The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-04-26

urban company having secured from
the supreme court an order directing
that official TO show cause why man.
damus should not be issued to compel
him to consent to grade crossings in
Jackson city.
Fraternal Congress Rate bill.
An important matter which has at
tracted very little attention, but which
probably vitality concerns as many cit
liens of Michigan as any other meas
ure pending In the legislature, wa3
partially considered by the house com
mittee on insurance a few evenings
ago, and will be further considered
Thursday evening This is the So
called fraternal congress rate bill
which contemplates the ultimate adop-
ton by all fraternal benefit insurance
companies operating in Michigan OF
the minimum table OF rates named
In the bill. These rates are materi-
ally i'm advance Of those charged at
present. The bill provides that or
CARNATIONS hereafter admitted to do
business in the state shall charge the
new and increased rates. No such
mandatory provision is applied to pres
ent companies, the theory being that,
with the competition of new compa-
MES, with lower rates removed their
membership cannot be taken from
them in the event they increase their
rates, and that such increase will even
tually be made all along the line. The
criticism OF the bill, Of course, is that
it will create a fraternal trust. 1t Is
conceded by the managers Of every
fraternal company now doing business
in the state, with possibly one eXcep-
ton, that the present rates are alto
gether too low and experience has
demonstrated that permanency cannot
be maintained with them. One of the
supreme officers of one of the largest
associations in the state-an assOcia-
ton which has several hundred thou
sand members-informed the commit
tee fatty that unless his company
increased its rates, ii can live but q
few years longer. and he maintained
that this was true of every other So
ciety. While the societies are gen
orally agreed on this proposition, there
are differences Of opinion as to the adj
visibility OF enacting such q law as
is proposed just at this time. During
the past winter the law has been en-
acted in four states.
"Rippcr" Bill That Is Probably Dead.
The Grand Rapids ripper bill. which
renders ineligible to hold office in that
city persons who have defaulted while
holding public office i'm previous years,
has probably met the fate which
last week intimated belonged TO it by
divine right. Its sponsors recalled it
from the governor rather than have it
vetoed 1t is asserted that it was
withdrawn for the purpose of afford
ing Mayor Perry chance TO be heard
in opposition to it, it having been
rushed through at rate that gave no
one an opportunity to be heard, but
no one need be much surprised if it Is
never heard from again. 1t may be
all right enough to enact general law
of that character, although | still in
sist that municipality is entitled to
fill its offices with defaulters if that
is the kind of officials a majority Of
the electors fancy, but when it comes
to singing out individuals for elimina-
ton from the political map by such a
bill. the state ought not to be a party
TO the transaction.
Veto That May Kill an Appropriation.
1t Is intimated that there is veto
in store for the bill apprOpriating
1000 annually for the use Of the State
Agricultural society in connection with
the state fair. 1t is understood that
Governor Bliss does not believe there
is any necessity for the appropriation
or that all the people of the state will
profit by the expenditure, and further
more, that the precedent would be a
bad one to set The only veto thus
far filed is one dispOsing of the bill
permitting the supervisors of Bay
county to pay their chairman small
salary each year in addition to his per
diem. The veto of this bill was not
so much due to the fact that 1t APP
propriated money for an Objectionable
purpose as to the Discrimination of the
executive to have these matters taken
care of in special bills. If the object
was a good one, then, he argued, let
general law be enacted putting all
the counties of the state on the same
footing in this respect. and not have
the counties coming one at a time and
numbering up the statute books with
laws of this nature. Once a start is
made in this direction, and the habit
grows with alarming rapidity.
Bliss Against snap Legislation.
Governor Bliss has taken COM
mendable stand against snap legisla.
ton. A great majority of the bills
thus far enacted have been given i'm
mediate effect, and the governor be
lieves that this should be done only
where the necessity of the case de-
mands 1t, the constitutional limit of
ninety days after the final adjourn
ment of the legislature being none too
long in which to enable the people of
the state to famiiarize themselves
with changes in laws and new stat
utes before they take effect. Since
sending a communication to the legis-
lature on this subject the governor
has caused the recall Of an immediate
effect bill amending a criminal statute.
and will require that the immediat.
effect provision be stricken out.
Bills That Will BE Modified.