USA > Michigan > Michigan as a province, territory and state, the twenty-sixth member of the federal Union > Part 9
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senator, as minister to the court of Spain, as president of the great Columbian exposition, justified the high ex- pectations which his friends entertained respecting him
Among the important things done by the legislature at this session was the establishment of the Northern In- sane Asylum at Traverse City; the creation of a bureau of labor statistics, of which the governor appointed John W. McGrath as the first commissioner. A meas- ure which provoked a great deal of debate, both before and since its passage, was that which permitted minority stockholders in a business corporation to cumulate their votes so as to secure representation on the board of di- rectors. After extended debate through nearly the whole session, the measure finally passed. It was ve- toed, however, by Governor Begole, and thus received its quietus. It was brought up again in the legislature of 1885, passed again and was vetoed by Governor Al- ger. This time its friends were sufficiently strong to pass it over the veto of the governor. But the law nev- er had an opportunity to prove its worth, for its oppo- nents speedily made a test case, which, being taken be- fore the supreme court, resulted in its being wiped from the statute book as unconstitutional. Insurance com- panies came in for some attention. A stringent law was passed to prevent companies combining to fix a rate, and to protect companies which were disposed to act in- dependently. Yet, in spite of this law it was not long before astute agents found a way of doing things it was designed to prevent. The thing done by circum- locution and under another name often accomplishes the result in practice.
The labor element succeeded in enacting a law forbid- ding the employment of children under fourteen years of age. Coupled with this a law compelling school at- tendance for at least six months every year was an ad-
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vanced step in the interests of education. Now that the revenues of the primary school fund, derived from spe- cific taxes were sufficient to maintain schools in all dis- tricts, with little or no expense to the taxpayers of the district, there was no longer excuse for young children being out of school.
At the biennial election of 1884 Governor Begole was a candidate for re-election. He was defeated, how- ever, by Russell A. Alger, republican, by about four thousand plurality. David Preston, prohibition candi- date for governor received upwards of twenty-two thou- sand votes. General Alger was born in a rural district in Medina county, Ohio. He attended country school until, at the age of eleven years, his parents died. He then took employment on a farm, working summers and attending Richfield academy winters. When twenty- one years of age he took up the study of law at Akron and two years later was admitted to the bar and found a position in a law office in Cleveland. But ill health caused him to relinquish his profession, and in 1861 he removed to Grand Rapids to go into the lumber busi- ness there. No sooner had he entered upon this busi- ness than the call to arms was sounded and he volun- teered as a private in the Second Michigan cavalry, then being recruited. When the regiment was mustered into service, September, 1861, he was commissioned a cap- tain and as such went to the front. He was actively in the service throughout the war, took part in sixty-six battles and skirmishes, and was several times wounded. Promotions came rapidly and in little more than a year after joining the army he was made colonel of the Fifth Michigan cavalry in Custer's famous brigade, in which he continued until his resignation, September, 1864. He was made a brevet brigadier general, June, 1864, and
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major general, June, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the field.
After the close of the war he returned to Michigan and located at Detroit, where he engaged in dealing in pine lands and lumber, which has continued his business thenceforward. He was successful and amassed a large fortune. He served one term as governor and declined to be a candidate for a second term. In the republican national convention of 1888 he was brought forward as candidate for president of the United States. He received upon one ballot one hundred and forty-three votes, which was, however, considerably short of the necessary majority. Benamin H. Harrison was the suc- cessful candidate. When William Mckinley became president in 1897 he called General Alger into his cab- inet as secretary of war, in which capacity he served during the rather trying period of the Spanish war of 1898. He made a flattering record in the speed and ef- ficiency with which troops were raised, equipped and transported to Cuba. At the close of hostilities he came in for much criticism upon some of the features of the service of the commissary department of the army. This criticism on the part of certain New York newspapers was so bitter and personal, and was so annoying to the president, that General Alger felt called upon to resign his portfolio. Two or three years later, upon the death of Senator McMillan, he was elected by the legislature to fill the unexpired term of nearly five years in the United States senate.
The state officers who served under the administra- tion of Governor Alger were, Archibald Buttars, lieu- tenant governor Harry A. Conant, secretary of state; Edward H. Butler, treasurer; William C. Stevens, aud- itor general; Minor S. Newell, commissioner of land
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office; Moses Taggart, attorney general; Henry R. Gass, superintendent of public instruction.
One of the events of Governor Alger's administra- tion was the transfer of the Portage Lake and Lake Superior ship canal to the general government. The state undertook the construction of this water way in the interests of the commerce of the upper end of Lake Su- perior. It shortened the distance by two hundred miles of very dangerous navigation around the great promon- tory known as Keewenaw Point, which projects into the lake a long distance and is without harbor of any de- scription. Vessels passing around it are exposed to storms from every direction. Portage Lake and river separate this peninsula entirely from the mainland, ex- cept for a narrow neck at the upper extremity. It was only necessary to cut through this narrow neck, con- struct a harbor at the canal entrance and improve the navigation of the river, to afford ships a safe inland pas- sage. In 1867 congress granted to the state of Michi- gan four hundred thousand acres of land to make this improvement. The work was done by a company or- ganized for the purpose. The canal is without any lock, and has a depth of fifteen feet. The entire length from entrance to exit is twenty-five miles, which includes Por- tage lake, which required no deepening, and Portage river, which was straightened and deepened to its dis- charge into Keewenaw bay. The improvement included also the making of a harbor at the upper entrance to the cut. The total cost of the work was $528,822. The canal was completed and opened to navigation in 1873. The burden and expense of its maintenance required the collection of tolls for its use. The matter of turning it over to the general government had been agitated for several years, and at length in 1885, it was sold to the
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United States for $350,000, on the condition that it should be maintained for free navigation.
About this time a scandal of small dimensions devel- oped in the office of the superintendent of public in- struction. Henry R. Gass, the incumbent, found his salary, which is fixed by the constitution, too small to be satisfactory. He accordingly made an arrangement with his deputy, whose salary was fixed by the legisla- ture and was double his own, to divide it with him. This fact being discovered, caused a great outcry. Thereup- on Gass resigned and Theodore Nelson was appointed to fill the vacancy. The soldiers' home was established at Grand Rapids to provide an asylum for persons who had served in the wars of the republic and who were incapacitated by age or physical disability from earning a livelihood. This proved a great boon for many old soldiers. The place, when completed, was speedily filled. The state prison for the upper peninsula was lo- cated at Marquette. The state mining school was also created and established at Houghton in the immediate vicinity of the great copper mines.
An important piece of legislation was the creation of a pardon board of four members. This board was in- tended at the outset to be merely advisory. The par- don power is by the constitution vested in the governor. But he could hardly be expected to give the required time to the proper investigation of every case. The new board was expected to attend to all these details, and to present the facts and findings to the governor for such action as he might choose to take. The scheme worked very well on the start. It certainly relieved the gover- nor of a serious burden. But this sort of a political job has a tendency to grow by what it feeds on. As the compensation was per diem, there was a suspicion that the board worked up cases and so managed that its ses-
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sions were almost continuous. It also assumed jurisdic- tion which formerly belonged only to the courts, and undertook ultimately to grant paroles. While this board was originally moderately serviceable, its succes- sors did not always get public commendation.
The legislature of 1885 made an appropriation, on behalf of the state, to place a statue of General Cass in the gallery of representative Americans in the national capitol at Washington. In this year certain leading citizens of Detroit woke up to the importance of doing something in the way of encouraging fine arts. By | hearty co-operation, an art loan exhibition was installed in a temporary building erected for the purpose. It proved a great success, financially and artistically, but chiefly in arousing popular interest, which speedily led to the organization of a permanent association and the raising of funds for the erection of a commodious and handsome building for a museum of fine arts. The leg- islature passed a law authorizing art galleries and ex- empting them from taxation. Although the museum in Detroit was established by a corporation, the city it- self afterward assumed its support and enlargement and made it absolutely free to the public. The collection of paintings has become a notable one, chiefly through the gifts of citizens.
The government having decided to erect a new post- office in Detroit, a commission was appointed to select a site. This commission, in 1885, decided upon the location which was adopted and upon which the post- office now stands. This includes an entire square bounded by Fort, Shelby, Wayne streets and Lafayette boulevard. This ground is historic, being the site of old Fort Lernoult, afterward Fort Shelby. A tablet at the main entrance to the building reminds the visitor of this fact. This tablet was unveiled with appropriate
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ceremonies on the one hundredth anniversary of the final evacuation of the fort by the British and the rais- ing of the stars and stripes, July 27, 1896.
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CHAPTER X MICHIGAN'S SEMI-CENTENNIAL
خط به سية.
T HE legislature of 1885 adopted a joint resolution looking to a suitable observ- ance of the semi-centennial anniversary of the admission of Michigan as a state in the union. Governor Alger appointed as a commission to have charge of the affair, Henry Chamberlain of Three Oaks, Henry Fralick of Grand Rapids, Theodore H. Hinchman of Detroit, James Shearer of Bay City, and S. T. Read of Cassopolis. This commission fixed upon June 15, 1886, as the time, and Lan- sing as the place of the celebration. A comprehen- sive program was arranged, which included a national salute at sunrise, a semi-centennial salute at noon, and literary and musical exercises throughout the day and evening. The formal exercises opened at ten o'clock in the morning with an address of welcome from the steps of the capitol by Governor Alger. After the close of this address and musical selection by a grand chorus with band accompaniment, the remainder of the fore- noon was occupied with addresses and music upon the capitol steps, in the hall of representatives, and at the same time in the senate chamber. At noon a barbecue and basket picnic was held at the fair grounds adjacent to Lansing, where food was supplied to all without charge. In the afternoon, speaking was resumed from the judges' stand in the amphitheatre and in the agri- cultural hall at the fair grounds. The evening exercises took place in the senate chamber and hall of representa- tives in the capitol. Governor Alger presided at the exercises upon the capitol steps and the members of the commission above named severally presided at the dif- ferent exercises at the fair ground and in the capitol.
The music, which was made a special feature of the day, was under the direction of Henry B. Roney, of
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Saginaw. Three military bands of sixty performers were present from Lansing, Detroit and Cassopolis. The soloists included Madame Clemelli, prima donna soprano, of Detroit, Mrs. Tilden, contralto of Mt. Clemens, the "Arion Quartette" of Detroit, the "Lie- derkrantz" chorus of Lansing; a mixed chorus of eighty voices, and a chorus of one hundred and thirty children of the Lansing public schools. Much of the music was composed for the occasion by Mr. Roney, Madame Clemelli and others. Words for special music were written by D. Bethune Duffield, Judge J. Logan Chip- man, Edward Bloeden, James W. Long and others.
In arranging the program of addresses the plan was followed of assigning special topics to the several speak- ers, in order to furnish a systematic and comprehensive review of the progress of the state during the fifty years of its existence. Ex-Governor Alpheus Felch gave a historical resume of the executive department, with some account of early legislation. Ebenezer O. Gros- vernor discussed the financial history of Michigan; Ma- jor C. W. Ransom, its railroad progress. Judge Thom- as M. Cooley gave a general historical review, going back to the beginning of the territory, and speaking more especially of the political and chief public events of the period covered by the state as such. Judge James V. Campbell spoke of the judicial history of the com- monwealth. President James B. Angell discussed the history of the state university. Roswell G. Horr gave an account of Michigan in congress. Professor John M. B. Sill reviewed the educational history; Levi L. Barbour spoke of the charitable and elemosynary insti- tutions ; John H. Bissell discussed fisheries and the pion- eer work done by the state in fish propagation. James W. Bartlett spoke on the progress of the mechanic arts in the preceding fifty years, and especially as applied
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to boat building and marine interests, to railroads and manufacturing machinery. William L. Webber gave a lucid and interesting account of the progress of the state in agriculture; Charles W. Garfield, in horticulture. General John Robertson briefly reviewed the military history of Michigan both as territory and state, showing that the people had never failed to respond with true patriotism to every call to arms.
The proceedings, including all the addresses in full, were printed by the state in a volume of over five hun- dred pages, forming a valuable and highly interesting collection of historical data. It covers quite fully the leading events in the progress of the state in the various lines of development-esthetic, educational, material. The men called on to present the facts could not have been more wisely chosen. Nearly all of them had been actual participants in the events and affairs which they discussed. They spoke from personal knowledge. Their names will be at once recognized by all familiar with the history of the state as those of men foremost in qual- ifications to write upon the subjects assigned to them. The showing of progress and resources was eminently satisfactory.
The celebration was a success in all aspects. It drew out many thousand visitors from all parts of the state. It impressed on the minds of those who listened to the speeches, and those who read them in the published form, a due sense of the magnitude of the common- wealth. It showed that the progress made in the first fifty years was a good augury of things to come.
At the biennial election of 1886 Governor Alger de- clined to be a candidate for re-election. Cyrus G. Luce of Coldwater was elected governor over George L. Yaple, fusion, by a plurality of a little over seven thou- sand. Samuel Dickie, prohibition, received upwards of
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twenty-five thousand votes, which was very nearly high water mark in the history of the party. The other state officers elected at the same time were James H. McDon- ald, lieutenant governor; Gilbert R. Osmun, secretary of state; George L. Maltz, treasurer; Henry H. Aplin, auditor general; Moses Taggart, attorney general; Roscoe D. Dix, commissioner of land office; Joseph Estabrook, superintendent of instruction. In 1888 Gov- ernor Luce was chosen for a second term by a plurality over Wellington Burt, democrat, of nineteen thousand. In that election Wildman Mills, labor candidate, re- ceived four thousand, three hundred and eighty-eight votes. The other state officers serving during this term were precisely the same as during the preceding term, ex- cept that Stephen V. R. Trowbridge succeeded Mr. Taggart as attorney general.
Cyrus G. Luce, twenty-first governor of Michigan (1887-1891) was a native of Windsor, Ashtabula coun- ty, Ohio, where he was born July 2, 1824. His father was a native of Connecticut and served as a soldier in the war of 1812. In 1815 he migrated to the Western Reserve, Ohio. In 1836 he removed to Steuben county, Indiana. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits and with his family suffered the hardships and privations in- cident to pioneer life in the western wilds of the early day. In Indiana the lad attended the typical country school of his time and supplemented this opportunity for learning with a brief course in a collegiate institute at Ontario, Indiana. The life of a boy and young man on a farm in this period was one of industrious toil in the fields in summer and laying low the forests in win- ter. When seventeen years old young Luce engaged his services in a carding and cloth dressing mill, where he was employed for several years. In 1848 he purchased a tract of eighty acres of wild land in the township of
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James IN Mellan
أحمدات ق اللهر
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Gilead, Branch county, Michigan, and upon this farm the remaining years of his life were spent. He was for many years the supervisor of his township and also served for two terms as county treasurer. In 1854 he was elected a member of the lower house of the first republican legislature. He served two terms, 1865 and 1867, in the state senate, and was also a member of the constitutional convention of 1867. He was a typical and successful farmer who made his home upon his farm, who drew his sustenance and support from the soil and took pride in the dignity of his avocation. After retiring from the gubernatorial office his successors rec- ognized his wisdom and experience by placing him up- on commissions where he could still render public ser- vice. He was a member of the commission appointed to locate, erect and equip the Home for the feeble minded, one of the most beneficient of the many worthy institutions fostered by the state. He also served a term as a member of the board of library commission- ers, appointed to promote the extension and develop- ment of free libraries throughout the state.
On January 18, 1889, Lieutenant Governor McDon- ald of Negaunee, was instantly killed in a railroad col- lision on the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. The accident occurred at Elmwood station about one hun- dred and fifty miles west of Negaunee, Mr. McDonald being at the time on the way to his home. The senate chose Senator J. Wright Giddings as acting president to fill the vacancy.
The legislature of 1887 chose Francis B. Stockbridge of Kalamazoo United States senator for the full term of six years to succeed Omar D. Conger, whose term expired March 4 of that year. The legislature of 1889 elected James McMillan of Detroit for the full term to suc-
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ceed Thomas W. Palmer, whose term was about to ex- pire and who was not a candidate for re-election.
The number of judges of the supreme court was in- creased from four to five, and the term of office was thereafter extended to ten years. The salaries of the judges were at the same time increased to five thousand dollars per annum, with a provision that the judges shall reside at Lansing. At the spring election Judge James V. Campbell was elected to succeed himself and Charles D. Long was chosen as the new member of the court. In 1889 Claudius B. Grant was elected for the full term of ten years to succeed Judge Sherwood, whose term was about to expire.
The subject of "graveyard insurance" occupied much of the time of the legislature of 1887. The system of co-operative insurance, so called, was of recent develop- ment, but it had spread with wonderful rapidity, owing to the activity of canvassing agents and the alluring promises they made. The facts brought out by investi- gation showed that no capital was necessary in order to start a company. It was in evidence that a certain in- dividual went into the business in a rural district of Shiawassee county on his own account without any funds, that he employed a number of agents upon good com- missions and that he was able to accumulate a fortune of upwards of thirty thousand dollars in four years. Policies of life insurance were written upon any individ- ual and it was not essential that this person should be the actual applicant. One might take a policy of in- surance upon his neighbor or even upon a resident of a distant state. So long as the premiums were promptly paid "the company" made no inquiries. Although os- tensibly there was a medical examination and a personal application, as a matter of fact these were mere empty form, and often purely fictitious. Cases were discovered
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mest Campale
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in which the insured had no knowledge of the existence of a policy. The whole thing was purely speculative, and, of course, saturated with fraud. The companies were called co-operative and were carried on by assess- ments upon the members, and so escaped the supervision and control of the insurance department of the state. When they were brought to book by the legislature there was a great outcry among some of the persons in- terested to the effect that the onslaught was persecution and really for the benefit of the old line companies. But the whole system of conducting the business and the op- portunities and temptations to enrich the few officers and agents at the expense of the general membership were so gross and so apparent that the legislature did not hesitate to put the companies out of business. It was found that at the time there were some eighteen companies doing business in Michigan. The scheme was throttled none too soon, because experience has shown that money-making projects of the sort have been able to exercise a mysterious influence in legislatures, in the way of suppressing investigation, or heading off hostile provisions in the laws. The cases of "graft" were probably not so common in that day as since and so the public conscience was a little more tender. It is encouraging to note that in this case, at least, the legis- lature gave short shrift to the offending companies.
At the same session of the legislature a member of the house, Milo H. Dakin, representing the Second dis- trict of Saginaw county, was accussed of dishonest prac- tices. Charges were preferred against him of receiving money for the purpose of corruptly influencing legisla- tion. Upon these charges he was given a full and im- partial trial before the house, with counsel and all the protection of legal technicalities. The evidence was overwhelming. He was convicted of malfeasance and. IV-12
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misfeasance in office and was expelled from the legisla- ture.
The legislature of 1889 gave considerable attention to the subject of woman suffrage. This is a subject which had previously received extensive academic dis- cussion. Evidently women in general cared very little about the matter, one way or the other. There were many who were strongly opposed, feeling that it is out of place for women to mingle in political contests; that it is lowering the dignity of womanhood, and smirching her fair escutcheon to descend to practical politics, while woman suffrage would go but a short way in bringing the desired and much-needed reforms. The argument against it was that women of the worse sort would be more numerous at the polls than those of the better class. Since this is true of men, the argument had much weight. But there were many women who earnestly be- lieved that if the ballot were given to women they would inaugurate a better state of things in public affairs. These took hold actively and deluged the legislature with petitions in behalf of the measure. There was a state association of woman suffragists. The officers and prominent members of this association came before the legislature, or before its committees, in person and pre- sented their best arguments. The subject was pretty well threshed out in debate upon the floor. The out- come of it all was that the measure was radically modi- ficd. It was defeated, so far as giving the ballot to wo- men generally. But a law was passed permitting wo- men in Detroit to vote for members of the school board of the city. This was thought to be a step forward, an entering wedge, which might well furnish such an ob- ject lesson as to lead to throwing open the polls to wo- men to vote on all officers.
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