The question being on receiving the amendments, The amendments were received, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor. The amendments were then adopted. The question being on the passage of the bill, The bill was then passed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: House bill No. 250 (file No. 255), entitled A bill to amend section 1 of Act No. 112 of the Public Acts of 1885, entitled "An act to secure the minority of stockholders in corporations organized under general laws, the power of electing a representative membership in boards of directors," the same being section 8553 of the Compiled Laws of 1897, as amended by Act No. 223 of the Public Acts of 1903, as amended by Act No. 61 of the Public Acts of 1905, and as amended by Act No. 141 of the Public Acts of 1907; Was read a third time and passed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: House bill No. 254 (file No. 117), entitled A bill to amend sections 32 and 33 of Act No. 113 of the Public Acts of 1877, entitled "An act to revise the laws providing for the incorporation of companies for mining, smelting or manufacturing iron, copper, silver, mineral coal and other ores or minerals, and to fix the duties and liabilities of such corporations," as amended, being sections 7022 and 7023 of the Compiled Laws of 1897, as amended by Act No. 33 of the Public Acts of 1903; Was read a third time and passed, a majority of the Senators elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: House bill No. 447 (file No. 270), entitled A bill to provide for the inspection of certain meats and meat products; for the appointment of local inspectors; to fix their term of office, duties and compensation; and to provide a penalty for violations of this act; Was read a third time, and pending the taking of the vote on the passage thereof, Mr. Conley moved that the bill be laid on the table. The motion prevailed. House bill No. 580 (file No. 364), entitled A bill to amend section 13 of Act No. 285 of the Public Acts of 1909, entitled "An act to provide for the creation of a department of labor; to prescribe its powers and duties; to regulate the employment of labor; to make an appropriation for the maintenance of such department; and to prescribe penalties for the violation of this act," approved June 2, 1909; relative to penalty for violation of said section; Was read a third time, and pending the taking of the vote on the passage thereof, Mr. Miller moved to amend the bill as follows: By striking out of line 19 of section 13 the words "or any member of any school board." The question being on receiving the amendment, The amendment was not received, a majority of the Senators-elect not voting therefor. The question being on the passage of the bill, The bill was then passed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: House bill No. 312 (file No. 156), entitled A bill relative to deposits of fire, life and casualty insurance companies with the State Treasurer; Was read a third time and passed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: House bill No. 513 (file No. 227), entitled A bill to require mutual fire, tornado and hail insurance companies to file in the office of the Commissioner of Insurance lists of their authorized agents in this State, and to provide a penalty for violation thereof; Was read a third time and passed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor, by yeas and nays, as follows: Unanimous consent being obtained, Mr. Miller moved to take from the table A bill to repeal Act No. 246 of the Public Acts of 1895, entitled "An act to establish a permanent State weather service in this State, co-operating with the weather bureau, United States department of agriculture, for the purpose of the collection and compilation of climatic and meteorologic data, the accurate and rapid dissemination of daily weather fore casts, also frost and cold wave warnings and weather crop conditions; the same to be used for the benefit of the agricultural, commercial and scientific interests of the State, and making an appropriation therefor," as amended by Act No. 103 of the Public Acts of 1899. The motion prevailed. After debate, Mr. Mapes moved that the further consideration of the bill be indefinitely postponed. The motion prevailed, a majority of the Senators-elect voting therefor. By unanimous consent the Senate returned to the order of COMMUNICATIONS FROM STATE OFFICERS. The President laid before the Senate the following communication: To the President of the Senate: Sir: In view of recent published statements, connecting the Railroad Commission and Senator James with proceedings regarding the presentation of the bill known as the James bill to the Senate, and attempt. ing to secure its passage, we are pleased to make the following statement, believing that the people, who the Commission seeks to serve as best it may, have a right to all information regarding the actions of its servants: It is the custom of the several departments of State to have drafted such measures for presentation to the Legislature as the work of the department evidences the need of, whether it be in the form of new or amended laws, and as no bill can be presented to either House or Senate, except by a member, to hand such bills to some member for presentation as a department bill. It is also customary for parties who desire to present bills, in which any department of State may be interested, to consult freely with such department when the bills are being prepared, and the Commission acknowledge this courtesy has been shown it in a marked degree by the members of the present Legislature, and the Commission have taken pleasure in working for and with such members of the Legislature in the preparation of their bills. The Commission being practically a new department, and having additional duties and responsibilities placed upon it by each Legislature. it is no doubt true, there were more bills presented in the present Legislature in which this department was interested than was by any other of the older departments. When these bills reach the proper committee, in House or Senate, it is customary for the department to be asked to appear before such committee and explain any portion of such bill, whether it be one presented for the department or otherwise. The celebrated. James bill, which proposed to confer upon the Railroad Commission additional jurisdiction over electric railways, came to the office of the Commission by the hand of an employe, who placed a copy on the chairman's desk, who read a portion of the bill, and not having time to examine it further, asked the employe what its general purport was, after which the chairman replied, "There may be some good things in that bill, but if you take it over to the Senate, it must be understood that it is not a department measure, and to be right about it, you better hand it to the Chairman of the Railroad Committee, who is a second termer, a good lawyer, and absolutely square, and if the bill is not all right, he will tell you so." It appears that when this gentleman reached the Senate, where he was a stranger to nearly all the members, he found the Chairman of the Railroad Committee busy in committee work, and was then introduced to another member, who proved to be Senator James. The following day the Chairman of the Railroad Commission was called by 'phone and asked, "Is the bill presented to Senator James yesterday a department bill, and does the Commission O. K. it? If it does, it can be passed easily." And in reply, the Chairman stated, "No, sir, it is not a department bill, and the Commission does not vouch for it, are not interested in it, and have not even read it." The party making the inquiry said "Senator James wants to know," but the Senator advises the Commission he did not do the telephoning. The following day the Chairman of the Commission was, upon request, before the Railroad Committee of the Senate, in company with Honorable John J. Carton and the Chairman of the Railroad Committee of the House, discussing several proposed amendments to the railroad and express bill, then before the committee. At the close of this discussion the Chairman of the Senate Committee asked, “What have the Commission to say as to the James bill, which, among other bills, is before the Senate for consideration?" Chairman Glasgow replied, "We know very little about that bill. It has not been considered by the Commission, and I desire here, to have it understood, that it is not a department measure, and while it may have some merit, would probably need careful consideration, and possibly, amendments." After Senator Miller, of the committee, had explained the bill fully, Chairman Glasgow added, "If that is the purpose of the bill, in my judgment, it would be unwise for the committee to report it favorably or the Legislature to pass it, without giving the people of the cities affected thereby an opportunity to be heard." The motion was then made and carried, that it be not reported out. Senator James, it was stated, had not appeared before the committee in its behalf. The Commission, nor any member thereof, ever vouched for the bill or urged its passage. The bill had not been considered by the Commission, two of the members not having seen it. We have no definite knowledge as to the statements claimed to have been made by Mr. Darwin, but will obtain the same upon his return to the office, but can assert positively, that the bill was not prepared by the department, or with the Commission's knowledge or consent, and we have no definite information where or by whom drafted. As to its merits, it is still claimed, by good legal and legislative authority, that there was no "joker" (whatever that may mean), as was claimed in the bill, and that it is a good bill and all right, but simply represents one phase of the big street car fight in Detroit. We are pleased herewith to offer a voluntary statement, furnished the Commission by the Railroad Committee of the Senate, which we feel fully disproves the assertion that Senator James, the Railroad Commission or its Chairman were in any unusual or irregular manner connected with the bill or its presentation. The Chairman of the Commission is free to state that he, personally, believes the time is not far distant, when a bill will be passed by the Legislature, which, while it may not take from cities their right to grant franchises and their protection thereunder, will grant to some disinterested board a larger measure of authority over the operation and regulation of street and interurban railways, and thereby increase their efficiency, and relieve them from the burden of complying with varying local political conditions. Dic. G. K. MICHIGAN RAILROAD COMMISSION, Chairman. Statement made by the Senate Railroad Committee: "The James bill, relative to putting interurban railroads under the supervision of the State Railroad Commission, came up before the Senate Committee on Railroads on Tuesday, April 11, 1911, Mr. Glasgow, Chair |