The Detroit times., 1911-04-05
house RESP 0NDs!
|TO DEMAND FOR
REFORM
Initiative, Referendum and Recall
To Be Submitted To the People
in Fall Of lsl2-victory for
Popular Government.
Resolution To Submit Woman's SUI
frage Fails Once More by
IL Votes.
tFrom . stan correspondsnt.y

tFrom q Stan Correspondsnt.1
LANSING, Mich. April 6.-Wltn
comfortable margins on each propo-
sition, the house yesterday afternoon
voted to submit to the people In lslz
constitutional amendments providing
for legislative initiative and reieren-
dunn. for the initiative added TO the
referendum on constitutional amend
ments, and the recall or elective ON
ciaIs. Although the percentages pro-
yided for In each case are high, the
fact OF having gotten these measures
through one house OF the legislature
"A regarded as a victory by the friends
OF popular government When the
measures had all been approved, Rep.
Flowers had the resolution for wo-
man suffrage amendment taken from
the table, where II was placed on re-
consideration after being defeated
seyeral weeks ago. The amendment
failed by about the same vote that II
did before, lacking IL votes OF the
necessary 81.
There was less discussion on the
: propositions than had been expected,
as they had been thoroughly threshed
out In the little knots OF men that
gather around the house chamber
when the house IL not In session.
An amendment was introduced to
make the percentage required on leg
1slative, initiative and referendum ~
instead or 20. but Rep. Woodwork,
who introduced the resolution, ex-
planned that II would require 100000
~to oNs
the percentage was much lower In
other states. and the amendment
failed, "a to 81.
The proposition for initiation OF con-
sdtutional amendments by the people
provides for a petition OF 70 per cent,
Or the resolution for recall, there
was more discussion, although the
resolution as amended by the commit
tee provides for a 40 per cent petition.
Rep. John Perry, speaker protein OF
the house, sought to make the per-
centage 81, declaring that anything
less than that was minority rule.
and forced an official to submit 10
third elective campaign, having
passed the ordeals OF the primary and
election. His amendment was de-
feated on q viva yoce vote.
Rep. Flowers, of Detroit, announo
ed that he had supported the other
resolutions, bat that the time had
come for the parting Of the ways. He
said that the recall would inject q
dangerous and revolutionary princi
pie into government.
Rep. Lord sought to amend by max
ing the petition for recall Of q mem.
Der Of the legislature valid, 40 In
stead Of five days, after the conf
menccment Of the session. This
failed.
Rep. verdier sought to exempt the
judiciary. saying that to subject the
judges to recall would practically
mean the decision by the people on
Interpretation of laws. and would
amount to mob rule. Rep. Yeo NOV
ed to substitute an amendment ex-
empting judges Of the supreme court.
circuit courts, recorders and superior
court. This failed.
Rep. Heckert remarked that IL the
recall could apply. to most OF tho
members OF the present legislature,
he would heartily favor It.
Rep. Dunn explained that with this
amendment In force, the people would
not be afraid or the four-year terms
which are being agitated. His speech
evidently had more effect on the vote
than anything else that was said.
The amendment In the resolution
would provide that all elective Of
ficers except members OF the legisla-
ture might be recalled after they had
been In Office six months, and legis-
lators after they had been in Office
I'VE days.
Rep. Flowers secured the addition
TO each Of the resolutions Of amend
ments, prescribing the way In which
the amendments should be submitted,
and on amendments introduced By
Rep. Ashley, the date when the ques-
lions will be submitted was fixed at
the fall instead Of the spring election
in 1912, Detroit having no regular
spring election.
The days work which the house
tackled yesterday was the biggest
ever piled up in the history OF the
legislature. The sheet containing the
order Of business was 1-2 feet long.
with two wide columns. The bill OF
fare included IL bills on third read
Ing, 102 on general order, and one
resolution, which was not reached.
Besides this, IL committee meetings
were marked down. Capt John Stew
enson, OF Detroit, seeing that every
one was getting up early and prepar-
ing &c work all day, arranged meet.
Ing Of the committee on religious and
benevolent societies at $3.50 a. IN.
somehow no one attended; not even
the captain.
In order to get some OF the bills
originating in the house over to the
senate. the committee Of the whole
adopted a resolution to take up house
bills first The committee OF the
whole approved II bills, killed one
and passed two for the day, leaving
only 50 to be added to the next days
accumulation.
Among the II approved were: Rep.
Henry's bill. prohibiting any but non.
collapsible coaches to be purchased
by railways after Jan. l. 1912, or to