The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1909-01-15
ALL SERENE AT
STATE CAPITAL
Legislature Starts on Career
Very Pleasantly.
FIRST BILL INTRODUCED

AAA\OA VAIL Nv L\ODOSLD
Ii Provides for the Payment of the
Legislators at the Rate of SIS Per
Day for 100 Days-Another Bill Pro-
vides for State Civil Service-Anti-
Saloon People Propose to Carry on
an Aggressive Campo gn-Schantz
Would AnaIyze States Soil.
Lansing, Mich, Jan. 12.-The Forty
Fifth Michigan legislature started on
its career very pleasantly last week.
No jangles marred the opening ses-
sions. On the other hand the two
houses concurred In the adoption of
resolutions congratulating Truman H..
Newberry on his elevation to the Sec
retaryship of the navy, and felicitating
President James B. Angel, of the Uni
versity of Michigan, on reaching the
eightieth milestone in life. The COM
mlttees and employees were all ap.
pointed and all the machinery oiled
and put in condition for immediate
business. The work of the session
was entered upon in earnest last
evening.
Both houses made a good start in
the line of economy by cutting down
the number Of employees. II this dis
position is adhered to throughout the
session, the expenditures and appropri-
ations will be kept within reasonable
limits. Here's hoping.
First Bill Is for Salaries.
AS was expected the first bill to be
introduced was one prepared by the at
torney general making provision for
the payment of the compensation of
members of the legislature. The new
constitution fixes this at $500 for a
regular session, but is silent as to
the manner of its payment The bill
introduced provides for payment at
the rate of So per day, installments to
be paid every ten days. This, it will
be seen, will cover $50 days, leaving
the soions to work for nothing and
find themselves if they prolong the
bSoSlOu ICY Olu lllC lllllC lllnlI III
Dictated.
Somewhat along the line advocated
by Governor Warner in his third an
augural message is bill introduced
Thursday by Senator MacKay, Of Ic
troit. The measure propose
Michigan a civil service Ia
much the same as that enacted
consin few years ago. 1t Is
to create state civil service
members with a secretary VIII
receive a per diem of SO for his SCI
ices. The classified service will tC
made to cover most legislative an2
state department positions. The bill
Is sure to arouse much discussion.
AS intimated last week the new con-
stitution fails to make any provision
for a salary for the superintendent of
public instruction. A second bill Of
fered by Senator MacKay fixes this
salary at $4,000 per annum and gives
the superintendent general super
vision over all the educational inter
ests and institutions of the state. The
salary of the deputy superintendent Is
fixed at $4,000 per annum and that Of
the superintendent of the rural school
department at $4,000 BY the terms
of the bill the superintendent will be
required to reside In Lansing and give
his entire time to the work.
Anti-Saloon People Active.
1t is already very evident that one
OF the real interesting matters to re-
ceive attention this winter is the ques.
ton of dealing with the liquor traffic
Spurred by their successes in other
states and the general wave of pro
hibition that is spreading over the
country, the anti-saloon people are
very confident and propose an agrees
sive campaign. The liquor interests
have likewise taken notice of the trend
of public sentiment and they will take
a stand for better conditions, opposing,
however, the extreme measures de-
sired by the opposition. II is rumored
that the presiding officers of the two
houses experienced no little difYiculty
In framing up their committee on liq.
legislators whom 1t was proposed to
assign positions on these committees
begged OF, while others positively re-
fused to serve.
In addition to strengthening its grip
ON the temperance legislation already
enacted. the opposition to the saloon
will eudeavor to secure the enactment
Of laws fixing the township. instead Of
the county as now, as the unit under
the local option law; prohibiting the
shipment Of liquors into dry territory;
providing for the searching of places
where II Is suspected contraband liq-
uor is stored and for the seizure OF
such liquor, and requiring all drug.
gists to report all purchases as well
as sales of liquor. OF the eighty-four
counties in the state. eleven are now
dry. At the election to be held ON the
first Monday In April next thirty more
counties will vote on this question, and
the claim is made that at least twen-
ty Of them will go dry. The liquor
dealers, particularly the wholesalers,
propose to amend the law so as to ma
terially increase the present retail tax
and to limit the number of saloons In