For Congress, Edwin Willits

In renominating Edwin Willits for Uongress, the people of this congressional district havo made a wiso choice. Mr. Willits has boen in Congress twq terms, and luw fairly earned this ranoniination. by hard work and faithfulness to the great intercsts of (he country. He is at that age when men usually accomplish the grcatest amount of hard braiu labor. 1 1 is iifc previous to entering congress is well known to most nf the people of' this county. Afmr graJuBting at the Miohigan University he eatne to Monroe, and commenced prnetieing law with Hon. I. P. Cbristiancy, and in his profession he gained considerable distiuction. He edited this paper froui the spring of 1850 to the spring of 1860, a was meuiber of the state board of edueation for twolve years, and was on the conimission to revise the state constitution in 18(73. I ti these and otter poiitions of honor and trust he became well known to the people of Monroe county as a man of culture, capacity and strength of character. And when this congresaional district electcd him to congress in lS7t",itdid not mistake its man. On entering congress Mr. Willits apilied hiipself at once to the intricate business of legislation, determining to fully understaud the important questions before the country. fiofore his first term was over, in the spring of 1878, Mr. Willits rendered the country a very great service, aml made for hiuiself at once a national reputation. A joint resolution was before the huune to uspend a section of the revised statutes so as to allow the payment to mail cqntractors in the southern states up to and'including 1861. Mr. Willits, by a few shrewd questions, showed that the intent of' the resolution was to increasc the scope of a previous act, thereby njaterially increasing the claims. The act in quostion appropriatod $375,000 for the payment of sueh claims. The questions asked by Mr. Willita caused the joint resolutioti to be' put over for anothur hearing. The time gained was used by Mr. Willits to good purpose. Ho becamo improssed with the ide:i that thcre was a big " nigger in tho fence." He searched tho library for more evidenco, and finding none, accidcntally thought of tho rebel archives. To gain access to theso was no easy matter, but he succeeded in reaching them letting no one ktiow his purpose, and there found just what he wanted, namely, proof that nearly all tbc claims had been paid by the eouthern confederacy. When the resolution eamo up for eonsideration again Mr. WillitB got the fioor, and produccd suoh an array of proof that the rebel side of the house was completely thunderstruck and paralyzed. The joint resolution was defeated, and the $374,001 was saved to the treasury. And not only this but the whole north was aroused to a realizing sense of the objeets and aiius of the southern brigadiers in congress, and their northern allies, to pay rebel war claims of any and all desenptions. By this speech Mr. Willits gained an honorable national reputation, and at once took rank with many of the oldi:r members as a oareful and judicious legislator. At the comraencemont of his second session he was grVen a place of itnportance on the judiciary committee, where he hag performed good service. He has given mattersof legislationcareful, studious and thorongh investigation, and by so doing has taken rank with the hard-working, growing members. Ile is unquestionably, as the Lansing Republican declares, " one of the best congressmen Michigan has ever had. When it is taken into considoration that he is not yet through his seoond session, and that very few congresamen show any special ability, or make any roputation for themselvos until they have been in congress several terms, tho above is a high compliment indeed. That this district will do honor to itself and the state by returning him with a large majority, there can be no doubt.