The Yale expositor., 1919-01-16
DOINGS AT The
STATE CAPITOL
THOMAS READ. OF SHELBY. WAS
ELECTED SPEAKER BY
UNANIMOUS VOTE.
SPEAKER PRAISES NEwBERRY
Joint Session Of the Senate and House
ADOPTED Resolution Praislns
State Troops.
(By STAFF Correspondent
Lansing.

Lansing.
The organization OF the senate and
the house brought few contests for
official places. In the house Thomas
Read of Shelby was elected speaker
by unanimous vote. lie had been the
unanimous choice of tho Republican
caucus and the two lone Democrats
in the house voted for him along with
the Republicans. Unanimous cleo
tons also wore given to Franklin
Moore, of St. Clair. for speaker pro
tom; TO Charles S. Pierce for re-elec-
ton as clerk: and to Harry ]. Nc
Crane for re- election as sergeant at
arms
In the senate Charles r Scully. of
Lapeer county, was chosen president
the Republican caucus over George
NJ Condor, of Detroit, on a 16 To 10
vote. Dennis Award was reelected
secretary of the seuate James X.
Davis. of Bay City. was chosen ser
geant at arms In the senate caucus
il had taken several ballots to decide
Davis the winner in a three cornered
contest Ike Bloem, of Kalamazoo,
had the lead on the first ballot, but
after the contest settled down to
Bloom and Davis, the latter won out
on another 16 10 10 vote. Terry Cor
liss, of Tuscola county. veteran of
several senate sessions. both as a
member and as a senate official, was
made assistant secretary OF the SEN
ate and IL. A. Hopkins. of st Clair
was made second assistant secretary.
The senate reduced the number OF
its committees from GO to 81. the
same number as there are senators.
Each senator hereafter will get one
craftsmanship. The reduction in mum.
Der was made by abolishing several
minor committees, to which bills sell
dom If ever were referred in previous
sessions, and by amalgamating others
of a similar nature. Four separate
committees on the four prisons OF the
state, for instance, were made into
one prison committee, while other
combinations were made of commit
tees on educational and other state
institutions.
Military legislation of varied char
acter seems likely to be one of the
big factors in the coming session
The legislature in its first two days
sessions heard addresses by Capt
Thomas E. Swan, of Saginaw, chap
lain of the 125th infantry. American
Expeditionary forces, home on leave
of absence, and by Adjt. Gen. John
S. Bersey, of Lansing, on Michigan's
part in the world war.
The joint session of the senate AMI
house adopted a resolution praisine
the splendid work of Michigan troops
in France and assuring the soldiers
there that the legislature is anxiou;
to do everything it can for their wei
fare while they are In France anC
after their return to their homes. L
was ordered that this resolution bt
cabled to the commanding officer o.
the Michigan troops abroad, so that il
could be read to them. A similar
resolution was adopted for the state,
naval forces. Still another Landed the
work done by the Red Cross, Y. NJ
G. A., Knights of Columbus, Jewisf
War Relief, Women's Relief Corps
and kindred organizations.
The joint session also adopted &
resolution calling upon the senate o.
the United States to pass the women.
suffrage amendment to the fedora
constitution, already passed by the
house, so that 1t may be submitted 4
the states for ratification.
Michigans war bureau in New Yorl
city, the only one of its kind in the
country, which has done much FOL
Michigan men returning from the
war zone, especially the wounded anC
the sick, came in for high commenda
ton by Chaplain Swan and Other
speakers and both the senate and the
house adopted resolutions commend
ing Gov. Sleeper personally for his
work in getting this bureau started
and running in its efficient way.
Way back in 1891 the Iegislatur,
passed law under which men VIII,
had served in the German army an,
emigrated here were allowed to organ
ize an association which was empow
cred to operate land companies. No
knowing but what Germans who Tough
I'm the war Just ending might star
coming over here and find IL easv I,
get into the land company business 4,
Michigan because of the old 1891 Law
Senator Arthur Wood, of Detroit. Ia
introduced q bill to repeal the oil,
statute entirely.
Another bill recognizes the entr-
of women into the political arena b,
proposing to amend existing laws a,