Ready For Business

Lansing, Mich., Jan. 12.- The legislature is now squared away and ready for business. The messages of the retiring and incoming governors have been read and digested, the coramittees have all been appointed, and nothing now stands in the way of the transaction of the business which the lawmakers are here to perforra. One of the most important departures made by the house, and one which it ís generally expected will be productive of excellent results, is the appointment of a standing committee of ten whose duty it is to provide-for the general weeding out of obsolete laws and so arrange those still in forcé so that they will be readily understood. As Speaker Gordon well said in his timely address upon taking the chair, many of the isting laws have been so loaded down with amendments that even j plished lawyers have the utmost j culty to understand just what the law j is, while the layman is utterly at sea on the subject. This new committee' will, however, have other and fully as important duties to perform, for the resolution under which it was appointed imposes upon it the task of practically passing upon the advisability of enacting into laws the bilis which will be introduced during the flrst fifty days of the session. While the members of the house may not generally understand it to be the case, yet the tion contemplates that every bilí íntroduced shall be carefully scanned by this committee whose judgment will have much to do with its fate. The committee is, in fact, a "steering" committee, the principal business of which will be to steer to the front such proposed legislation as, in its judgment, should become laws, and steer to the rear all other bilis. These are the days when much is read and heard of what legislation the various members are going to propose. It has always been so, but the fact remains that most of this information is unreliable. tvhen the average new legislator reaches Lansing he brings with him a lot of startling ideas in the way of desired legislation of which he rids himself very soon after being here a short time and his plans to the criticism of some of his more experienced colleagues. There is no doubt that the schemes embodied in Governor Pineree's legislative programme, such as 2-cent railroad passenger fares, the prohibition of the ' consolidation of steam or street car companies, the prevention of stock watering, laws against trusts and combines, the abolition of political primaries, etc., will all soon appear in the shape of bilis, but none of the latter have yet been drafted, so that their exact provisions cannot be stated. Whatever might be said of them at this time in other than a most general way would be mere speculaticn. The faot is becoming more evident as the attitude of the various legislators developes that the oft heard of Pingree and anti-Pingree feeling will be no more prominent than the Rich and antiRich or the Luce and anti-Luce feeling has been in previous legislatures. In other worcls, there is every reason for believing that the relations between the present governor and the legislature will be In every way similar to those which have always existed between the governors and legislatures of this state. It is confidently predicted that there will be no considerable opposition to any measure because it may be championed by the governor. Neither is it believed that the governor will be hostile to any measure simply because some one ivhom he may not love very well introduced it. It is becoming more apparent every day that each bill will be disposed of on its merits, and that the legislative and executive departments oí the state government will I work together with fully as much harmony as in previous years. The conference of the state eommlttees of the several parties constituting the Democratic-People's-Union Silver party of Michigan, which was held here last week, paved the way for the introduction of one of the most interesting bits of legislation that is likely to be considered this winter. That conference was attended by many silverites, aslde from the members of the three state committees, fully 250 persons from various section of the state being present. The proposed legislation referred to will result from the adoption by the conference of a resolution favoring the enaetment of a law providing for a specific state tax on incomes, the proceeds to be used, as provided by the constitution in the case of all income taxes, in paying the expense of maintaining the primary school system. The unanimity and enthusiasm with which the resolution, which was proposed by Chairman Fred A. Baker of the Democratic state eommittee, was adopttd, leaves no doubt that the proposition will be embodied into a bill and vigorously pushed before the legislature. It is proposed to levy a 2-per cent. tax on incomes of $1,500 and over. It may be more or less significant that the resolution introduced by ex-State Senator Samuel W. Hopkins of Mt. Pleasant, commending the message of Governor Pingree and the stand taken by him for the rights of the people, was voted down. The representatives of the State Sportsmen's association are early in the field with several amendments to the existing game laws, which they will ask the legislature to ratify. One of their principal objects is to dispose of the market hunter who annually raises such havoc with game of every deBCliptlon, threatening even to. wipe out some kinds of game entirely. The bill designed to accomplish this object wil! absolutely prohiblt the sale or giving away of game of any and every deseription. At present this prohibition extends only to quail and partridge, the idea being that when a man can be prosecuted for selling or giving away such game there will be no object for him to kill any more than he has perenal use for. and needed protection Will thus be given. The open session to be asked for are as follows: For fox, black or gray squirrels and rabbits, Oct. 1 io Pee. 81; wild turkey. Nov. 1 to Dec. 1; wjld duck, wild goose, brant or wateriowl, snipe, woodcock, plover, mourning dove and wild pigeon, Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. The other provisions of the existing laws are retained. It is expected that the subject will, as usual, occupy much of the legislature's time and precipítate a fight of somewhat extensive proportions. No doubt an effort will be made to prohibit spring duck shooting, a provisión which has thus far been successfully combattod. There is considerable ppeculauon as to what place the lobbyists will have this session. Representative Edgar introduced a rcsolution calling for the ! rigid enforcement of the rule excluding all but certain officials f rom the floor oí the house, and the chances are that the resolution, which is now in the hands of the committee on rules, will be reported favorably and adopted. It is clearly designed to give a blow to lobbyists who have heretofore been perrriitted to mingle freely with the reprsentatives while the house was in session. Then, too, the suggestion made by Governor Pingree in his message that lobbyists be licensed and restricted in their operations, was warmly applauded. Taken together these facts would seem to indícate that the lobbyists will experience something of a frost this winter. The agitation forbetter roads in Michigan resulted in the organization of a state good roads association in this city a few months ago. Since its tion very little has been heard from the association, but a meeting will be held here Friday for the purpose of agreeing upon legislation which will tend to promote the construction of better roads in Michigan. No regular programme for the session has been prepared, but Hon. William L. Webber of Saginaw, who represented this state at the good roads congress at Atlanta last year, will preside. Mr. Webber has devoted much :ime and thought to this question which he believes of paramount importance. Two years ago the doctors of the state secured the passage of just such a medical registration bilí as they thought they desired, but when it reached the governor after the legislature adjourned and too late to have it amended, it was discovered that it contained fatal defects and Governor Rich was obliged to defeat it. The doctors propose to be early in the field this year, and have already drafted a bilí whlch is the same as that of two years ago in the main, but from which all of the objectionable and unconstitutional features of the old bill have been eliminated. The new measure provides for the appointment by the governor of a board of registration, to consist of nine members representing the different schools of medicine. With this board all doctors will he required to register. Doctors already in practice will be permitted to simply register with the board upon payment of a fee of $1. Certificates of registration in another state will be accepted here, and new doctors will be permitted to practice upon either passing an examination before the board, or filing a diploma issued by a recognized medical college having at least a four years' course. About the only point which yet remains to be decided is the number of representatives each of the several schools f medicine is to have on the board. The supreme court has already decided that it would be unconstitutional to provide that so many shall be of one school, so many of another, etc, and the committee in charge of the preparation of the bilí are not a little puzzled how to get around this fact and still fix things so that it will be impossible for any one school to manipúlate matters that it will secure a majority of the members of the board, and thus be in shape to work affairs in its interest. It is constitutional to provide that no more than a certain number shall be of the same school, but such a provisión would not confine the representation to the exact number named, and that is what the committee desires to do. As intimated above the measure does not contémplate that physicians now in practice in the state shall be required to pass an examination iefore the board, but only those who desire to practice and -who have never been granted a diploma by a reputable college, or who cannot show a certifícate from another state. The committee which prepared the bill is made up of representatives of all the schools, and the members are agreed that it is free from all objectionable features. The traveling library system, which was provided for by the last legislature, has proved to be very popular, the librarían being quite unable fo meet the demand upon her because sufficient money was not appropriated to meet the rapid growth of the scheme. Already a number of applieations are on file awaiting the contemplated action of the present legislature in increasing the appropriation so that the wants of the people may be supplied. Representative Atkinson has announced nis intention of introducing a free public bill, which will embrace the salient features of circulating libraries in other states. The measure will provide for the appointment of a state library comrnlssion to act in conjunction with the superintendent of public instruction for the purpose of encouraging the establishment of free public libraries in the cities and villages of the states, and will provide for an appropriation of $100 each as a nucleus with which to establish such libraries. This bill, if it becomes a law, will not interfere in any way with the traveling library system, that belng taken advantage of principally by citizens of the rural districts to whom they have proved a great benefit. Some changes may be made in the arrangement of the upper península counties. At present Isle Royale county is disorganized, its records being in possession of the auditor general. In view of the contemplated resumption of mining operations on the island it is proposed to attach it to Ke weena w county. There is also a movement on foot to induce the legislature to organize a new county from the townships of Ewen, Matchwood, Port, Trout Creek and Choate in Ontonagon county, Marinesco and Watersmeet in Gogebic, and Laird and Duncan in Houghton. These are all lumber towns, but some of them are attached to copper and others to iron counties. Duncan and Iaird townships are located 100 miles from the county seat. The plan bids fair to encounter considerable opposition.