The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-03-01
BLISS And THE SENATE
Controversy Over the Appoint.
ment of Tax Commissioner
the Center of Interest.
GOVERNORS VIEW OF THE MATTER
Legislature Swamped with Bills as
Usual, Only More So-Anti-
Trust Legislation.


| the controversy between Governor
Bliss and the senate over the appoint
ment Of state tax commissioner will be-
| AS the matter now stands there Is but
one legally qualified commissioner, un-
less the contention Of Robert Oakman
that he was legally confirmed two
| years ago and cannot be superseded
for four years to come is correct, and
very few persons take any stock in it.
Under the act creating the commits
sion, commissioner appointed to fill
a vacancy during the recess of the
legislature serves only until the con-
vening of the next regular session OF
the legislature. This express provision
effectually disposed Of Commissioner
Freeman even though Governor Bliss
had not taken the extra precaution to
withdraw his nomination from thesen-
ate when the latter threatened to con-
firm him In place of Charles d. Law
ton. The rejection Of the latter, there
fore, leaves James G. Mclaughlin,
who was confirmed several weeks ago,
the "whole thing" as it were.
How the Governor Views the Case.
trouble or worrying over the situation,
although he would, of course, have
matters run a little smoother in this
connection. He entertains the old fash
toned notion that when he took oath to
discharge the duties of chief executive
of the state to the best of his ability, it
was his own ability that was to gov
ern, and not that Of the senate. He
q fn ho1 hot hn ON
which the constitution and the
laws contemplate he shall exer-
else in the matter of making appoint
ments is his own discretion, and not Of
the senate or any other body or in
dividual. Feeling thus, and having
conscientiously discharged his duty as
he saw it, he very naturally objected
when a majority of the senate waited
upon him through committee and de-
manded that he withdraw his nOmina-
tions and substitute others proposed
by the lawmakers. He simply in
formed the committee that he con-
ceived it to be his duty to make the
nominations and he had done so con-
scientiously, conceding to them the
right to confirm or reject these nom
nations as they saw fit, but denying
any right on the part of the senator's
or any one else to dictate the nOmina
tons.
Regarded as n Big Joke.
That Is the present status of the con-
troversy, and there is thus far no in
dication that the governor will yield.
The talk that the senate rejected Law
ton because they believed that one Of
the old commissioners should be re-
tanned is regarded generally here
abouts as the most stupendous joke Of
the session, 1t being pretty well un-
derstood that the regard for the old
commissioners was Of mushroom
growth never having existed in fact
until some excuse for rejecting Law
ton was being looked for. 1t Is no
sure thing that either Freeman or
either Of the other commissioners could
muster enough votes to secure his
confirmation should the governor send
in his name now.
The Avalanche of Bills.
The situation regarding bills Is SIM
ply appalling, all records having been
broken. The grand total Of bills in
| PRODUCED when the time limit expired
| last Wednesday at midnight was l.
| 963, or 1856 more than found their way
| to the clerks desks two years ago.
| The senate showed n total of 566 as
| against 541 two years ago, and the
house 1857 as against 1,196. This is
not at all reassuring to those legisla-
| tors who hoped to make the present
| session not less than thirty days short
er than that of 1899, but nothing
| daunted, they propose to work even
| harder than ever to bring about this
| much-desired result These gentlemen
comprise the leaders in the two houses,
and the best feature of their pro-
gramme is that it provides for the kill
ing of bills by the score, not to say
hundred.
| Little Show for the Primary.
At the beginning of the session there
was some signs that quite a start
would this year he made toward abol-
! ishing party caucuses in Michigan, but
| these signs died out one by one, until
| the best that can be hoped for Is that
the experiment will be tried in the city
of Grand Rapids this spring. The bill
passed at first applied to all of Kent
| county, but the senate amended it so
as to apply to the city alone. and, real
izing that this was the best that could
be had, the house concurred in the
amendment. Representative Burns Of
|
has another designed to reform con-
vention methods. 1t provides for a
vive voce vote in all nominating con-
ventions, thus doing away with the
secret ballot and all of its eccentric
tiles The purpose of the bill. as will
readily be seen, Is to insure the
Tasting Of the vote of dele
cation just as intended by the con-
stituency which elected such delega-
ton. Representative Colby, whose
primary election bill affecting Wayne
county was so ruthlessly slaughtered
In the senate. has loaded down the
house calendar with similar bills APP
plying to almost every county In the
state.
Disposition of Liquor Tax Money.
A bill in which will be of more than
ordinary interest to every township
and city in the state was introduced
by Representative Totten OF Kalkas-
h, who proposes to change the method
of disposing Of liquor tax money. I'm
der the present law this money Is di-
vided equally between the town where
the saloon is located and the county.
The amendment proposes that all such
money remaining in the county treas
ury at the close of the year, and not