Farmer's Clubs Convention

On Dec. 7 and 8 thereis tobean annual meeting of Farmers Clubs at Lensing. The following declaration of principies has been seat to each club throughoul the state with a requesl that all delefrates come instructed to act upon eacb one : First- That all county officials be paid in full for their respective services by stated salaries flxed by the respective boards of supervisors, and that I be made a criminal offence fórsueh officials tn receive any lees or other perquisites in addition to their salarii s. l'nrther, that iees uollected in county offices be re-adjnsted on an epuihtble basis, and that hereafter all such fees be turued into the county treasnrer and become apart of the general fund. Secoiul- That nonew state institntions be established by the next legislaturé, and that there be a general weedtng out of the unprotitable state institntions already in existence, and of unbusinesslike inethods of management whenever they exist. Third - That Michigan prisons should, in the aggregate, be made self-supporting. Fourth - That provisions be made whereby the estates of the insane or tbose parties lejjally responsible for their support, shall contribute either in full or in part as the cireumstance shall warrant, toward the maintainance of said insane when confined in the public asylums. Fifth - That no more than the regular one-sixth mili tax be granted to the University for the coming two years. Sixth - That no change be made in our road laws whereby tlie maintenance of our roads shall be made more burdensome than at present. Seventli - That a more economjcal and effective system for the collection of taxes upon non-resident land must be devised. Eight - That our tax system be so amended as to secure a more equitable distributiou of the burdens of taxation upon both personal property and real estáte, and upon both coporate and private capital. Some of the above are wise, some unwise. The flrst one, for instance is not wise. The register of deeds should be paid by fees alone as he is at present. People who buy and sell property should pay for the recording of deeds, and those who lend money should pay for recording or discharging of their mortgages. There is no good resaon why John Smith of Lyndon for instance, should be taxed for recording the mortgages and deeds of Thos. Jones, capitalist, of Ypsilanti, or of any other place. To make the office of register of deeds a tax upon the property öwners of the wbole county would be rank injustice. The same thing is applicable to the county clerk's office. There is no justice in compelling one man to pay for the law suits of another. The farmers have false ideas, also about the amount of money realized by these officials. In the probate office, if fees are to be entirely done away with, then pay the judge and bis register a salary that is in keeping with their work. A salary of $600 per year for a probate register in such a county as this is nothing more nor less than a farce. Then another thing our farmers should remen) ber, that uuless it is to some one's advantage to collect these fres they will go uucollected. In wliich case the officer would get nis salary and the people would be taxed to pay it, thus making the burden far greater than it is today. The present system compels the people who are interested to pay. The proposed system taxes you and I for the benefit of our neighbors. We submit to any fair minded man, if that would not be unjust. With the second proposition the Courier is in fiill accord. This paper has for years deprecated the establishment of new state institutions, and firmly believes that there are some in existence which do not accomplish sufficient good to pay for their maintenance. Of that the people must be the proper judge. If any state institution is run upon loose or unbusiness like methods, then certainly a change should be at once effected. With the third paragraph this paper also agrêes, and some fifteen years a_'o, when the labor unions were protesting against competing with prison labor, a suggestion was made that will yet be followed, viz : that our p ison labor should be put to vvoik on our roads. Good roads, yes even decent roads, is the crying necessity of the day, and here is a means by which they can be scured. Let our prisoners be put to work upon the highways, by preparing stone, etc, and they will come in competition with no other laborers, and at the same time be rendering a public service that would be of inestimable valué. The plan is perfectly feasible. All that is needed is a head to carry it into effect. The fourth would require very little change in the law, and yet there ím a question in some cases whSther it might not be better for the public to take care of the one than to take care of a whole family that would be necessary should the property be taken for that purpose. As to the fifth proposition, the Cour-, ier would be inclined to favor it, were it not for the fact that the reduction of tlie valuation of the state reduces the income so that it will cripple tlie Univer sity in its work. With al] tlie great colleges of the natiou forging ahead, tlie people of Michigan can not arfbrd to allow their schools to deteriórate. ís that not so? The sixth proposition can be made all right by a proper management of our prisons. How to effect the seventh is a question to be solved by our lawyeís, and there are some excellent ones who will be in the next legislature. The eighth is a corker. It has puzzled law makers since civilization began. The man with wealth who has the inclination to do so - not all have it - will find some way to sueak out of his just proportion of the public burden. If any one can evolve a plan to right this wrong he will be known and honored to all the world for all time. Then allow us to suggest to the farmers another leak that can be stopped. That is the printing of the almost endless number of useless public documents, and their distribution throughout the state. A year or so ago the clerk of this county burned or destroyed tons of these books, and since that time tons more have accumulated, which are of no earthly good to a living soul. And all cost rnoney. The farmers can do something to remedy this waste by united action.