The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-09-22
PUBLIC UTILITIES AND GOOD
ROADS.
Discussed at Officials and Ex Officials
Picnic.

home kept most of those away who
had intended to attend the picnic of the
supervisors and county officers and ex-
officials at McCurdy Park, Wednesday,
yet there was good turnout and the
meeting was very pleasant one.
President Geo. Morrice presided and
called the meeting in the casino to or
der at 2 o'clock, Rev Hanks, of Owosso,
offered prayer and the Acme Quartette,
Messrs Tick, Stevens. Roth and Rey-
nolds sang the Rosebud" and respond
ed to very hearty encore with Sweet
Kentucky Babe" Odell Chapman was
then called upon and gave scholarly
and much appreciated address. He
thanked the committee for the honor
of being asked to make the address.
The membership of the present board Of
supervisors be considered an estimable
and honorable set of men and they were
fortunate in that it had fallen to them
to have the control of the erection of
the new court house and this work
had been so well performed that they
had proved themselves board-minded,
liberal and thoughtful and although
| more time had been taken than was at
first planned, the result was that there
was not finer structure in the state
| and their action would be part of
the history of the county and when all
the present generation are gone the
structure will stand as testimony to
their efforts. He desired to take up
several questions but first that of pub
lie utilities. When Michigan was oc-
cupied by the Hurons and Chlppewas
and civilization was practically all east
of the Alleghanies, the question was
given little thought, but now that the
state was densely populated the matter
was the most important before the peo-
pie. The electric and steam railroads,
lighting and water plants, sanitary con-
veniences ETC., were the utilities that
paid profit and all these were con-
trolled by corporations, while the high
ways, pavements sidewalks, the nom
paying utilities, were built and paid fol,
by the public. A corporation is to
most people some great thing beyond
the control of the public. The Jew
will tell you he invented the mortgage
and bill of sale in the days of confscation
50 thai ne could keep all his property,
but the Gentle had invented the corpo-
ration and the Jew was using it now
for the same purpose. But a corpora
tion is simply a fictitious person made
by the law, and the people had in their
power to make the laws and thus allow
the corporation to be simply what they
desired it to be-not beyond their con-
troll. 1t is born of the people, and can
live and do only as you permit it. 1t
dies when you say so and yet we sit
idly by and allow it to maintain lobbies
and control legislation and is gradu-
ally getting larger control and the peo-
pie less. The last legislature made it
possible for corporation by simple
affidavit to compel a circuit Judge to
transfer civil case to some other cir
cult hoping to make it too expensive
for most litigants to press their cases
while it left it in the discretion of the
judge to transfer a murder or other
criminal case if he chooses to do so.
And if a man is injured on a railroad and
after year dies as result, not having
brought suit, his representatives can
recover, under new law, only such
sum as his family has lost up to the
time of his death by his inability to per-
form his usual labors, leaving the
family no help in the future from what
he might have contributed. If you ask
the members why such bill was passed
they will in most cases say they did not
known it was passed. Formerly freight
contracts were made in writing but by
the same kind of legislation the contract
is now made entirely by the railroad
and printed on the back of the, bill of
lading and is so long and complicated
that it is not read and in most cases
prevents shipper from recovering for
losses. This kind of legislation must be
prevented and the only way is to send
men who will know what they do and
insist on right course and the public
must insist on that kind of men being
sent. Discussion will result in such
selections because it will cause the peo-
pie to think as they did in, revolution.
airy times, as they did in the days of
slavery. Mr.. Chapman advocated the
appointment Of commission to ex.
anime every bill and report in writing
its effect before it was passed. He be-
lieved such report from commission of
responsible and able lawyers would
prevent most bad legislation The sub.
ject of good roads should be discussed
and the millions that are yearly being
spent on docks and water ways should
be partially spent on the roads. Every
bushel of wheat every animal taken to
market was bauled oyer a country road,
yet the great corporations were receiv.
! ing the benefit of the millions spent on