The Michigan Statesmen

LANSING, Miei., Jau. S.- The house was organized yesterday by the election of Phil B. Wachtel, of Petoskey, as speaker and Lyman A. Brant, of Detroit, clerk. In the senate Chauncey Wisner, of Saginaw, was elected president pro tem. and A. J. Murphy, of Detroit, secretary. Both houses adjourned after the work of organization had been completed. IiANSING, Mich. , Jan. 9 -The legislatura met in joint convention yesterday, and listened to Governor Winans' inaugural message. Governor Winans recommended that the fifteen ex-officio and thirty official state boards with over 100 members and a long list of secretarles and clerks should be wiped out, and in their place the management of the state institutions should be placed in the hands of four or five general boards, non-partisan so far as possible. He also urged the abolition of the state board of health, of the game wardenship, the state board of corrections and charities, and the insurance eommissiou. He favored the California system of taxing mortgages on real estáte, and urged a reduction in taxation, except in the cases of corporations. In bis farewell message Governor Luce announces that the bouded indebtedness of the state has been entirely wiped out. LANSING, Mich., Jan. 10.- Representativo Miner has given notice of a bilí providing for the election of presidential electora by congressional districts, instead of as now by the total vote of the state. Lansing, Mich., Jan. 14.- Bills were introduced in the senate to abolish the state board of health, the board of corrections and charities, the state weather service, and the office of state game warden. In the house a bilí was introduced making it a penal offeuse for a member to accept a railroad pass. The bilí provides that any Corporation offering a pass to a member of the legislatura, state officer or judge of a court of record shall be fined not less than $1,000 or more than 810,000. The recipiënt of the pass may be fined a like amount or imprisoned for from six months to one year, or punished by both fine and imprisonment, at the discretion of the court.