The Yale expositor., 1905-05-26
STILL OCCUPIES
CENTER OF STAGE
Primary Election Bill Not
Yet Disposed of by
State SolonS.
FRIENDS OF MEASURE HOPEFUL
Feature of the Senate Substitute
Which Causes the Most
Friction.
lively Debate Over Bill Repeating
Real Estate Mortgage Tax Law
--Anti-Cisarette Lesisla-
tion on the Shelf


Lansing Mich. May 22.-The pri-
mary election bill still occupies the
center of the stage. Several days ago
It was the general opinion among leg
islators that this bit Of legislation of
state wide Importance and interest
would be well out of the way before
this time. Fate decreed otherwise.
however. and it is still with us. Per
haps il was not so much fate after all.
the fact being that the delay in pass
ing the bill is due to some house mem
bers who object to one of the senate
amendments ard TO others who favored
holding up the measure until numer-
Gus house hills now pondirg in the sem
ate are acted upon by that body. TIE
bill as passed by the senate was re-
ported, with minor amendments, by the
house committee on elections last
Wednesday. the committee recon-
mending that the Lii be made the
special order for o'clocl; of that
day.
Met Vigorous Opposition.
This recommendation was vigorously
opposed by several representatives
who object to the clause providing that
unless the candidates receiving the
highest number Of votes ut the gen
eral primary captures 40 per cent. of
the total vote cast at such primary
there will be no nomination, and the
contest must be referred to u delegate
state convention fer settlement Il is
this feature Of the senate substitute
that causes the most friction. and it
was made the excuse Cor delay ly 9th
ers who want the senate 10 act on
house bills which have been pending in
the senate for n long time The latter
fear that If tho house diSDoses Of all
the more important measures. the SEN
Fite will sit back and dump these
house bills in the morGue. The result
of the opposition was tho postpone
ment of the consideration Of the bin
by the house until tomorrow afternoon,
when it will come UP rs special or
der
Friends Of the bill have no doubt
that it will he passed substantially as
it came from the senate. Until this
and one or two OF the other more inn
portant bills 9rc finally d'spoeo1 Of.
the house will refuse to act on the
senate resolution. which fixes final nd.
journment for May 81 Just at pres
ent the prospects for adjournment on
the date named are not overly bright.
Repeal Causes Livoly Debate.
After what was probably the llveli-
est debate OF tho session. the house
passed n bill repeating the real estate
mortgage tax law This bill was n
substitute for the Galbra'th. Baltic hill,
which sought to exempt credits OF
every description from taxation. AS
Indicated it eXempts real estate mort
cages only. The bill was fiercely at
tackled by Representative Cass Ben
ton, of Wayne, who declared il TO be
II vicious measure. which would take
personal assessments aggregating S52,-
100000 from the tax rolls. leaving the
tax represented by them to he paid
by owners Of real estate in addition to
their present assessments.
On the other hand the bill was de-
c1ared to he in the interest of the poor
man, who. when he now seeks to bor-
row money with which 10 purchase a
home. is reqi.r,1 10 pay taxes on the
full value of his real estate and on
the mortgage besides. It was further
argued that the present law makes
liars and tax dodgers Of a vast num-
Der of citizens who resort TO various
devices and questionable practices in
order to escape taxation on this class
of securities. still another argument
was the declaration that while The OK
listing statute drove Michigan money
: out Of the state, It permitted non
residents to come into the state with
their money and loan It on Michigan
real estate without any danger Of be-
ing required to pay taxes on It,
Governor WAY Veto ",
The discussion brought out the fact
that while the bill may pass the SEN
ate, the governor may be inclined to
veto It If II ever reaches him. Govern
or Warner departed from a we'll es-
tabished custom n few evenings since
when he appeared before the house
committee on state affairs and made
n brief argument in favor OF the Nc
Kay bill. which provides for state
supervision Of private banks. Although
interested in n private bank, the gov
ernor earnestly supported the meas
ure. In fact IL is his experience as
private banker which convinces him
that the proposed supervision is
necessity in the interests OF the public.
Some thirty private bankers from vari-
Gus sections of the state were present