The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-05-10
Municipal Ownership.

Of 81.
| Municipal Ownership.
| Advocates Of the municipal owner
| ship of street railways are urging that
| the new COILS tuition contain provi lon
| for such ownership and operation.
| This demand is due TO the action of
| The supreme coult, or rather of Il ma
| jority Of that body, last week in de-
riding that under the present cons,itl-
| ton a municipality cannot construct
street railway tracks and lease them
to an operating company. This decis-
ion is based on the constitutional pro-
vision that municipalities may not en-
| gage in works of internal improve
Cent.
Speaking of supreme court decisions
yeminds me that this court made an
| other decision of much interest to
| Michigan people last week. This is
| decision which overrules the demurrer
| Of the state and permits the Michigan
Central Railway company to bring suit
| In the Wayne circuit court to recover
damages from the state because of the
repeal Of it's special charter several
| years ago. There is many slip 'twiXt
| the cup and the lip, however, so the
simple fact that the company may sue
| does not portend q verdict against the
state. The revenues of the company
having increased since the repeal law
was enacted, it is surmised that the
company will not find it easy to con-
vince a jury that it has sustained any
| damage on that score.
| Uniform Divorce Laws.
| In view Of the fact that bill which
| seeks to establish uniformity in di-
| vorce laws of the several states is
| pending in the legislature, it may be
| interesting to note that compilation
| of divorce statistics for Michigan for
| 1906 just completed by Secretary Of
State Prescott shows that there were
| $50 more divorce DEGREES granted in
| this state last year than during the
| year previous, the total number being
| 3.1S9 This is the greatest number re-
turned for any year since the present
| law was enacted ten years ago. 1t is
| equal to one divorce for each eight
| marriages solemnized, or 2.05 persons
divorced per LOCO population Secre-
tary Prescott remarks that this is a
| striking commentary on the condition
| OF social life in this state, and espe-
| cially on the viciousness and hard
heartedness which must characterize a
large proportion Of the population
| when we consider that nearly 80 per
cent. Of these cases involve, for the
| purpose Of making an official court
record at least, the charge of extreme
| cruelty DEGREES were refused by
the courts in only 36 cases, while in
| 800 cases bills Of complaint were with
drawn.
Local Option Put to Sleep.
| Although, as remarked last week,
there is a marked tendency toward
legislation restricting the liquor traffic
| i'm localities throughout the state, there
is not likely to be any general legis-
lation in this regard, the senate hav-
ing during the past week, apparently
| put TO sleep the Lugers local option
| bill, which provided that the electors
| of political divisions might decide
whether or not liquors should be solo
within such divisions. The bill did not
come up for consideration, but an at
tempt to have the committee In whose
very careful keeping it has been for
a number of weeks report it out failed.
1t is expected that nothing more will
be heard from the bill this session.
Bill Exempting Credits.
This afternoon the house will wres
tie with the Davis bill which exempt
| all credits from taxation. This biz
has been extensively discussed in a
general way ever since the legislature
convened in January, the newspapers
Of the state having devoted much at
tention to it. Former State Tax Com
missioners Dust and Mclaughlin, the
former now member Of the state leg
islature and the latter member of
congress, are very much in favor of
the measure, while Governor Warner
is as strenuously opposed to its pass
age Real estate men, especially in
the larger cities in the state, have APP
peared before the legislative commit
tees in advocacy Of the bill. Those
who favor the bill contend that the
present law results In double taxation
and the Withholding Of money from
this class Of investments by citizens
of Michigan, while non-residents can
send their money In here for inv st
ment in real estate mortgages without
fear of having taxed inasmuch as they
cannot be reached. The governor, on
the other hand, argues that the pass
age of the bill will remove at least
S60, OOO,O 900 from the assessment rolls
and thus materially increase the rate
Of taxation on other property.
Anti Cigarette Bill.
The house has on its general order,
backed by favorable report from its
committee on state affairs, the Dick.
inson bill, which positively prohibits
the sale or giving away of cigarettes
in Michigan. Under this bill cigarettes
may be brought into this state only in
original packages and then sold only
to the person who imports them. Rep
resentative Prosser of Genesee also
has n bill designed to protect the
health and lives Of the young and ten
der. This bill forbids the promiscu-
pus distribution OF samples Of patent