466 



MICHIGAN. 



"Our conclusions, therefore, are: First, the 

 petition is properly brought into court by the 

 relator ; second, the court has jurisdiction in the 

 matter ; third, the apportionment acts of 1891 

 and 1885 are unconstitutional and void ; fourth, 

 the writ of mandamus must issue restraining the 

 respondent from issuing the notice of election 

 under the act of 1891, and directing him to issue 

 the notice under the act of 1881, unless the Ex- 

 ecutive of the State shall call a special session of 

 the Legislature to make a new apportionment 

 before the time expires for giving such notice. 

 No costs will be allowed." 



A similar decision was given in the case 

 brought to test the constitutionality of the re- 

 apportionment of representative districts. The 

 acts of 1891 and 1885 were held to be unconsti- 

 tutional and void, and the conclusion was : " An 

 examination of the apportionment act of 1881 

 shows it to have been within the constitutional 

 discretion of the Legislature, and therefore the 

 Secretary of State must give his notices under 

 that law, unless a new and valid apportionment 

 shall be made by the Legislature." 



In view of these decisions, rendered July 28, 

 the Governor convened the Legislature in special 

 session Aug. 5, for the purpose of making a new 

 apportionment, and transacting such other busi- 

 ness as might come before it. The business 

 was concluded Aug. 6, and adjournment taken 

 Aug. 8. New apportionment bills were passed, 

 giving the same number of districts as did the 

 act of the previous session, namely. 32 senatorial 

 and 100 representative districts. The Governor 

 sent a message submitting the question of the 

 appointment of a commission to investigate and 

 report at the next session of the Legislature as to 

 the best plan of legislation looking to the im- 

 provement of the highways of the State, and also 

 as to the advisability of employing convict labor 

 in the construction of country roads. A resolu- 

 tion was passed authorizing the Governor to ap- 

 point such a commission, which should serve 

 without pay except for necessary expenses. 



In the report of this commission, made later 

 in the year, the opinion was expressed that no 

 valid legislation can be enacted under the 

 present Constitution which would result in good 

 roads ; and an amendment to the Constitution 

 was suggested in order to enable the Legislature 

 to put in operation a general system of road im- 

 provement. 



Political. The People's party of the State 

 was organized at a conference for the political 

 federations of the labor organizations, held at 

 Lansing, Dec. 29, 1891. The platform approved 

 the following propositions : That national banks 

 as banks of issue should be abolished ; that the 

 Government should issue a full legal tender cur- 

 rency direct to the people based upon land or its 

 products, and at a tax not to exceed 2 per cent, 

 per annum ; that the amount of the circulating 

 medium should be increased to not less than $50 

 per capita. It advocated the free and unlimited 

 coinage of silver ; the abolition of all monop- 

 olies, trusts, and combines, and the most rigid 

 State and national control of all corporations in 

 the interests of the people, and Government 

 ownership of all railroads, express, telephone, 

 and telegraph companies that can not be so con- 

 trolled, and the repurchase of lands held by 



foreign syndicates. It declared that all lands 

 held by grant to railroads and other corporations 

 in excess of such as is actually used and needed 

 by them, be reclaimed by the Government and 

 held for actual settlers only; that one industry 

 should not be built up a* the expense of another, 

 and that all revenues should be limited to the 

 necessary expenses of the State or nation, 

 honestly and economically administered, and 

 that all duties on the necessaries of life should 

 be abolished. It called f9r the surpression of the 

 liquor traffic for beverage purposes ; a graduated 

 income tax; a demand for universal suf- 

 frage and equal pay for equal service, and 

 demanded that all " under the age of six- 

 teen be removed from the treadmill to the 

 schoolroom ; and all old soldiers and sailors 

 receive a per diem pension. The resolution on 

 the liquor traffic, which was adopted by a vote 

 of 109 to 47, was due to the Prohibition dele- 

 gates. Their party was expected to act with 

 the People's party, but afterward refused to be 

 committed until after the action of the St. 

 Louis convention. 



The Prohibitionists met in convention at 

 Owosso, Aug. 10, and nominated a State ticket 

 as follows : For Governor, Rev. John Russell ; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, E. L. Brewer ; Secretary of 

 State, George R. M alone. 



The People's party met in Lansing, June 16, to 

 elect delegates to the Omaha convention. The 

 resolutions declared strongly against fusion, and 

 demanded that the delegates sent to Omaha be 

 only such as had fully severed their connection 

 with any other party. 



The State ticket was nominated at a conven- 

 tion held at Jackson, Aug. 2. The resolutions 

 demanded the absolute and continued separa- 

 tion of church and state; that there shall be 

 no appropriation of either State or municipal 

 funds or property to any religions, sectarian, or 

 religio-politico institutions ; that all schools for 

 the general education of the young shall be un- 

 der the supervision and inspection of the State ; 

 they denounced that "band of mercenaries 

 known as the Pinkertons, and the system of em- 

 ploying convicts in our penal institutions in any 

 industry that enters into competition with free 

 labor, believing that our convict labor should be 

 employed in improving our public highways ; that 

 all manufactured articles should bear the name 

 of the manufacturer and the destroying, defac- 

 ing, or covering up in any way of the name of the 

 manufacturer should be deemed a misdemeanor." 



Other resolutions were, that all election days 

 be made legal holidays; that mine inspectors 

 should be elected by the people, instead of by the 

 board of supervisors, who now are controlled by 

 the mining corporations ; that all lands sold for 

 delinquent taxes should be purchased by the 

 State, the title after a reasonable time, if not re- 

 deemed, to become absolute, and be held for ac- 

 tual settlers in limited quantities; that the peo- 

 ple should have the right to propose Jaws and to 

 vote upon all legislative measures of importance ; 

 in favor of equal, suffrage within educational 

 qualifications, and opposed to all monopolistic 

 trusts and combines of whatever nature they 

 may be ; and in all cases of difficulty between 

 employers and employees in favor of submission 

 to arbitration. 



