Honest Government, Indeed!

The voters of Michigan are not going to give up the certainties of good government and honesty in every department which go with a republican administration to grasp at the visionary blessings held out to them by the democracy.- Grand Rapids Herald.

The above is a sample of the effrontery with which the republican press of the state is endeavoring to deceive the forgetful and lay the revolt within the party. Good government and honesty in every department! That would be decidedly funny, if the esteemed Herald did not take itself so seriously. But let us see what the record actually is. Governor Rich succeeded Governor Winans in 1893. Three members of the Rich administration were fired out of office because of mighty crooked records in office. Such prominent officials as the secretary of state, the state treasurer and the commissioner of the land office. The Herald may succeed in deceiving some with its assertion of "good government and honesty in every department," but its memory is long enough to take it back to the falsification of the returns on the constitutional amendments by republican officials, whereby the very constitution itself had dishonest republican amendments put upon it The Herald will remember also how the before mentioned "honest" republican officials certified to being present at certain meetings of the boards of which they were ex-officio members, but which meetings they in fact never attended. It will remember also that they drew pay for this service which they never rendered. It will remember likewise that certain of these officials never returned to the state the money they illegally drew from the state treasury in the form of increase of salary under the amendments to the constitution which they falsely certified as having been adopted by the people.

Again, bow does the "good government and honesty in every department" claim of the Herald come up to the scratch in the administration of Hazen S. Pingree. Every citizen with even a very short memory can recall the rank smells which ascended to heaven during those years from the prominent officials of that regime. All will remember how the state military board entered into a conspiracy to defraud the state and the high degree of success attained. Tens of thousands of dollars of the state funds were obtained and divided among the conspirators. When the conspiracy became public and the prosecuting officers of Ingham county started in to investigate the unsavory job, how much aid did they receive from the republican governor? When certain of the scoundrels were convicted and one of them had been placed behind prison bars, how long was he left there by the republican governor? How much time did General Marsh do for his share in that great theft and conspiracy? Where is the lamented Eli, who was so prominent at that time and who was serving as a regent of the state university? How about the charges against the speaker of the republican house from the consequences of which he escaped on a technicality? Various other state officials and members of the legislature were charged with giving or taking bribes.

Coming on down to the present administration, what is there of "good government and honesty in every department" to the credit of the "immortal nineteen," to the credit of the police commissioner of Detroit, who was appointed under the ripper legislation passed by the present legislature, or in the record of Tom Navin, one of the republican leaders in securing this legislation? What is there to the credit of Governor Bliss himself in the open and shameless corruption of the primaries whereby his nomination was purchased for him? How about his nomination at the Grand Rapids convention in which delegates were bought, sold and rebought in the greatest money debauch the state of Michigan has ever known? These things have gone on for the past twelve years in an ever increasing ratio until the best element of the republican party is in open rebellion against the corrupt machine. These things have not, of course, taken place with the approval of the rank and file of the republican citizens who are as honest as any citizens, but in spite of their protest and to the lasting disgrace and shame of the machine which dictates the policy of the majority. If these things constitute "good government and honesty in every department" then it would seem to be time to have a dishonest government, if it is the opposite of that which the Herald is pleased to designate good and honest in every department.

Much virtue of all kinds is alleged by the upholders of trusts to reside in trust magnates. But those trust millionaires who insulted Attorney General Knox and a party of friends in an Atlantic City cafe the other day seemed to act in all respects like the most ordinary drunks. Even the presence of several ladies with the attorney general of the United States appeared to have no deterring influence with these millionaire bums. They had started out to insult Mr. Knox and they proceeded to do it according to the most approved style of the frequenters of the lowest dives of our cities. It was at first stated that the cause of their spleen toward the attorney general -was his action against trusts, but Mr. Knox denies this. Of course trusts are very tender and trust magnates more so, but even thus they have little complaint in justice against Mr. Knox. It is claimed that the three millionaires made common cause against Teddy's legal sharp and but for timely assistance would have worsted him. They seem to have had the bravery of their condition. It is said that the management of the aristocratic cafe finally ejected the millionaires- after Mr. Knox and his party had been driven from the cafe by their low and obscene talk. The tardiness of the ejectment indicates that they were millionaires, if not trust magnates.

The Cuban congress just now is getting upon ground which leads Uncle Sam to prick up his ears. The lower house of the Cuban congress has passed a bill authorizing a loan of $35,000,000. This loan is to draw five per cent interest and be redeemable in forty years. The money is to be used as follows: Four millions of it is to be loaned to the planters and to the benefit of the agricultural and cattle growing interests. This money is to be paid back in February, March or April of next year. The remainder of the loan is to be used for paying the expenses incurred In aid of the revolution. About $3,000,000 is to be used in paying the bills contracted by the New York junta and the remainder is to go to the revolutionary soldiers for their services. Just what the action of the American government will be relative to the measure remains to be seen. Under the Platt amendment this government will be expected and bound, in fact, to take cognizance of the proposed loan.

It takes patronage to make political bosses so strong that they cannot be overturned. The bosses in the republican state convention had easy work of it. They had control of the offices. Take control of state patronage away from them and the republicans of Michigan can unhorse their bosses.

The beef trust demurs to the bill of the government, thereby practically admitting the charges, but pleads the insufficiency of the same.