The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1899-07-07
BILLS THAT PASSED.
LAWS MADE BY LEGISLATURE
OF 1899.
Summarized in Readable Form
The Number Falls Below That OF
the 1897 Session.

The fortleth session of the Michigan
legislature convened Jan. O. 1882 and was
In session 40 days. From the first botn
houses were divided into Pingree ana
anti-Pingree camps, and the squabbllns
began, even before the session opened.
when Gov. Pingree attempted to secure
control of the organization of the House
and TO prevent the reelection of Hon.
]. G. Burrows to the United States Sem
ate. In both ambitions his excellency
was frustrated. Edgar j. Adams, OF
Grand Rapids, was elected speaker Of the
House over the Pingree man-John j.
Carton. of Flint-and Burrows strength
so increased that his opponent, the late
Albert Pack. withdrew before a vote was
taken and Burrows received 10 votes to
10 cast for ID. j. Campau, Democrat, OF
Detroit.
Gov. Pingree's message to the legisla-
ture at the beginning dealt at length on
the great evils of the prevailing epidemic
/ OF trusts and declared that unless they
were restrained the United States would
be forced into state OF revolution lie
also strongly condemned imperialism.
More equitable taxation Of railroads and
other corporate property. his excellency
pointed out as the most important duty
Of the legislature and urged early action
| 10 compel them to bear their just share
of the peoples burdens.
The first bill noticed in the House was
the Atkinson equal taxation bill, offered
| by Rep Henry M, Cheeyer, which had
| stormy career in both houses, but was
finally passed and signed by the gov
ernor on Tuesday, Feb. IS. The final vote
in the House was u 10 g. All the effort
spent on the measure was useless, how
ever, as soon after it became a law 1t
was indirectly declared unconstitutional
by the supreme court, in test case.
Inc hrst bill TO pass both House and
Senate was Rep. Awards TO egaliZe the
assessment roll of Polkton township, OF
tawa county, for 1898.
The total appropriations for 1S99-19O0 are
~ l96, 1861, an increase of 49, SOS, 3OS.47 over
a total of LIZA bills was introduced in
| both houses-the largest number by one
man being &C by Rep. Colby. of Detroit
and OF this number $40 passed and went
to the governor for his signature or dis
approval. OF the bills which failed to
pass the most important provided: For
the adoption OF the Torrens system OF
| registering land titles; Sunday closing of
places of amusement, placing the Michi-
gan Central railroad under general tax
laws; extra compensation of As cents per
day for Michigan soldiers Of the Spanish
American war; permitting liquors to be
sold on Fourth OF July; all proposed
textbook legislation; substitution OF SAL
aries Tor fees for county officials; Civ
| ing state railroad comm ssioner jurisdic-
tion over street and inierurban railway
companies; regulate fees charged by eX-
press and telegraph companies; requir-
ing state and private banks to give bonds
! for security Of depOsitors; applying pTin-
ciples Of the interstate commerce law to
Michigan; to prOhi1it banks and trust
companies from owning stock I'm other
corporations; abolition os convict labor;
labelling OF all pr.soG-made goods; pre-
fire marshal; providing that druggists
must have saloonists' license; moor ,ura-
ton of hunting and fishing clubs; licens-
ing horseshoe.s; equal suhragei income
tax; single tax.
TIE SUGAR BOUNTY.
OF all the bis which failed to become
laws probably the most important and
that which created as much disturbance
as any was Dudleys sugar bounty bill
which was passed by the House April Y
and from that until the day of adjourn
ment was tossed hack and forth from one
end Of the capital TO the other, as first
one house and then the other made
changes in II. As ii went to the governor
the bill provided for an unlimited bounty
OF oLe cent per pound. The governor on
June o. in a special message, asked the
House to have the Senate recall the
measure, as II would increase taxation
beyond the pJ.nc of endurance. When
the House got hands on II again ii was
amended so that but S35. 00G could be paid
70 any one beet sugar FACTORY and limit
ing the total appropriation TO 100000
The Senate further amended by cutting
tho bounty 70 one-half cent per pound
but cut off the limits, witt a proviso tnat
any factory entering trust should for
felt the bounty. The House concurred,
but on the last day of the session the
governor vetoed the bill, pointing out
that the bounties might reach $4,000 or
500, 900. Rep. l.usk at once introduced a
substitute limiting each factory to S25,-
900 per year on one-half cent bounty
until Jan. /, 1901 The Senate amended
by making 1t operative until 1904, but all
I'm vain, for the House had adjourned
meantime and could not concur and the
bill fell to the ground. 1t is now a dis
puted question whether the law of 1891
for an unlimited one cent bounty remains
in force. There Is an item in the omni-
bus appropriation bill for 100000 for
sugar 5ouaties.
BILLS VETOED.
The governors veto also put a quietus
on NevinS' bill changing Rarnishee eX-
emption from S25 per month to $3.50 per
week; also Fieischhauer's bill making It
misdemeanor for unauthorized persons
to wear q. A. r. or Loyal Legion but
tons. Smiths bill permitting mining
companies 10 increase their capital stock
from 900 to S5,000000 or permitting
two or more companies to consolidate
was disapproved also, the governor say
ing he thought the stock should be re-
lency also threw down the $4,000 appro-
pr!atlon for a Michigan exhibit at the
buffalo exposition in 1901, leaving ii TO
tie neZt legislature. The temporary tax
commission bill was killed by the gov
eruor as we're tEe militia reorganization
ard horticultural society's appropriation
bills.
THE ATKINSON BILL.
The unfortunate fate of the Atkinson
bill lead Speaker Adams to offer n plan
for commission 70 investigate the en-
report in January. Reps. Gillian and
Dingley each offered bills embodying the
idea. but the House did not take very
kindly to them and on May Gov. PIN
gree sent in a message in which he
stated that in his opinion the House had
enough information at hand to frame a
taxation bill ard he urged the appoint
ment of q commission 20 at once draft a
measure taxing railroads, telephones,
telegraph and express companies upon
cash values and not on earnings. He also
suggested that II the Michigan Centrars
special charter could not be repealed that
the road be brought under the general
law as to taxes and regulation Of rates
OF fare
Two weeks later the governor present.
ed another lengthy message, together
with an opinion from Judge Cahill, OF
Lansing--who with Judge Speed of De-
troit-had specially investigated the mat
ter, setting forth that under the present
constitution ii is impossible to frame a
valid law to make railroads and other
corporations pay their just share of
taxes upon actual cash values the same
as other property. The governor there
fore recommended the following: The
passage of joint resolutions amending
sections 10. IL and Is of article II of the
constitution to provide for such taxa
ton; the calling of special election to
submit the amendments; a state board
OF assessors; amending the Merriman
law at once so as to provide at least
81. 100000 taxes from railroads: amending
or repeating of all existing charters of