The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-03-31
The day named, making the journey by
special train

Protest of Detroiters.
The people of Detroit are sending up
J . great B. otest because of the passage.
without a referendum clause Of the
Mcleod bill providing for the munici-
pal ownership of street Railways in that
city. The bill, as rushed through both
houses with most remarkable celebrity,
provides for the appointment by the
Detroit common council Of three COM
missioners who are to negotiate any
time within the next twenty years the
purchase OF the street railway system
In that city. These commissioners are
to absolutely fix the price, and the only
further step necessary for the consum-
nation Of the bargain is that the COM
mon council shall ratify the commits
sioners' action. A determined effort
was made by Senator Monaghan to offer
amendments providing for the submits
sion Of both the question Of purchase
and the ratification Of the commission
ers' bargain to the people before the
contract shall be binding upon them.
but, by the most radical methods en-
forced this session, these attempts were
defeated and the bill was rushed
through. Governor Pingree, who lent
his earnest support to the BILL is being
severely criticised for not insisting on
the embodiment of q referendum clause,
especially in view of the fact that he
has for years advocated an appeal to
the people in every matter involving
the expenditure of their money. This
has been as much of a hobby with him
as has the municipal ownership Of street
railways, and his attitude In not favor
Ing the referendum In connection with
the possible expenditure of from $15,-
10000 to 500, O0O,0 900 Of the peoples funds
Is difficult one to understand.
Wipes Out the Color Line.
Representative Dickinson has sue
ceeded in inducing both houses to pass
the bill in which the colored citizens Of
the state are so greatly interested. 1t
wipes out of the law all restrictions
rs to membership In the national guard
on account Of color. making it possible
for any male citizen to become a men,
Der. There is no doubt that the gov
ernor will sign the bill, which met with
practically no opposition in either
house.
The appropriations some Of the state
institutions are asking for this year
are by far the largest in the history Of
the state. most of them being for spe-
cial building purposes. The university
wants $4,000. in addition to the 18th
mill tax. which yields $1S6, 900 a year;
normal schools, $247,000; Industrial
school for girls, $114,117; state prison,
$4,000; state public school for depen-
dent children, $685. 466; home for feeble
minded, S126,S33; eastern asylum, $751;
$50; school for the deaf 1921, 425. This
makes total Of $12S2291, and 1t does
not include nearly all the institutions
In the lower peninsula, not to mention
the three in the upper peninsula, on,
Of which, the Newberry asylum, is ask
Ing for about 100000. Some of these
amounts asked for by the respective
boards Of control are considerably NOR
than these same boards submitted to
the state boards of corrections and
charities previous to the converting of
the legislature, as required by law, and
many Of the items were not approved
by the latter board after investigation.
For this reason the house committee OF
ways and means, which is obliged to
pass on all appropriation bills, has OBJ
tanned permission to visit each Of the
institutions named so that the members
may make personal investigation of
their actual needs.
Equai suffrage question.
There is small probability that this
legislature will submit the equal suf-
frage question to a vote of the people,
After repeated postponements the How
ell joint resolution providing for such
submission at the next general cleo
ton was brought up on special order
last Friday evening. 1t went through
the committee of the whole withou,
fcia dc
this that 1t would pass the house. AL
though only three representatives spoke
against its passage, while more than
twice as many made long speeches in
it's support, it mustered but AZ of the
necessary 81 votes, 80 being recorded
against 1t. The vote was reconsidered
and the resolution tabled, so that the
resolution may be brought up again
there is small hope that the additional
twenty-five votes can be secured. The
most fervent speech in favor of the
resolution was made by Uncle Ben
Colvin, who insisted that, with women
voting, affairs could not possibly b.,
worse than they are now. Give them
the ballot" he declared, land the moss
will grow over the threshold of every sa
loon in the state inside of ten years,
but IL you took women out of the
churches one end OF the church would
soon be a faro bank and the other a
poker game"
Figures Are Too High.
Another proposed amendment, which
fell by the wayside in the house, pro-
vided that the salary Of members Of
the legislature should be $500 per year
instead of SO per day for actual services
as at present Only thirty-three votes
could ge obtained for this joint resolu-
ton, and there is no hope of passing ii
in it's present form. 1t is possible that
sixty-seven members may be induced
to vote for it if the figure is lowered
somewhat.
1t may interest the public to know
that in 1898 there were issued by life,
casualty, fraternal and assessment in
surance companies in this state poll
cies aggregating $40, 256,292, on which
there were collected premiums aggre
eating 81, 800 064 while the amount paid
by these companies to the beneficiares
was $1.79S,317.