The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-02-06

iting the manufacture and sale Of
malt, brewed, fermented and spiritu-
Gus liquors in this state. This joint
which was introduced by
request of Senator Lockerby in the
upper house and Representative Hol-
lenbeck in the lower, provides that the
question Of amending the constitution
In the manner indicated shall be SUBJ
mitted to the people at the general
election in April, 1904. In case the
proposition is submitted, its friends
wish to have a years time in which
to do missionary work in Its behalf.
1t Is a safe prediction, however, that
they will not have an opportunity to
commence this campaign in this year
OF grace, for there is little likelihood
that the joint resolution will pass.
Another measure which the anti-sa-
loon league will have introduced i'm
mediately after the legislators return
from the long recess is bill requiring
sureties on liquor bonds to file sched-
ule of their property. The leaguers
are not satisfied with simple justifi-
cation as at present required, but wish
a complete showdown eXacted from
the sureties.
To Prohibit Sale to Females.
Still a. third bill, which will have
the leagues support, is measure abb
solutely prohibiting the sale of liquor
to females. The argument in favor OF
this bill is that while it is bad enough
to permit the sale of liquor to men, 1t
is vastly worse to countenance its sale
to women, inasmuch as the use OF
liquor by women has the more demon
alizing effect upon the house. AS pre-
liminary to arousing enthusiastic sup
port Of these measures on the part OF
the temperance people of the state gen.
orally. the league has called an anti
saloon congress to be held in this city
next week. Delegates have been In
vited from all church and temperance
organizations, oranges, young peoples
societies, etc, in the state.
Have the Monument Fever.
The monument fever seems to have
struck the legislators rather hard this
year In addition to the bills for sol
diers and sailors monument at Lam
sing and for monument commemora-
tive of the Michigan soldiers who died
in AndersOnville prison, Senator Van
Akin of Monroe has a bill making
modest appropriation for monument
to be erected at Monroe in honor OF the
heroes of the massacre of the River
Raisin, and Senator Cook talks of pre-
senting a bill making a provision for
monument at the agricultural col
lege in honor of the late DR.. Robert
@. KedZie Cor many years professor
Of chemistry at that institution, who
made his name and that of the college
and state famous throughout the world.
Another reform measure which will
come a long way from passing is that
fathered by Representative Gallup of
the upper peninsula. 1t provides for
amending the constitution so as to in
augurate the use of the Swiss system
Of the initiative and referendum in
connection with all matters of legisla-
ton. If the legislators were of the
measure which the New York Sun a
few years ago applied to the citizens
of Chicago, this joint resolution might
stand some show Of passing. AT the
time referred to one, ID. A. Reynolds,
then a Lansing reformer, started
crusade in behalf of the initiative and
referendum and organized in its behalf
an army of loyal Americans" l had
occasion to wire the Sun that Mr..
Reynolds was about to invade Chicago
for the purpose of organizing some
fifty regiments of his army, whose
slogan was to be "the initiative and
referendum" The next day the Sun re-
marked in an editorial that the plan
would certainly take well in Chicago,
for the natives would think that the
initiative was a regalia and the refer
endum something to drink.
Are n Few Unto Themselves.
Railroad Commissioner Atwood has
taken up his predecessors task Of
endeavoring tC secure the passage of
bill placing electric roads under the
SUPERVISION OF the state TullTOuu ue-
partment just as steam roads are and
have been for years. AS intimated in
a previous letter, the electric compa-
MES are accountable to no one and
are practically a law unto themselves.
The necessity for supervision has long
since been thoroughly demonstrated.
The Legislative Farmers club. which
for several sessions has had quite an
influence over legislation and whose
principal achievement two years ago
was the enactment of the anti-colored
oleomargarine law, has been revived.
At n preliminary meeting held few
evenings since forty-five farmer mem
bers of the legislature were present
and effected a temporary organization,
with Representative Il. S. Randall of
Oceana, third-termer, as president.
The club will 'get to grinding" in
earnest after the present recess.
Representative Randall, by the way,
will renew his attempt of two years
ago to reduce the present mill tax for