State Administration In Sympathy With Nineteenism

STATE ADMINISTRATION IN SYMPATHY WITH NINETEENISM.

The unsavory record of the "Immortal Nineteen" in the legislature of 1899, a large part of whom turned up again in the legislature of 1901, is undoubtedly the worst ever made by any set of legislators in Michigan. These men were banded together to kill all legislation not satisfactory to them, and that which was satisfactory to them was such as furthered the interests of themselves and the special interests which they stood for. Under the control of this corrupt cabal some of the worst legislation which has ever disgraced. Michigan was passed, while other legislation in the interest of the people was strangled in the interest of the railroad corporations and other taxdodgers. That their scandalous doings were approved by the governor and the other powers which run the machine in Michigan Is evidenced by what has been done for several of them, and what is in process of doing now. The following biographical sketch of them from the pen of Senator Helme, written before the republican state convention, indicates their good standing with the state administration and also with the federal machine, regardless of their base betrayal of the people in the matter of equal taxation and the overthrow of the principle of home rule for cities:

Blakesley and Maitland are just now candidates for the nomination for lieutenant governor. Charles Smith was re-elected to the senate and will be again nominated and re-elected for a third term. McMullin is holding down the Cheboygan postoffice. Flood was appointed a census supervisor. Lyon has been offered a judicial position in Alaska. Sayre has a six-year berth in the state tax commission at $2,500 per year. As soon as Senator Moore has completed the delivery of St. Clair county to Bliss, he will be appointed bank commissioner in place of Maltz. Heald as deputy food commissioner is looking for bogus butter and Bliss delegates at $1,200 per year and expenses.

In direct violation of Art. IV, Sec. 18, of the constitution, which he took oath to support, Senator Humphrey is holding down a position in the auditor general's office. And Humphrey is a preacher and talks to Sunday schools.

The recent converting of Jackson prison from a reformatory institution to a Bliss machine, is fresh in the public mind, but the public is probably not aware that the Agricultural college is being similarly treated. Gov. Pingree appointed four members to the college board, and under the presidency of Thomas F. Marston, of Bay, one of the brightest young men in the state, the college has doubled its efficiency.

But it was not a power in politics, which Bliss and Atwood regarded as a "measly shame." At the first meeting of the board after Bliss' election he appeared as ex-officio member, and undertook to run things with a high hand and tried to down Mr. Marston. Mr. Marston promptly sat on the governor, and he had to retire squelched. Intrigue was then resorted to, and at the instigation of Bliss, charges of corruption were preferred against Secretary Bird, who was guilty of the crime of holding a good paying office without lining up any delegates.

A legislative investigation was trumped up which resulted in Bird's complete vindication. Before this same committee charges were also preferred secretly against Marston and H. F. Marsh, another anti-Bliss member. It was hoped something could be dug up to warrant the governor in removing one or the other and thus gaining control of the board. The charges, however, though investigated by the committee, failed to pan out. Judson was now appealed to, and as a result of his effort that distinguished farmer, Capt. Allen, of Washtenaw, deserted the Pingree element on the board, following his sponsor, Bill Judson, into the Bliss camp, thus, with Bliss' vote as ex-offlcio member of the board, giving that element control. The resignation of Secretary Bird soon followed, and "Immortal" Brown was selected to fill his place. As a reward for his desertion, Allen will be re-appointed by Bliss next January, but that vigorous, active member, Frank Marston, of Bay, to whom the college owes more than any one man, will walk the plank, his place on the board of agriculture having been promised by Bliss to Banker Bob Graham, "another immortal."

"Immortal" Collingwood abandoned his residence in Lansing, and moved up to the college and was soon after appointed postmaster, a $1,500 job, by the powers that be. Atwood still remains to be provided for, but it is whispered that Bliss will appoint him special counsel to assist the attorney general in defending the state against the Michigan Central damage suit. It is a position much to his taste, and his personal acquaintance with the railway officials will do much to smooth the way for a harmonious compromise of the claim. It is insignificant that none of the eight republican senators who stood by the people against the immortals of 1899 were renominated or have received any federal appointments. Every year the cry goes up for better legislators, but as long as the tools of corporations are rewarded by good paying offices, while the friends of the people are denied even a renomination as a vindication of their course, just so long the majority of the members will prefer to tie up to corporate interests. To be sure, "virtue is its own reward," but in this commercial age such a reward has very little attraction for the average legislature.

Republicans are having much to say at present about trusts. They acknowledge that many of these great organizations exist and operate in violation of law and point to what President Roosevelt is doing to bring them to time and compel them to observe the law. But it will be noticed that they have nothing to say of anything done by the republican congress to curb the growing evil. For five years the republicans have had full control of all branches of the government, but outside of the executive they have done absolutely nothing to relive the people of the extortions of these giant monopolies. On the other hand these great money syndicates have gradually extended their control  over congress until congress has become as never before the doer of the will of these "infants" of our protective policy. But just now, with an election in sight, there is a disposition to admit their sins of omission and commission, but the majority is pointing to the action of the president as a bit of saving grace for the failure of the party to do anything for the relief of the people. But the people will not be deceived. The leaders of the republican party believe in trust control of the industries of the nation and taxing of the people to help make up the enormous profits of the trusts. This fact was never shown more clearly than by the action of the majority of the senate in refusing to pass the house bill for the relief of Cuba. The majority could have passed that bill at any time, but it would not pass it because it removed the differential on sugar which is nothing more than the tax which every user of sugar pays to swell the profits of the sugar trust. The pasage of that bill would have redeemed the pledges of the nation to Cuba and left in the pockets of the consumers of sugar in this country several millions of dollars, but because it would take away from the sugar trust that portion of its profits which it filches from the people by the law of special privilege, the majority would have none of it.

It is very generally conceded that the town-meeting wherever it has existed has been a great educator in the principles of self-government. The town-meeting, together with the School district meeting, in which the voters meet and legislate on matters of immediate concern and of the most vital importance, gives most valuable training and discipline and knowledge of the conduct of public affairs. Now, if this system can he extended by means of the referendum, it will become still more valuable. It will make the public welfare depend so directly upon the proper exercise of the citizen's duty, that he will be a careless citizen indeed who will neglect that duty.

That injunction against the beef trust seems not to have jarred prices down any. It may serve to fool the common herd into quiet while the trust gets another hold for another boost of prices. We shall probably hear much about the effort of the administration to down the great trust from now on until the ides of November, then that injunction possibly will not be in the public mind so much.

One of the chief reasons why men desire monopoly in any line of business is the power it gives them to make excessive charges for the service rendered. This is illustrated in the charges very generally made by private water works, electric lighting plants, street railways, etc. According to the best authority obtainable, the charges of private water works in this country are 43 per cent higher than the charges of public water works. Public ownership of public utilities would correct this abuse. These charges seem to have little relation to the cost of production. They depend on the profit desired by stockholders on watered stocks. Public ownership would remedy this.

It behooves Washtenaw to have in the next legislature some strong men, both in the house and senate. The educational interests of this county demand in both houses the strongest men who can be obtained. The state is fully embarked upon the policy of establishing more normal schools. And the way this issue is shaping itself, it is largely a local issue and Washtenaw must look out for its own, therefore. Undoubtedly there will be the same effort made as in the last session too, to cut down the revenues of the University. If these tendencies which are inimical to the interests of these institutions, are to be met and stayed from injuring the two great educational institutions located in this county, Washtenaw must have men in the legislature fully able to take care of her own.

That there is a big revolt from Governor Bliss and the corrupt republican machine is apparent to anybody who has his eyes and ears open. And it is a hopeful sign that this is so. This is so because it is known of all men that Governor Bliss secured his nomination by the most shameless and corrupt use of money by the bosses that our state has ever experienced. The legislature. taking its cue from this disgraceful buying of the primaries and the delegates to the state convention, pursued the same methods. Equalization of taxation and reform of the primaries were promised during the canvass, but both these issues were repudiated after election. Of course it could not be expected that the very methods which had secured nominations and election for such people would be condemned by them. Equal taxation was also out of the question for the reason that the great corporations which desired the continuance of the existing unjust and unequal taxation, shared the expense of purchasing nominations and electing their tools to the legislature.

No principle or government is more thoroughly instilled into the citizen of intelligence than that of local control of all purely local governmental matters. The overturning of this principle in the interest of partisanship and to make places for heelers and boodlers who could never be elected to office by popular vote is one of the charges brought against the present state administration. Never before in the history of Michigan has this Pennsylvania republican expedient to bring the control of the municipalities inclined to elect democrats to office been resorted to. On account of this crime of the present state government the metropolis of the state today is forced to harbor men in some of the principal offices whom the people would never consent to place in those offices. Frank C. Andrews is another specimen of the men placed in office under this scheme of city government conceived by Tom Navin as the protege of Senator McMillan. And so important it was that this ripper legislation be gotten upon the statute books that the governor had to be called out of bed in the dead of night to sign it. And Governor Bliss had no more dignity or sense of the eternal fitness of things than to thus do the bidding of the bosses through their agents of the Tom Navin strlpe. But is it not time to call a halt on such invasions of the most fundamental and sacred principles of government demanded by ex-state prison birds and in the interest of candidates for state prison like the former police commissioner of Detroit for whom the ripper measures made a place?