests.
Now that the state tax commission
ers have invaded the upper peninsula
the people may shortly expect to be adj
vised rs TO the exact extent to which
the great mining interests of that see
ton are escaping taxation. The dis
cussion of this important question AT
the last session of the legislature was
fraught with such contradictory state
ments that il was difficult matter for
the layman to determine. 1t is hoped
that whatever statement the commits
sioners may make in this regard will
be SO fortified 10y authentic facts and
figures as 10 leave no room for sue
cessful contradiction. The commits
sioners are still hearing daily from cit.
liens all over the state whose neigh
bors are not paying all the taxes they
should. but thus far the request fol-
information on this point has not
wrung any confessions from penitents
who feel that they have themselves
been beating the state in this connec
ton. This is about what the commits,
sion might have expected when it is
sued n general invitation to the people
TO unbOsom themselves on this point
The fellow who can detect a mote in
his brothers eye without getting any
thing like a focus on the beam that
is in,bis own eye is largely in the ma
jority everywhere.
JAMES V. BARRY.
Bamboo OpaIs.
Among the queer things found in the