The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-04-28
LANSING
LETTER
LEGISLATORS IN NIGHT
SESSIONS IN FINAL RUSH
Making Every Effort to Clean Up on
Calendar; Appropriation Bills
Get Attention.
(From STAFF Correspondent

From Staff Correspondent)
The closing rush Of the legislative
session found each house bending
every effort to get it's own bills over
to the other in time to permit action
before adjournment.
Morning, afternoon and night ses-
sions of both houses were the rule In
the effort to clean up the calendars.
The mammoth size of the house list
of pending bills was such for a few
days that members who had been OPP
posing efforts to save time by attach
ing roll calls to bills against which
there was no particular opposition,
surrendered to the desire for speed at
last AS a result the house cleanup
proceeded rapidly. On one day a rec
ord was set for the house when ten
bills we're adopted on final passage In
a space of fifteen minutes.
VOTE JAMES LAW REPEAL.
Among the big measures coming up
in the house on the final hours seized
ule for definite action were two pro-
posed by Rep. George w. Welsh, OF
Grand Rapids. The first aims to re-
peal the James law, passed in 1919
by which boys and girls under the age
of Is who have gone to work before
completing the regular school course
must attend continuation schools tor
at least eight hours each week. The
operation of this law is both costly
and troublesome, declared Welsh The
law was strongly defended by others,
but the house passed the repeal Dill
by a vote of Ga to 33 and sent 1t over
to the senate.
A call of the house while this re-
peal measure was pending disclosed
that for the first time in the session
every one of the one hundred mem
bers of the house were present. Three
were granted leave of absence during
the debate, however, because OF other
important business and so did not
vote on the bill.
Welshs second bill was entitled one
ito define and prohibit general libel
and is aimed at the anti-Semitic cam
paign of the Ford weekly. Rep. Frick
of Detroit, questioned the constitu
tionality of the bill and said that pres
emit libel laws appeared sufficient &c
him. causing spirited debate for an
hour. The house then voted 70 10 IL
in favor of the bill.
BUDGET NEED is SHOWN.
At this stage of the session appro
nriation bills had the right OF way II
each house and took up much OF the
time. 1t was thought two years age
that the passage of the budget oil
would relieve this situation In the
nresent and all future sessions, pu
the failure of the budget system u
get into operation has resulted in the
usual crop of nearly a hundred oil
ferent appropriation measures, VIII
No certainty of what the actual tota
appropriations will be until they al
have been acted upon. Renewed IN
terest in the obtaining OF bulge
system has resulted.
The senate has adopted the join
resolution for an amendment to thu
constitution permitting the enactmen
Of legislation to create port distrlct'
at Detroit and other lake points, II
anticipation of the lakes-to-oceal
waterway program going through AM
making Detroit a seaport. The nous
stil, has to act upon this resolution
before II is certain that 1t Will D.
s,huitted to the people next year.
ASK $1,000 SALARY.
The proposed amendment TO TN
constitution to pay members OF TN
Ieg,s,ature $1,000 for the session In
stead of the present $500 was adopted
NV vote of 70 to "a after having beef
defeated and tabled twice. 1t requir
cd a two.thirds vote to pass. II tn
senate acts favorably on the resolu
ton Il will be submitted the peopl
at the election in November OF mex
year along with the amendment I
limit legislative sessions to one hur
dred days. go,
Efforts to get the Strauch bill o.
the table in the house have failed.
nroposes a tax Of five per cent on tn
GROSS earnings Of motor trucks opel
ating for profit. Also on the nous
table is the proposed resolution
nermit the state administrative boar
20 dispose of in legal ways the stoc
Of liquor in possession of the foo
and drug department. Speaker Wa
ner ruled that this matter could nc
he disposed of by means OF resol'
ton. as it involved a change In tn
liquor laws. 49, ,,,.
Another liquor measure, the Hick
hill designed to patch up the preser
law 70 take care Of the situatio
caused by the supreme court holdin
the search and seizure section uncoi
stitutional has passed the senate a
ter much debate on whether or not
alls the constitutional requirement
laid down by the supreme court in II
decision.