Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1905-03-23
THE CONSTITUTION
Further Changes Necessary Tor
ReliefO the Legislature.
Flooded With Local BiIls-Govorpor
Warner Gives Prompt Attention TO
Charges Against Offending
Officials.
Lansing. March %. 1905.

" Wdlleu upon 0OVeTnOf w dIHer oHC
day last week, and preferred charges
against the prosecuting attorney of
that County for neglect of duty in
| failure to prosecute violations of the
local option law. and asking his dis
missal from Office, The governor
promptly referred the case to Attor-
ney General Bird for investigation,
and upon his report the governor will
act, Governor Warner has shown a
ready responsiveness to all demands
of the duty he has assumed of execu-
ting the laws, and requiring that ali
officers in subordinate positions shall
likewise observe the obligations rest
ing upon them. The case of MIR
butcher, of the board of control for
the asylum at Newberry, was good
illustration of this. There was no
hesitation or delay in requiring him
to yacate his office, as soon as the in
vestigation showed that he had viO-
lated the law in profting by con-
tracts for supplies, though it was not
shown that the state had suffered any
financial loss thereby. Mr.. butcher
made the plea that he had committed
no moral wrong, but only a technical
violation of the law since he only
charged the state the market price
or the wood he sold. But Governor
Warner believed that no officer could
violate the law which he had taken
an obligation to obey without COM
mitting a moral wrong, and showing
himself unfit for the trust that had
been reposed in him.
The general primary bill that was
10 formulate the senate's views upon
that subject WAS not completed for
acknowledgements week, As had been
expected anktntobably viii not be be-
fore Wednesday of this week, on
which day the Stone bill, which has
been fayCril ly lie iorte from the
house election cOmr1ittee, will come
up as the special order in the house,
and will hold the boards as the cen
tral attraction in committee of the
whole, probahll. through the week.
One of the seventeen joint resolu-
tions that have been intr oduced at
this session of the legislature pro-
posing submission of amendments to
the constitution. > one in the house,
by Mr.. Lord, % Detroit, providing
for a general incorporation aw for
cities and villages. 1t cannot be act
ed upon in time TO be submitted to
the voters at the approaching spring
election; but it is highly desirable
that something should be done along
that line to relieve the legislature { f
the constantly increasing flood of
special legislation, not only in char
ters of incorporation but in many
other classes The state of Illinois
put into her constitution thirty years
ago prohibition of special and local
legislation of many classes, and pro-
y.ded general laws instead and if Mr.
Lords resolution does not incl ude
such prohibition, it should, The man
who shall prepare for our state a
practicable scheme Of wide applica-
tion for such purposes will do a great
service
The perpetual tinkering with the
game and fish laws goes on with sew
enty bills for such purposes in the
first two months, about hall of which
are of local application. They in
clude six for protection of rabbits in
certain counties; one to protect frogs.
and one to protect angle worms,
mosquitoes and other bugs, in the In
terest of the preservation Of birds and
fishes. There has been six general
and seven local bills for primary
voting; twenty-one relating to drain.
age and sixteen to highways, good
proportion Of these are local in their
scope. These local measures have
interested pushers behind them. and
6rst attention is compelled for them.
Why and how it is that the legislature
may be in session two months with
scarcely half dozen acts that the
people at large know or care any.
thing about TO show for it is fully ex.
planned by these conditions The
members are not to be blamed for
this. They are understood to be here
to serve their constituents carrying
out their wishes, and that Is precise
ly what they are doing in all this, and
it can never be remedied until there
is change of policy commanded in the
constitution.
A bill OF considerable importance
that has appeared In the past week is
the drug clerks bill, resulting from