The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1917-01-20
BUDGET SYSTEM
URGED BY SLEEPER
GOVERNOR ALBERT E. sLEEPER's
FIRST MESSAGE TO THE 1917
LEGISLATURE.
BETTER LAW ENFORCEMENT
Greater Agricultural Efficiency Is Ne
eesssry to Make Our Soil Produce
More-other Interesting Items.

erS nrSt message 10 the legislature
OF 1917 deals with many problems that
will be watched by other states.
Among the most important laws to be
enacted will be the prohibition law
which Is the one great question fac
ing the whole United States.
Governor Sleeper's message is as fol-
lows:
Our state Is to be congratulated on
its stable conditions, general prosper
ity and progressive laws. Our press
ing need is not more laws, rather few
er-but better enforcement of exist
ing statutes and better administration
of public business.
The agencies Of the state should
be used to promote the best interests
of tho people with the least possiDlc
interference in their individual at
fairs. Existing laws must be enforced (;
obsolete and impractical laws should
be repealed, many present necessary
and beneficial laws should be perfect
ed.
Commissions to consolidate, revise
jects have been very successful and
have given US the Workingmens Com
pensation law and our Judicature Act.
/ would urge similar commissions to
consider our criminal laws and pro-
cedure and our laws as to corpora
tons.
Extreme caution should be used IN
tvx ell 90 shA hot
II will carry out the will of the people
fairly and effectively. Pending bills
should be submitted to joint COM
mittee from both houses to secure uni
form arrangement, phraseology and
methods. They should be submitted
to the Attorney Generals Department
to prevent technical defects.
Budget Commission.
A budget system for our state has
been widely discussed and Is greatly
to be desired. This question Is So
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES as 1t does
every department of state business
all of which is interviewer, that the
greatest care must be exercised to
devise the best plan to be used. ] urge
that at a very early date you adopt
a joint resolution authorizing a COM
mission of three or five able men to be
appointed by the governor or by the
legislature to Immediately begin the
investigation of this important subject.
with the expectation of at least par
tial report within sixty days, which
can be used as the basis of legislation
to be enacted at this session.
Prohibition Legislation.
The Prohibition Amendment adopt.
ed by a large vote at our recent cleo
ton demands the enactment of
stringent but sensible laws to make
the will OF the people effective.
Penal institutions
believe that our penal institutions,
and perhaps some OF our other public
institutions. can be made self-sustain-
ing II properly administered. Two
problems are involved in our prisons:
one Is the care and improvement OF
the individual-the human problem
and the other-a business problem
10 that of giving each inmate an OPP
portunity to pay part OF his financial
burden to society. / would classify
these unfortunates SO that first Of
tenders, particularly boys between
sixteen and twenty-five, would be sep
arated from the more hardened and
freed from their influence. suggest
an Industrial and business manager to
have charge of these business activi-
ties. would make our prisons into
great Industrial plants or units. but OF
course, not to interfere with free Ia
Dor, where those who must be con-
fined will have the best medical. edu-
cational and reformatory aids modern
penology can give them, and full OPP
portunity to prepare themselves to bo
useful citizens when released.
Men who have early in life learned
habits Of industry are rarely sent to
prison. This being so, It is our duty
to provide useful labor for the inmates
of our prisons, and to allow them some
share of their earnings. With in
dustrial labor should go moral train
Ing and education. Our prisons must
be 90 conducted as to impress upon
their inmates the desirability Of right
living and to equip them to 80 live.
Society is not so well protected by
punishment as It Is by the reformation
OF tho offenders.
Our National Guard.
Our National Guard deserves great
credit for the way It modified the
past summer and for the part 1t Is
taking in protecting our southern Dor
der. Its re-enlistment In tho U. 8.
service may deprive us of this much
needed state police. II is OF great Inn
portance that we continue our Ma
tionnl Guard. 1t is the duty Of the
state to investigate at once the needs
and wants Of those dependent on our
soldiers now on cctive duty and to
Immediately provide adequate means
TO care for thsm-