The Calumet news., 1912-02-16
SPECULATE ON
EXTRA SESSION
Politicians Wonder What Other
Matters Besides Primary
Will be Considered
MUCH HIMPoRTANTLEGI
wOrkingmen's Compensation and
Other Bills May Come up
Rumors Of Investigations Also But
Governor Has Nothing 10 Fear
From That Source.

Lansing. Mich. Feb. 1G.--In his off.
cial call for a special session OF the
legislature TO meet Feb. 20. Governor
Osborn not only calls for a presiden-
tial primary law. but adds that "otheI
matters as well may be presented foi
their attention"
Speculative minds in the state cap
ital wonder what other matters" he
will include. Some say the recent at
| tack by the chief executive on the liq e.
uor interests might cause him To try
and repeal the law pushed through the
Legislature few sessions ago by Ar
chic Bunting, relative to the issuance
of saloon bonds. also the governor may
ask for a law to prevent breweries
from owning saloons
There are others who foresee an at
tempt to settle upon some phase Of
the report drafted by the special COM
mission Of inquiry into taxation mat
ters and that the report of the COM
mittee on workingmen's compensation
will be turned over to the legislature
Rumors or investigations by certain
members of the Wayne delegation
have drifted into Lansing. If ii is the
governor they are after. the state
house employees see merry times ahead,
as the chief executive has stated on
several occasions that his record Is
open TO the public and that he has
nothing to conceal,
Then. too. hints of an attempt to
revamp the congressional districts of
Michigan have reached Lansing since
II became definitely known that there
would be special gathering of the
solons. IL is said that such u plan
would be welcomed by some of the
legislators who are casting longing
glances at certain congressional togas
but the betting is even here that
large sized kick would be registered
by Michigan's representatives In the
lower house at Washington.
There is considerable speculation
here as to whether the governor and
his friends interested in the presiden-
tial primary law can garner enough
votes to pass the measure. His friends
are of the opinion that the members
Of the house and senate will not dare
kick over they will have little or no ex-
cuse to offer their constituents for
failure to give everyone "a voice in
the selection of delegates 10 the ma
tional conventions.
Fight in the Senate.
During the last few sessions OF the
legislature the farmers have been in
the majority in the House, and if II is
true, as reported, that the members of
the state grange are determined to re-
pudiate President Taft, it is thought
that the presidential primary law will
pass the lower house. This would place
the fight in the Senate, where the ag-
riculturists do not hold the balance of
power.
In the session of 1911 the tonnage
tax bill and other measures of inter-
est to the ruralists and the members
of the state grange slid through the
House with votes to spare, but when
the propositions were sent over to the
Senate they were either killed outright
or smothered I'm committees.
when convened in a special session
the compensation of legislators shall
be s5 per day for the first 20 days and
nothing thereafter are the words of
the constitution. Members shall be
entitled TO 10 cents per mile and no
more for one round trip to each reg
ular and special session of the legis-
lature by the usually travelled route"
Supt. Bennett and corps of work
men are placing the legislative halls
and the committee rooms in readi-
ness for the session and the capitol
presents an unusually lively appear
ance today.
The destruction of the Hotel Downry
by fire a week ago will prove n serf-
Gus handicap TO, the politicians. The
hotel was the gathering place, and now
the lawmakers will be forced To en-
tertain in their parlors or confine their
social sessions to the corridors of the
capitol or the committee rooms.
Lansing is heated in a local option
countp. but the politicians have hopes
that the ban will be lifted at the
spring election.