The Detroit times., 1912-03-13
LEGISLATURE WILL
PASS LIABILITY Law
toontinued from page one,.


don't want woman suffrage" Such
potency OF reasoning absolutely
eliminates debate.
Another representative, Il Is al
legged, said, my wife don't want it."
and who would have the effrontery to
say that a legislator would have the
right to legislate for any other mans
wife? Such action would be adequate
grounds for divorce.
So even with a number OF winsome
lady lobbyists on the job In the in
terests OF equal suffrage, II il not
reasonably probable that the Michigan
woman will very soon be tainted by
naughty politics or dragged from her
throne as queen of the home.
A man on the ground as a pro
moter OF the double suffrage cause
made the point that the Michigan leg
islators take too narrow a view oil
their duties as representatives. His
idea was that they estimated their OF
fiicial status more from the stand
point Of ward alderman than from
the proper viewpoint of legislators FOL
q great commonwealth.
In other words, according to the
opinion OF this man, the principal
part OF whose name, by the way, hap
pens to be the Rev. z. r.. Shipper
one OF the leading progressives oil
Detroit, II shouldn't make very much
difference with legislator in q great
Michigan what his wife or sisters Oh
even his mother-in-law thought about
woman suffrage, or what the concen
sus OF opinion regarding this import
ant question seemed to be at the cor
ner grocery at Pumpkinburg over In
his district.
A man who Is a legislator repre-
sents more than a district. His con
stituency Is not limited to the abbTe
Waited limits of county or a trio OF
counties. He Is supposed 10 not only
represent his particular district, hut
ne Is also supposed to represent his
entire state. A representative who
would favor legislation that would be
beneficial to his district in particular
but would be detrimental to the inter
ests of his state in general Is a poor
statesman and a Eastwood patriot.
In other words. again. IL the people
of Michigan want TO vote on the wo-
mans suffrage proposition, and we
think they do, they ought TO have the
opportunity to do so, and now that
the legislature has the opportunity to
give that opportunity, it's up to that
body to give the pending amendment
resolution the necessary two-thirds
majority and allow the voters to go
10 IT."
And then there Is the matter OF
cutting out brewery-owned saloons.
Ants may charge that this Is a poll
teal move on the part OF the gov
ernor, but the statesman's view OF the
question is to realize that the COVER
nor Is not the issue.
The thing for every legislator to
do, lf he wants to make good on his
OFFICIAL oath. land there has been
some talk TO the effect that an oath
is sacred), Is to consider every legis'
lative subject absolutely and exclu'
sively on its merits. II brewery.
owned saloon Is bad. II isn't any less
bad because the governor is against
II. ..
But what's the use OF talking? No
use, perhaps, but there Is an excuse,
because talk Is cheap" When
you get tire worst or II, make the best
OF It," Is sage advice. II the legls.
lature can't do much. II should do
all 1t can and adjourn as soon as Il
can.
There Is talk OF another extra ses.
sion to soon follow the present extra
| fruitless extra session, but II seems
10 be the general opinion, even among
those with the administration, that
such a move would be a mistake. The
senatorial leopard Is not liable "a
change its spots and there are not q
few fellows in the house who are In
clined TO show their teeth.
IL Is evident that the ants havf
stacked the deck against the Cover
nor and regardless OF good citizen
ship, duty, public interest or any
thing else, these foes OF the chief
executive are apparently determined
TO block the Osborn program Of pro-
gress.
Fortunately. though, there is one
bill that has been vaccinated and tn,
| operation must have took" The
workmen's compensation act Is i'm
mune, seemingly 80. anyway. from
anti-itis. ITO man up tree q
looks as though some OF these legis