Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-04-09

sClcIle tlul may DE worked, anu lile
plan seems 10 be TO delay till near
enough 10 the close OF the session SO
that the bill will die. The game was
10 have Representative Galbralth, OF
Houghton, offer his substitute and then
have Gallup move 10 put the whole
matter over, in order that the Gal
braith measure might be printed and
properly considered by the members.
Ga.braith acknowledges that he has
had his substitute in hand for week
or more and he could have had it print
ed ut any time. but he waited. There
were just enough members of the
house apparently in favor Of reform
WHO were willing To play into the
hands OF the convention men to pre-
vent immediate action OF the bill,
though the direct voting advocates had
majority when 1t came TO roll call.
A eature of the situation is that the
ten Democrats of the house demand
that the bill be amended so that vot-
ers ut the primaries will not be com
PEELED to swear that they will support
the party whose ticket they wish 10
vote in the primaries, and that the pro-
vision that only such parties as have
had . per cent Of the vote in the last
previous election shall have their bal
lots printed. be cut out. Colby ana
other friends of the measure have by
no means given up the fight, but they
will probably defer to the wishes of
the Democrats in order TO make sure
of the passage Of their bill. The meas
ure was made a special order for next
Wednesday at 80 and 800 copies of
the Galbraith substitute were ordered
printed. This latter bill would retain
all conventions except those for nomin-
ating candidates for local offices. 1t
provides Il uniform day for the election
OF delegates TO conventions in order
that snap" caucuses may be done
away with and delegates to conven-
tons be elected directly by the people.
Representative Rodgers, OF Muske-
gon, wanted to cut down the appro-
priation for the Soldiers Home at
Grand Rapids from $134.000 10 STA,
600, and in support Of his motion he
declared the larger amount is not
needed. He pronounced the sum
asked for "a bare faced robbery" He
declared that dea tbs are constantly
cutting down the number of inmates.
but the sums asked from the state for
ing right along. Rodgers declared
that the home is being used as a
boarding house for the whole Judd
family. He said that the command
ants daughter-in-law is employed as
a matron and pays nothing for her
food. and Rodgers had also heard that
Judd's son has taken his meals at the
home Far four years without paying
for them. His motion was defeated.
State land office bills are not prov
ing very popular in the legislature.
One of them, by which the comm.s-
sioner would be empowered to lease
state lands has already gone down
to defeat In the house. Another one,
introduced by Rep. Stone, of Lenawee,
has passed the house by the small ma
jorty OF IL. and is now on the gen.
eral order of the senate. Some of
the opponents of this measure say the
members of the house did not thor
ouGhly understand what they were
voting on. or results would have been
different. Representative Sheldon, of
Bay City. is frank in expressing his in
depreciation of the motives by which
the bill was passed He feels he has
not had fair treatment in not being
given a hearing by the senate commit
tee before the till was reported out,
though one had been promised him.
4 proposed bill which. it is under
stood. was drawn up by former Rep
resentativo +. c. Wells, provides for
a $1,000 state veterinarian, and pre-.
scribes at length for the preventing
the spread of disease among cattle 1t
would permit him 10 hire help at so
a day for each assistant, and the scope
Of the measure may be seen in this
clause: The state veterinarian shall
have power to employ, at the expense
of the state. such persons, and par
chase such supplies and materials as
may be necessary TO carry into full
effect al orders by him given"
Henry Russell, Of the Michigan Cen
tral, talked to the house and senate
committees on railroads for half an
hour In opposition to the proposed con-
stitutiona amendment 10 allow the
legislature to create n railroad tariff
commission. Harry Il. Gustin and
Frank W. Fletcher. Alpena lumber
men, appeared to argue for a rate-fiX
ing commission, citing as instances Of
which they declared had nearly
doubled of late.
The senate on Tuesday devoted con-
siderable time TO q discussion Of the
bill appropriating $4,000 for a Mich
igan exhibit at the worlds fair and at
the evening session the bill came up
on third reading and the vote stood IL
to 10. but President Fuller ruled that
IL would take two-thirds vote to pass
the measure on the ground that 1t
provided for an appropriation of state
money Cor private purposes. The bill
was tabled.
The house committee Of the whole
agreed TO the bill prohibiting tee-
graph or telephone linemen from trim
ming shade trees without consent of
the owners of the property. 1t does
NOT apply 10 cities where the matter is
regulated by ordinances.
The Joint resolution submitting TO
the people the proposed amendment to
the constitution permitting the leglsla
ture TO provide for a railroad freight
rate commission was reported favor
ably and placed on the house general