A Rich Find

Some very queer transactions Have been unearthed at Lansjing by Gov. i;i -ii. Au incident catiáed him to look up the vote of one or two counties upom the constitutional amendment voteil upoii last spring inereasing the galartee of the Lieutemant (iovernor, Sooretary oí State, Superintendent of Public In.structi'on, and one or other state offio&re. In doing tliat he diücovered soraetliing that looked to be crooked. So he kept on Lnvestigating, and found that instead of being carried by a majority the amendnicnt was really defeated by about 11,000 majority. The State Board of Canvassicrs were convened and asked to explmm. This they did by the statement that the returns were compiled bv two cterks, one a republican, the otlier a democrat. and the result as fouutl by them was certáfled to without veriiying. Which was 110 doubt t-rue. The two clerks were then immedlati'ly diseharged and the oïficers returned to the state treáeury all the extra alary drawn by them under the new law. But investd'gation dld not stop there. In 1891 the people voted upon a proposátdon to rai.se the salary of the Attorney General trom S00 to $2,500 per year, and tliis same democratie clerk was serving in the same position. InveStigation soon pro ved that Gratlöt county, whith gave a. majority of (90 against the raise, was thrown out entirely, aud Gogebic county was made to glve a majority for it of 1,281 inst (■■' of 281 as cast. This ci-ookednesa save Mr. Ellis, then and now the democratie attorney general, a handsome salary, and it is figured out that he will now have to cover into the ireasury over $5,000. Gov. Hich's sturdy honesty alone r.nearthed "Tiiese rasealities, which „„„P.'ir to be due entirely to the I 4 l_ ' -r honesty of tliis one clerk Potter. He hoped to win by it, but he lost, and has brought shame and disgvace upon those he attempted to benefit. AVe belteve that the ffood name of Michigan is smirched by continuing such pennrious salaries, and that the cbange should have been made, but this tampering with returns is something deserving of severe punishment, and everyone, high oor low, connected with it should suifer the penalty oí tUi-ir dishomesty. When it is imposslble to have the votes of the people correetly returned and tabulated then a republiean form of government might as weU hi' dispense;! with. The Argus, whicn seeks to maKe political capital out of this affair, is very oareful nat to refer to the demoeracy of Mr. Potter, the clerk, or to say anyfhtag about the false returns of 1891, by wbteh ita big mognl, Attorney General Ellis, has been profiting for the past years, or to -ive Gov. Ilich any credit for uriearthing the dishonesty. The amount oí moiu-y and other necessaries collected ia tlüs city ior the northern sufferers is as follows : Pakl hi cash to Mr. H. J. Brown, treasurer, $489.74. , Poor Commissioner Fred Slpley reports Hlteen iHjxes oí clothtag, 600 lbs. of ïlour and seven bushels of wheat sent to him. The clotning and provisión are betag forwarded to-day, and the inoney wHl be f ent throoi-h the general committee at Detroit. Martin Clark made au invcntory of clothing, provMoim, etc.,andplaoedtheirvaluea1 $500, wlüeh will Urins Ann A.rbor'8 coutrilration up to about $1,000. The wheat will be converted into flour teiore it is sent. Tlüs is quite a Liberal dcmatiou under the ciremnstiinces, tliough more Avonld clieerfally be given 11 required. In the r.u.ñntime Ann Arbor is caring íor her own poor, it must be remembered.