The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-04-17
PRIMARY ELECTIONS.
After a Battle Royal the Meas.
ure Is Finally Passed
by the House.
FOURTEEN VOTED AGAINST 1T
No One Can Predict what the Bills
Fate Will BE in the Senate
Stone Bill Fails.

Lansing, Mich, April 14.-The most
important result accomplished since
my last communication is the passage
by the house of the general primary
election law. 1t was battle royal
while the bill was under discussion,
or as much so as such a one-sided
controversy could be. The opponents
OF the measure put up game fight
and went down with their colorS fly
ing. They were not very numerous,
however, as only II votes were re-
corded against the bill on the final
show down. Some who opposed the
bill during the discussion voted for
it when it was apparent that it would
pass by a decisive majority. There
is no doubt that quite a number of
representatives voted for the bill, not
withstanding the fact that its provis-
ions do not appeal to their judgment.
Their action was a recognition of what
to them seemed TO be a demand on the
part of their constituents for this par
ticular measure.
The bill is now in the hands Of the
senate committee on elections and no
one can predict just when it will be
reported out or what shape it will be
in when it does make its temperance.
The bill has not as many friends in
the upper house as in the lower, in
proportion TO membership, and scarce
~ anyone has faith to believe that it
will pass the senate as it came from
the house. in its present shape the
measure abolished political caucuses
and conventions Of every name and
nature. The indications are that Il
majority of the senate will not agree
to any bill that does not retain the
state convention system. The major
ity appears 10 be willing to provide
that all nominations, except of candi-
dates for state offices, be made under
the primary system and that delegates
TO state conventions be selected in the
same manner. They will insist, how
ever. on retaining state conventions
That is the present outlook.
The senate las refused to pass the
Stone bill which authorizes the sale
by the commissioner of the state land
office of the timber on state lands.
The vote by which the bill failed of
passage has, however, been reconsid-
cred and the bill tabled, so that an
other attempt can be made to put it
through. Ii is believed that some of
those who voted against the bill did
so under misrepresentation of the facts,
the principal al gument against the bill
being the seeming inconsistency of the
commissioner in so strenuous
ly advocating demonstration and at the
same time seeking for authority to
sell standing timber and have it re-
moved from the land. In the first
place forestry Contemplates the harry
esting OF the crop Of timber just as
much as it does the growing of it. 1t
contemplates that this crop shall be
treated just as any other crop is
treated, and it would be poor argu-
ment TO say that oats should not be
cut because the crop would have TO
be sOwn again next year.
Aside from this the fact is that,
under existing laws, there is abso-
lutely no power vested in any state
authority TO remove timber from state
lands under any circumstances. For in
stance if fire sweeps through state
timber and damages it so that it must
be cut at once if anything is TO be
realized from it, the state officials
having charge of the lands are com
PEELED to sit idly by and see the tim
Der rot They have no authority 10
save it, What actually happens in Il
majority of these cases is that tres
passers come along and cut and re-
move the timber, and then the commits
sioner is privileged TO get after these
offenders and bring them to time. EX-
actly the same thing is true where
wind runs through a tract Of state
timber Then again, in many in
stances the state has a little timber
so scattered over lands that the lat
ter are not valuable enough to attract
investors who are after lands for the
timber alone. and the lands are not
valuable for agricultural purposes af-
ter the timber has been removed. III
the opinion ot the state officials the
only way in which the state can ever
realize anything from these lands will
be by selling the timber. 1t is al
well enough to talk about having tres
pass agents 70 protect these lands
from trespasserS, but practical expert
fence has demonstrated that in order
TO fully protect those lands it would
be necessary TO have a trespass agent
on about every so acre tract. The
bill provides that the lands shall frs
be offered at public sale and if MOI
disposed of at the end of that period
the authorities are at liberty to sci
the timber under such regulations, as
the board OF control Of state swami
lands may provide.
BiII I'm Interests of the Blind.
The senate committee on state af
fairs has made a favorable report OF
a bill which has the support of all th'
blind people OF the state and which /,
being actively pushed by the Mich
gan Blind Peoples General Welfar,
association. The bill provides for tn,