The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-05-10

AZ idl liOlu All agreement as W men
they first started in TO consid the
bill. The confrerees are i'm session
again today, and there are reasons for
believing that an agreement will be
reached at this sitting. The rock on
which they have thus far split is the
make of the board of assessors, or
rather whether the assessing shall he
done by an enlarged tax commission
or a separate board. This was just
the situation last week when | pre-
dicted that the result would be the en-
largement of the tax commission. |
still believe that this will be the out
come
The question of final adjournment
continues TO be live one but there
is practically no chance that date
Will be fixed for this important event
until the tax bill has been disposed
Of. The members of the lower house
feel that some of the senators would
like TO have them formally commit
themselves on this subject in the hope
of thus forcing them to agree to tax
bill that is not to their liking or adj
journ without perfecting any tax legis-
lation whatever. They are not likely
to be caught mapping in this manner.
For shorter Work Day.
The battle for n shorter work day
still continues, and the house has
taken step in the direction of shorter
hours by passing the ByrneS bill MAX
ing eight hours legal days work in
all the mines of the state. The meas
ure will meet with some opposition III
the senate.
There is no longer any hope that this
legislature will take any definite ac-
ton looking to the control of railroad
freight rates. The Hardy bill cover
ing this subject has been considered
at several sessions of the committee
with the result that the legislators are
quite generally agreed that the sub
Ject is altogether too intricate for them
TO handle at this time. It's compleXity
proved TO be appalling, and the gen
eral opinion is that the best thing 10
do would be to appoint a state COM
mission to hear shippers complaints of
discrimination of freight rates and adj
just them.
The project to have the state asylum
at lOnia abandon the present buildings
on the north side of the river and be
provided for by the erection of addi-
tional buildings on the south side. and
then use the north side buildings as
refOrmatOry for women. has been
put TO sleep by the house. which elimi-
mated from the appropriation bill the
item for new buildings. The senate
had previously passed the bill, and
there may he q controversy between
the two houses over it. although it
is probable that the senate will con-
cur in the action Of the house. The
only appropriation bill about which
there are serious differences between
the houses is that for the home for
the feeble minded and epileptic ut
Lapeer For several years the man
ayers of this institution have been
fighting for an administration build
ing. but the item for this expenditure
las regularly been cut out The house
cut it ont again this year, but it was
renSerted when the bill reached the
senate. Then the house refused to
concur, and the bill has been turned
over to the tender mercies of a con
ference committee.
Ruling by Speaker Carton.
Speaker Carton ruled on a point Of
unusual Importance day or two ago.
1t came up in connection with the pass
age of n bill empowering the state
banking commissioner to take charge
of an insOlvent bank and appoint n
re ceiver therefor without waiting the
action of the courts or in any way
appealing to n tribunal. The bill re-
ceived "A votes, but the banking law as
ratified by the people provides that
may be made only by a
vote of two-thirds of the members of
each house. Speaker Carton. there
fore. declared the bill not passed. 60
being the necessary two-thirds. Rep
resentative Colby raised the point of
order that the constitution provided
that only a majority vote is necessary
for the passage Of bill. and the peo-
pie cannot amend the constitution by
adopting contrary provision i'm pro-
posed law The speaker ruled that the
point of order was well taken, and de-
clared the bill passed.
The ways and means committee Of
the house. Of which the Hon. T.. \.
Dingley is chairman, has favOrably
reported bill appropriating $4,000
for the establishment ut the university
of a psycopathic hospital for the treat
ment of acute mental diseases.
Druggists Must he Good.
Druggists throughout the state will
have to be good hereafter if they wish
TO continue selling malt, brewed and
spirituous liquors, for in all probability
the Humphrey bill which seeks to re-
strict the sale Of liquors will become
q law notwithstanding the fact that it
fell two votes short of passing the
house when it came up on third read
ing the other day. The bill vests the
state board Of pharmacy with author
ity to revoke the license Of a druggist
who is convicted of selling liquor In
violation of the law, requires drug
gists to make sworn reports of all
sales of liquors. prohibits the making
of window displays of liquors and en-
powers the pharmacy board to retain
nm attorney by the year to look after
eiolators of the law. The Hurst bill
which provided that no drug clerk
shall he required to work more than
ten hours n day has been killed, the
plea being that there are hundreds
of drug stores in the state which do
not do business enough to warrant the
employment of two pharmacists as
would be absolutely necessary If this
till became n law, for it is well known