The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1916-06-08
A GLANCE AT WHAT MAY BE
DONE WHEN A NEW LEGIsLA.
TURE GETS IN ACTION.
GAINS MADE BY STATE BANKS
Some Supreme Court Decisions Of I'm
portance and Various Matters
Worth Noting Just Now.
[By Gurd M. Hayes.l


months the legislature will again con-
vene in Lansing and the biennial law
making will begin. Already state Off
Gals are beginning to wonder what
the future holds in store in the way
OF new legislation and how many of
the time honored bills will again make
their appearance.
In many districts new candidates
for the Legislature will appear and as
an excuse for foisting himself on the
state payroll the candidate will have
a platform embodying as many new
ideas as he can conceive and as many
of the old ones as he imagines will
catch the vote of his friends and
neighbors.
While it is generally conceded that
there is no pressing need for lot of
new and radical legislation, bills de
signed to Tevolutionize the machinery
of the state government are sure TO
make their appearance when the rep
resentatives and senators make their
biennial pilgrimage to the state house
the first of the year.
In all probability the election laws
of the state will be changed to some
extent. The last legislature author
lied Charles S. Pierce, clerk of the
house of representatives, and Dennis
e. Award, secretary of the senate,
to codify and revise the election laws
of the state. For several months Al
ward and Pierce have been busy along
this line and will have a new bill
whipped into shape and ready for in
PRODUCTION on the opening day of the
session.
They have received the cooperation
and advise of city and county clerks
and have received suggestions from
other election officials and they hope
to have the election laws in workable
shape if their bill is passed at the
next session.
Similar steps have been taken TO
codify the laws relative to insurance.
At the last session Senator Foster OF
Lansing put through bill calling up
on the attorney generals department
to handle this work and If the next
legislature approves the work of the
states legal department the arrange
ment of the statutes relating to in
surance will be a decided improve
ment.
Should state wide prohibition be
adopted at the election in November,
1t will be necessary for the next leg
islature to provide the machinery for
putting prohibition laws into effect.
This will be a gigantic task and liquor
legislation may furnish the big battles
OF the next session. AS a safety
first" measure, wet leaders through
out the state are attempting to pick
out can dates not in sympathy with
the dry crusade and they have trained
their guns on the senate. If the vets
can elect II members Of the senate
they can block all dry legislation for
the entire session.
In all probability the railroads will
| again petition the legislature for au-
| thority TO increase passenger rates
| from two cents per mile to two and
one-half or three cents per mile. Last
year the senate stood ready to give
the railroads some relief, but the bill
was defeated in the house by a few
votes 1t is believed the railroad
representatives will redouble their eff
| forts at the next session.
Whether equal suffrage will again
be an issue is a question that has not
been decided. If the suffrage leaders
should ask the legislature to provide
for the submission of a constitutional
amendment providing for equal SUI.
frage. it is generally conceded that
the lawmakers would act favorably
The last time suffrage was an issue
In the legislature 1t had a majority In
both houses.
State Game Warden William r
Oates says he VIII not recommend
any radical changes in the game laws
but he will advise some changes in
the act relating to commercial fish
ing.