The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-01-27
Nswsy Notes From Lansing.
LANSING, JAN. 26.

| LANSING, JAN. ~.
| Governor Warner has accepted an in
vitation to attend President Roosevelt s
Inauguration ceremonies, and in connec-
tior with that decision the governor has
esting. The governors second decision
is in connection with the proposed trip
of the Michigan officials to Washington
and is that all who 60 officially or other
wise, shall bear stheir own expenses.
Heretofore this Inauguration trip has
been quite an expensive luxury to the
taxpay ers of the state And speaking
of the evident desire for economy noted
here since the new administration was
entered upon, the determination OF the
leaders of both branches of the legisla
ton that the general "junket" of former
| legislative experience shall not take place
this session, should be approvingly noted.
1t has been arranged that the several
committees shall quietly visit the respect
i've institutions which they are commits
stoned to examine, and an adjournment
through next week was decided upon for
that purpose.
X X "a
Primary reform bills for several coun-
ties have been introduced and discussed,
but up to the hour of mailing this cor
respondence no bill had yet been dis
posed of. There Is no evident desire in
either house or senate to prevent the en-
actment of such legislation as the people
of the several counties may desire. Thus
far, however, the problem has been for
the people of the several cities and
counties to decide for themselves as to
changes in their present primary reform
provisions which will best meet the ends
desired. Many of those who have been
quite aggressive in their favor of the
brand OF primary reform suggested by
the democratic platform of last year now
frankly admit that such action would
not be best, and they will work in har-
mony with Governor Warner and the ma
jority in each house for such legislation
as will meet in full the pledges of the re-
publican state platform, giving TO the
state as a whole the provisions promised
and to the people of each county and
each political district in the state just
such primary reform arrangements as
they may desire.
The remarkable case of Wayne
county's sheriff elect, now occupying at
tention here with hearings before the
governor and the supreme court, is
bad commentary upon our system of
popular government, and especially up
on the remedy of popular nominations
which is proposed as a cure for some
evils of the convention system. AS
coroner of Wayne county Hoffman has
been engaged in systematic and eXten-
sive plundering of the state upon fraud
ulent cOroner's cases, in which conspir-
acy, injury and corrupting of subordi-
mates, witnesses, undertakers and exam
lining physicians have helped to rob the
treasury of thousands of dollars in illegal
fees, the most of which went into Hoff-
mans greedy pocket. He even sold
bodies to medical students and collected
fees for burial Of the empty boxes, on
top of fees for post mortems never per-
formed, inquests never held, witnesses
never sworn and mileage for miles never
travelled, all these in repeated cases 10
which the state was not liable for a cent.
He has been tried before Wayne county
jury on one of these cases, convicted and
sentenced to four years in the peniten-
tiary, and has yet to meet the sterner
accusation of using the United States
mails to perpetrate these frauds. These
things were charged against him during
the campaign, and many people had
guilty knowledge of their truth; but be
was chosen at the primary election as
the republican nominee, over a man of
unchallenged character and fitness, and
won over the democrat nominee at the
election. He might have been nominated
in convention but it is unlikely, for his
success was apparently due to democrat
votes in the primaries; and he might if
so nominated have won in the election,
but that is more unlikely, without the
prestige of popular" nomination.
X
The daily sessions of the two houses
of the legislature are opened with devo.
tional exercises conducted by the var
ious Lansing pastors and visiting clergy.
men, upon invitation, and the solons
thus secure as often as once week, it
should be hoped, ministrations adapted
to the needs and preferences of each.
1t is related of the last legislature that
one of the city clergy, after Offering
prayer in the senate, expressed his dis
appreciation of the practice of members
continuing to pull at their cigars during
prayer, and declined further to be a
party to scenes so unbecoming. 1t is
likely that those offenders failed of re-
election, and that no member of the
present body would so misbehave.
HORTON.