Michigan Law Makers

The charges against the Coldwater school f they effected nothing else here at least induced some lively debate, which, however, was conducted without acrimony. Senator Ilubbell, the ounipresent, expressed a belief that the seríate made a great mistake in refusiog to investígate the charges against the management of the school. The board exoluded the public pres;, the natural outcome of whicb would be a stirring up of dry bones by the state press. "They will charge," said the senator, "there is something rotten about (the school. There have been telegrams Teceived here asking that this investigaïion be hushed up. Now, the best way to disarni the press is by giving them the truth." Senator Babcock aided Senator Hubbell. Both men stood up for full, open and fair investigations. Senator Westgate championed the other side, and Senators Sharp, Palmer and Gorman assisted him in his endeavor to stop the stench by concealing it from public ken. It is pretty certain there will be no legislative investigaüon. The liquor traffic still hol ds the boards as a leading attrao'.ion, but no decisión faas been reached. There are too many iverse opinions to permit of a speedy settlement, though it is quite certain that out of the existing chaos of ideas some practicable plan will be evolved for the better regulation of the traffic. I often wonder, and I expect others do as well, why so mucn time and attention is given ;o formulating new laws and so little to providing efficiënt machinery for giving the law force and effect It will matter little whether the coming hquor law be . high license, local option or prohibition, if as feebly administered as the present law 1has been. Capt. Manly's text book bill is dead and buried. The obsequies were very impresaive. Capt. Manly labored hard, early and late to keep the vital spark ehained to the body of his bill, but it flew up the flae in flight It was his hobby, this text book bill. All day long it absorbed his thoug'it ; when he laid him down at night to woo "tir'd nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," it was present in his mind; when wrapped in the aras of Morpheus he would roll over and murmur, " it's bright emile haunts me still; "and in his waking moments, when young Aurora bounced the drowsy god, and his mind, tired of its visionary picnic in the Olympian heights of fame, reverted to the material world below, the very first number on the bill of fare was the text book bilL Now he is rid of it, and he feels better. He takes his defeat philosophically, and, as he is a good f ellow generally, no one attempts to stir up the old man Adam in his bosom. The house public lands committee are considering Mr. Hosford's bill to carry out the provisión of the constitution providing that corporations shall not hold land more than 10 years. According to the piovisions of the bill the lands unused at the end of the ten years are to be soli at auction by the state. Of course the railroads are kicking like fury, and a variety ef eminent railroad attorneys are doing their level be3t to defeat the bilL Mr" Hosford says it is hard to obtain statistics concerning the land so held, but he found 3,000,000 acres worth about $20,000,000. The arguments against the bill are that the railroads at least have oot violated the constitution, which contemplates only corporations that have held their land from tnarket, and that forcing so much land on sale would be dnastrous to values. But this matter is not all the railroad fellows have to keep them buey at Lansing. The house committee reported favorably on bilis to amend the law relative to automatic car couplers ; providing for fire extinguishers on all passenger trains; requiring all car heads to be placed at uniform high t from the rails ; to provide for damages by corporations for loss ot life by reason of carelessness or neglect of the Corporation or their employés ; to amend the act relativa to railroad fences ; and to provide for the better protection of tne lives of passengers and employees. Then there is the two cents per mile fare scheme, and variom others, which are making the railroad people " hump themselves. " Representativa Baumgardner's bill "to prohibit the use of stoven in passenger cara," was reported adversely, but was ordered printed and placed on the general order. Both houses have passed a bill that will greatly aid metnbers in keeping on the right aide of their constituent?. It amends the bill relative to the publication and distribation of the Legislative Manual so as to take 700 of the 900 now placedon eale by the secretary of state and allow them to be distribated by the legislature. They aleo amended the resolution for 1,500 additional copies so as to place them, too, in the hands of the legislature, thus giving the members 2,200 more copies than usual with which to satisty the demands ol those of their constituents who desire this really valuable boot Up to the present the governor and the members have dwelt together in unity, but now the black bird of illomen is perched on the capítol dome. The governor vetoed the Marine City charter bill, for reasons doubtless that appeared to him just and proper, and the senate went to wórk and passed the bill over his veto. The house however, is disposed to go ahead more cautiously. When the bill reached that body it was tabled and a committee of five ordered to go to Marine City and look up the fact and report to the house before further action is taken on the bilL The committee will be appointed and the search for bot torn facts eventuate at once. And I notice the state papers are not entirely satisfied with the governor's other veio - that knocking out the bill providing for the publication of the proceedings of boards of supervisors in county papers. The governor is keeping a scrap book containing the comments of the state press on his veto of this bill. Senator "Jock" Babcock did a good thing when he introduced a resolution instructing the state printers to print from time to time, in the order of their approval by the governor, all acts of the present legislature of a public nature which are ordered to take immediate effect, and insert the same in the Legifslative Journal in the form of a supplemental sheet, and that the secretary of state be required to furnish the state printers with certified copie6 of such acts. The resolution was adopted. The senate retused to pass Senator Hubbell'8 bill providing for cumuiative voting for representatives in districts where there are more than two, by a vote of yeas 11, nays 16. Senator O'Reilley declared himself decidedly opposed to allowing 1,000 voters in Detroit to combine and cast 7,000 votes tor any one candidate. The bill is an exact counterpart of one now in force in Illinois, where it is said to give excellent satisfaction. It was reconsidered and tabled. The constitutional provisión limiting the introduction of bilis to the first fifty days of a fession was declared nuil and void. The house dodged this provisión by taking a bill requiricg patent right deeds to be registered in each county before being offered for sale, and gettmg the bill in relütion to fire ordinances in Iinlay City reported as a substitute, and then passing the subttitute without a single "no" vote. After tossing up and down and back and forth Mr. VVatson's woman suffrage bill the house finally slugged it to death by a vote of 50 to 33. The ladies and Mr. Watson are profoundly grieved. However, Mr. W. was made the recipiënt of a bandsome floral tribute from the ladies at Greenville. The bill making an appropriation for the deaf and dumb school has passed the house. For 1887 $77,981 was allowed ; for 1888 $52,500. Lansing, April 19, 1887.