The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-03-16
HOUSE RESeLVESTO
ADJOURN MARCH 81
ARE MAKING SPECIAL EFFORT
TO GET WORK THROUGH
ON DATE SET.
SPECIAL SESSION LOOMS
Prohibition, Budget, Insurance Code,
Railroad and Numerous Other
Bills to be Cared For
(From Our Special Correspondent

Lansing.
Coincident with desire to conclude
work of this legislative session by
March 81 and adjourn as far as bust
ness is concerned, on that date, the
senate and house have suddenly be-
come busy with the bills in front of
them. The lawmakers express belief
that they can dispose of all matters of
real statewide interest and go home
before April showers start.
The house has passed a resolution
to set March 81 as the date for bust
ness adjournment, with April 10 and
20 as the dates for final adjournment.
And although a special session looms
up as strong possibility the effort
is to be made to get through work on
the date set.
To accomplish the result desired the
legislature still has to handle prac-
tically the entire business of the SEES
sion. The prohibition bills, which the
general public thought would be the
first to appear in either house as the
result of the November majority in
favor of statewide prohibition, had not
yet appeared when the house adopted
the adjournment resolution and sent
it over to the senate. 1t was the next
day after that new bills appeared from
the joint liquor committees to care
for the prohibition situation.
Three bills came forth as a final
statement from the committees as to
uyha In 20
hibition legislation. One was intro
duced by Rep, Wiley, who had intro
duced earlier in the session the bill
prepared by the Anti-Saloon league al
torneys. 1t had eliminated all refer
ence to the importation of liquors for
personal use in Michigan, and in its
search and seizure provisions and its
enactments against possession of in
toXicants was as bone dryes the origi-
nal bone dry measure. The second
bill was offered by Rep. Macarthur, au-
thor of the original bone dry bill. It
differed but little from the Wiley bill,
except that the latter put the enforce
ment OF the law in the hands of the
food and drug commissioner, while the
Macarthur bill left enforcement to
prosecuting attorneys of the various
counties.
The third bill was put in by Rep
Lewis, chairman of the house liquor
committee. 1t changes the title of
the dairy and food commissioner to
that of food and drug commissioner;
invests him with the enforcement of
the liquor laws; extends his term of
two years to four and raises his sal
airy after the present term from $4,000
to $4,000. Also it is provided that
special deputy attorney general shall
assist the food and drug commission
er as far as the legal part of his work
is concerned.
The significance of the decision to
vest the power to enforce the law in
the dairy and food department rather
than in the attorney generals lies in
the fact that the dairy and food com.
missioner can be removed at will by
the governor and the latter, as the
chief executive officer of the state,
cannot escape responsibility for law
enforcement. Governor Sleeper there
fore insisted that the enforcement be
placed in some department that he
could control.
In order to get through work by
March 81 the legislature not only has
to care for the prohibition bills and
the 80 or more appropriation bills,
but has the insurance code, the rail-
road rate bill, the game law amend
ments, the budget commission bill, and
many more measures that are con-
sidered important by some section OF
other Of the membres.
On the insurance code alone there
have been allowed five separate hear
ings, to take care of the various inter
ests involved. All of them promise |
to be well represented as their causes
are taken up, judging from advance
notices.