State News Notes

Lansing. Mich., May 7.- The senate railroad committee has recommended a bilí which provides for an increase of nearlj Í-'OO.OOO annually in the specific tax paid by railroad companles. The eompanle? now pay 2 per cent, on the flrst $2,000 of the gross earnings of the roads per nulo, 2!2 per cent, on the second $2,000, 3 per cpnt. on the third $2.000 SV2 per cent on the fourth $2,000 and 4 per cent, on all over $8,000. The bul provides for an increase of 1 per cent, in all classes except the flrst and last, which are increased one-half of 1 per cent. Lansing, Mu-h., May 8.- Three important Ufe insurance bilis were put to death through the agency of adverse committee reporta in the senate. One required every company doing business in Michigan to have a resident director. Another required that at least 40 per cent. of the grosg premiums collected in Michigan be investetd in this state, and the third required that 2 per cent. of the giiarantet fund be deposited with the treasurer of this state as a guarantee for polioy-holders. The senate has also passed the bill increasing the specific tax rate paid by railroad companies so as to increase the annual revenue from this source by nearly $200,000. The vote was unanimous. The senate has fallen in line with the house and flxed May 31 as the time for final adjournment. Lansing, Mich. May 12.- Governor Pingree's threat to keep the legislature here all summer unless the members pass some of hls railroad bilis, has not had the effect evidently desired by the governor when he made it. Most of the members here say they will not be coerced into voting for any bill by the governor or any other power, and the general impression is that the threat has weakened rather than strengthened the bilis. The principal flght will be made for the bill making a flat 2-cent passenger fare on roads operating in the lower península, but there is not much hope that it will pass. REC1PROCITY WITH CANADA. Erastus Wlman Spcuks at a Banquet in Detroit, Detroit, Mich., May II.- Exchange hall of the Detroit chamber of commerce presented a brilliant scène Monday . night when the 250 members sat down at the second annual dinner of that organization. The special guests of the occasion were Eratus Wiman of New York and William Everett of Quincy, Mass., and the topics of all the speakers were along the lines of commercial enterprise and progress. Eratus Wiman responded to the topic "Better Relations wlth Canada." Among other things he said: "In the full view on both sides of a Tiorder line 4,000 miles long, of a depression unequaled in universality, severity and duration, the government on both -■sides are intently engaged in building higher than ever the tariff wall. They are thus destroying about the only chance there is of a revival of commerce or an outlet for product and manufactures. That the people of Canada are favorable to the closest relationship to this country is evidenced by the fact that lts new government has already ehown itself ready to meet overtures by whlch the two countries can pracücally te united. Annexation is unnecessary, undesirable and impossible. Canada is today more loyal to Great Britain than ever before. All that is needed now is to have the commercial sentiment of all the great cities express itself in favor of a better relatlon." B1BLE READING IS UNLAWFUL. Decisión That Banishes the Christian Religión froin the School. Detroit, May 10. - There wlll be no more "Bible readings" in the public schools oí Detroit unless the supreme court shall reverse a decisión made Saturday by Judge Carpenter In the Wayne county circuit court. The suit was brought by Conrad Pfeifer to compel the board of education to abandon the "readings." The "readings" were complied In Chicago and are said to be non-sectarlan, in the sense that no particular form of religión is favored. lts advocates claim it Is merely a text-book on morality. Acting Mayor George Beek vetoed a resolution of the board to purchase 4,000 of the "readings," but the veto was not sustained and the books are now In use. Counsel for the board contended that it was the duty of every school board to teach the Christian religión. Judge Carpenter held that if that contention were sound, not only should the Bible be taught, but all other forms of religious instructlon should be given in the schools. FOR THE SIXTH TIME. Michigan Wins Once More In the Oratorlcal Conte9t Ann Arbor, Mich., May 10.- Michigan ■won the seventh annual contest of the Northern Oratorical league Frlday nlght, Wisconsin, Chicago, Oberlln, lowa, and Northwestern finishing in the order named. The speakers and their orations were as follovvs: Michigan, Bayard H. Ames, subject, "Castelar;" Wisconsin, Robert Widl, subject, "The American Jingo;" University of Chicago, M. A. Gallagher, subject, "The New Social Spirit;" Oberlin, William L. Washington, subject, "Frederick Douglasg;" lowa, Harry W. Hanson, subject, "The Right of Revolution;" Northwestern, Samuel N. Fegtler, subject, "Keenan's Charge at Chancellorsville," This Is the sixth time Michigan haswon. The testimoniáis for the first and second men were presented by Fredinand W. Peck of Chicago, $100 to the first honor man, and $50 to the second. TWO DAMS CARRIED OUT. An Accident "Which Retareis Work on 11110 Kiver Drive. Henominee, Mich., May 12.- News has reached here that two dams on Pike ' river have been carried out by the high ■water and log jams and that the drive on that stream will be greatly retarded in consequence. The flrm of Ludington, "Wells & Van Schaick of this city, which has charge of the log driving, set a crew of men to work to repair one which was partly destroyed and also to rebuild the one which was carried away bodily. Tfce damage is about $6,000 i These are very essential to the suecessful driving oL the stream, and the work wlll be pushed through to completion as Foon as possible. At Stephenson, logging superintendent for the company, has left for the scène of_operations. lti nipt t Wrecka Building. Teeumfeh, Mich., May 10.- Anattempt was rsacie to wreek the office of Dr. F. P. Fcl with dynamite atabout 8 o'clock Friday evening. Dr. Febt and Captain Wilüam H. Hayden were at work when both were startled by the sound of falling glass. They rushed to the laboratory of the doctor and found upon the flccr a bomb with a splutteringfuse. Tie doctor, with rare courage, extinguished the fuse and hurled the bomb ourof an open window. The bomb was composed of a piece of gas pipe flfteen inehes long filled with dynamite, shot and pieces of scrap iron. Hrutal Prize Fight, Allegan, Mich., May 8.- The most brutal prize fight ever fought in western Michigan was pulled off early Friday rr.orning in a barn east of this city. Eddy Shannon of Detroit and Iew Agnew of Jersey City were the pugilists. There were 200 spectators. Three times the referee tried to .stop the fight, fearing that Shannon's punishment would prove fatal, but the men, who were dripping. with blood, kept at it to the forty-fifth round, when both feil from exhaustion. Shannon spralned his wrist in the twenty-fixth, but continued to fight like a fiend. Angelí Retaras to Aun Arbor. Ann Arbor, Mich., May 12.- President Angelí arrived from Washington Tuesday. He declined to gay anything about his instructions as minister to Turkey, or as to the situation there. Said he: "My appointment is for four years and i f I return here I shall have to resign the mission at the end of one year. The state department wishes me to go to Turkey as soon as possible," Received ï-'atal Iqjnrles. Sturgis, Mich., May 11. - Mrs. Cyrus Fillmore, widow oí the brother of exPresident Millard Fillmore, feil from the porch of her daughter's residence Sunday and died shortly after from concussion of the brain. She was the oldest resident of the town, being over 05 years of age and very wealthy. Suicide oí a Delroit Merchaiit. Detroit, May 11.- Herman Freund, a well-known merehant of Detroit, who established "The Fair" store on Monroe avenue, committed suicide Monday by taking poison. He was despondent over business difliculties. He leaves a family oL ttn children. Vetoed by Governor Pingree. Lansing, Mich., May 11.- Governor Pingree has vetoed the anti-cigaïette bilí, whieh makes boys under 17 years of age Hable to imprisonment for smoking cigarettes. The governor says H is parential, not state duty, to correct bad habits in children. Malt House at Detroit liii íihmI, Detroit, May 11. - The large malt house of Henry W. Kicket & Co. was destroyed by flre. It is estimated that $50,000 worth of malt was destroyed. The loss on building is $20,000; fully insured. Money for Michigan Schools. Lansing, Mich., May 11. - The semi-annual distribution of prlmary school interest money made by Superintendent of Public Instruction Hammond yesterdaydisposed of $376,733.16 among the several counties of the state. There are 697,654 children of school age in the state and the distribution is on a basis of 54 cents per capita. Sheep Disease in Michigan. Decatur, Mich., May 12. - A mysterious sheep disease has broken out In parts of southern Michigan, by whieh. many farmers have lost thelr entire flocks. Local veterinary surgeons are unable to successfully combat the epidemie. State Notes. Lewis Ransom Fiske, for twenty years president of Albion (Mlch.) college, has offered his resignation, to take effect when a suitable successor can be secured. Alonzo Smith accidentally shot and killed his 13-year-old sister at Wayland, Mich., while handling a gun supposed to be unloaded. Charles Walters committed suicide at Saginaw, Mich., by hanging a few hours after a building owned by him had burned. Mrs. J. H. Hills is president of the State bank at Crosswell, Mich., one of the directors of which is also a woman. The large malt house of Henry W. Rickett & Co. at Detroit was destroyed by flre. It is estimated that $50,000 worth of malt was destroyed. The loss on building is $20,000, fully insured. The president has nominated George A. Farr, to be collector of customs, district of Michigan, and James A. Coyne, to be surveyor of customs for the port of Grand Rapids, Mich. Three young children of Wllllam Donald, living near Hart, Mich., ate wild parsnip, causing the death of the youngest ehild. Nathan Bird, 35 years of age, commltted suïcide by hanging at the residence of her brother-ln-law, Joseph Strong, with whom he was living, near Cassopolis, Mich. Despondency caused by ill health was the cause. The body of Frederick Hartmann was found in the rlver at Carrollton, Mich. It bore evidence that he had tried to kill .himself with a knife before golng to the river. Fear of arrest for accidentally smashing a companion's bicycle led William Tompkins of Saugatuck, Mich., to commit suicide by hanging. The Feit Boot Manufacturing company at Grand Rapids, Mich., has a year's supply of wool on the way from Europe and figures thus on saving $40,000 before the new tariff goes into force. It has been decied to hold the next "SYisconsin state convention of the Young Woman's Christlan assoclation in Janesville in October, 1S97. The Warfield farm, three miles east of Muir, Mich., is to be transformed into a muskrat settlement. Mr. Warfield already has a colony of 350, and expects to have 2,000 by fall.