The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1899-02-07

that the specific tax plan should not be
adopted for the reason that should the
output OF the mines be stopped by rea-
son of strike or from any other causes.
the state would get no revenue so long
as this condition continued These
persons favor including this class of
property in the CheeYer-Atkinson bill,
and they declare that this plan would
increase the assessed valuation Of
Houghton county from S42000,000 to
sec, 100000. 1t is safe to say that out
OF all this agitation there will be
evolved some scheme for making the
non.resdents who own by far the great
er portion of these valuable properties
pay a proper tax on their holdings.
They do not come anywhere doing so at
present.
The Beet Sugar Bounty.
II my last letter / mentioned Repre-
sentative McCalps bill which provides
for reducing the beet sugar bounty to
can't per pound / have since learned
that Representative Gray Of Ludlng
ton proposes to go the Eaton county
man one better and introduce n bill to
repeal the whole bounty system. 1t is
intimated too, that Mccall is in sym
pathy with the Gray bill and viii aban-
don his own TO support it. The friends
OF repeal insist that the bounty bids
fair to speedily become an upbearable
burden upon the taxpayers, there being
already in sight factories which, If run
to their capacity as is intended, will
call for the payment Of fully S400 600 In
bountes during the present year. and
Furthermore, that it has been thorough
ly demonstrated by the experience of
the Michigan Sugar company Of Bay
City that beet sugar can be profitabiy
manufactured in Michigan without the
aid of bounty.
VIII Object To Repeal.
OF course the farmers who are To-
Gated in the neighborhood Of the pres
ent factories or of those to be erected
this year. will object to repeal for the
reason that the payment OF the bounty
insures them a fixed price for their
beets, while repeal would probably cut
that price in two. 1t is stated on au-
thority that Michigan farmers who soil
their beets TO the Bay City company
last year netted from $50 to $40 per
acre, according TO the length OF the
haul to the factory, the average net
profit being about SIS per acre. 1t IS
estimated that this company and the
five companies organized to erect fac
tories this year will pay to the farmers
under the existing law about $1,975,000
for beets next season, and that about
100000 of this will be net profit to the
beet growers. The percentage OF sugar
in Michigan grown beets Is so high
that the beets bring an average price
OF S4.25 per ton under the present law
Lynching Bill.
The fact that an Ohio jury has with
in the past few days. given n man d
judgment against county in which q
relative was lynched, suggests the
thought that Representative Dickinson
of Detroit, the only colored member of
the legislature, has again introduced
a bill fashioned after the Ohio statute.
Such bill passed the house two years
ago. but was killed in the senate. Dick
inson hopes 10 make il law this year.
He thinks that a county whose officials
are so impotent as to be unable to
prevent lynching should be required
TO compensate the relatives of the vic
tim for the loss sustained,
Representative Dickinson has another
bill he hopes to he able TO pass. This
strikes the word white from the law
relative to the qualifications or mem
bers Of the Michigan national guard.
The enviable record made by the COL
ored troops at Santiago will go a long
way toward winning votes for this bill.
Relief for Supreme Court.
One OF the most important measures
TO be introduced this year is one to pro-
vide relief for the supreme court. I'm
der present conditions the supreme JUS
tiees, aside from sitting on the bench
through four terms Of court annually.
are required to write an average of one
opinion apiece every two days. No one
WILL believe undertake TO deny that
this Is more than any Judge, however
we'll qualified, can be expected to do
with justice TO either himself or the
litlgants. Some relief for the court is
imperatively needed, and the plan
agreed upon is to amend the constitu-
tion so as to provide for an intermedi-
ate court, to which cases shall be ap-
| pealable from the circuit court, and
which shall have final jurisdiction In
| certain cases, possibly all involving ST.
500 or less. The present idea is to have
this court consist OF three members IT
| is figured that IL this plan is adopted
| the supreme court Will be relieved of
| about third of its present work and
| be enabled to do far better work than
is possible under existing circum-
| stances.
Another Important Resolution.
! Another important joint resolution
1 provides FOR an amendment to the con-
stitution whereby county boards OF
auditors can be substituted for the
present boards Of supervisors TO a GER
| tain extent. The scheme is that the
| question OF having a board OF auditors
shall be submitted To the electors Of a
| county upon the petition OF a given
| number OF taxpayers. II Is urged that
the auditor system would result in a
| great saving to the counties.
The bill to be introduced at the in
stance OF the BARRIERS of the state will
provide for the creation of a hoard to
consist Of a practicipg physician and
two tonsorial artists, who shall ex-
anime all applicants for licenses per-
mitting them TO work at the BARRIERS
trade. The qualifications TO be exacted
are a thorough knowledge of the tools