Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1899-05-04
STATE LEGISLATURE.

The supreme court decision invali.
dates the Atkinson railroad law, as
well as the law of 1851, which provides
for the assessment of railroad, tele'
graph and telephone companies The
provisions in this law are exactly sim
liar to those in the Atkinson bill, pro-
viding for the assessment of railroad,
telegraph and telephone companies.
The case under discussion was that OF
the Tecumseh Telephone Co. The
court declared the tax to be adj valorem
and not specific, and that the auditor
general had no authority to credit the
money collected under the law TO the
primary school fund. But the conten-
ton that the tax can be collected as
an ad valorem tax, the court says, can
not be sustained 1t is not "A specific
tax and is not within the rule of taxa
ton prescribed for other property;
therefore, the law is void. This prac-
tically disposed of the Atkinson law,
and brings the matter Of increasing
the taxation Of railroads again before
the Legislature.
l. ne SGudLc III executive SNooloh Noh-
frmed the following appointments of
the governor: w. A. Perren, of Detroit,
member Of the Mackinac Island park
commission for 10 years; Fred c. Bow
erfnd, of Adrian, member of the board
of guardians of the Industrial home
for girls: John Devener of Lapeer,
member of the board of control of the
F.. oil at,I aYNi-
leptic; DIR. A. l.. Worden, of Detroit,
member of the state board of correc-
tions and charities; VIM. Moeller, of
Detroit, jury commissioner; Herman
Nagel, of Detroit, member of the grade
crossing board.
Gov Pingree has appointed Charles
Furnbarn, of Ishpeming, to succeed
himself on the board of control of the
upper peninsula for the insane. San
ford y. butcher, of Newberry, has
been appointed to succeed George l..
Loope, of Bessemer, on the same board.
James Russell, of Marquette, is given
the appointment of commissioner of
mineral statistics to succeed George A.
hewitt, of Ishpeming Mr.. Russell
may not accept the position, as he
thinks it would interfere with his
newspaper work too much.
The senate has confirmed 5. \. Bick-
erstatf, of Kalamazoo, whom Gov. Pin
gree named for member of the Kala-
mazoo asylum board over two months
ago. The senate also confirmed Wal
ter ii. Bills for member of the Jackson
prison board, and c. Willis Bement, of
Lansing, for member of the board of
control of the state school for the
blind. Aid. Moeller's nomination for
member of the Wayne county jury
commission is still hung up.
The ways and means committee of
the house have passed the annual APP
preparation bills for the Mt. Pleasant
Normal school and the Eastern asylum
for the insane. The Normal school re-
ceives $50, 600 for current expenses, S40,-
600 for buildings and So, 900 for land, u
cut on the total asked for of 81, 100. The
Pontiac asylum gets ST., 900 for new
buildings and furnishings and sundry
expenses, cut of SIT, 500 from the es-
innate.
In reply to Heineman's resolution,
Auditor General Dix sent commune
cation to the house that the state has
invested s., 1850 up to date in deter
mining the title of the St. Clair Flats;
S2,375 for attorney fees and the rest
for witnesses and expenses, in three
suits against Don NJ. Dickinson, the
Old Club and Adolph Sioman. Two of
the suits the state won, and the other
is pending.
Gov. Pingree declares that he will
not sign a bill increasing the rates in
the Merriman bill, should one be
passed, and unless the Legislature
passes a constitutional bill drafted
along the lines of the Atkinson law,
he will keep it in session all summer.
Judge Speed will draft the new rail
road tax bill 1t will be the Atkinson
measure with unconstitutiona features
omitted, and will insure local taxa
tion of railroads.
The equal suffrage bill has again
been defeated in the house. The vote
stood 81 to A.