Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-07-27

smiled again. And then the tar
payer was glad. And decent men
generally were utterly disgusted''-
with him.
Taxpayer Neeves' effort to sink
out of the consequences Of this be-
trayal of his trust, by seeking tc
shoulder portion of the fault upon
anyone not a member of the Board
will fail. His effort to provoke a
personal newspaper quarrel, and
thereby to divert public attention
from the only matter involved III
which the public have an interest
will also fail. If his digestion is
affected by personal pique against
me, do not believe the people care.
/ am sure Of one who does not, nor for
what he can say. If he should per-
sist in saying all he could against
me, without regard to truth, as he
has done thus far, and | were dis
posed to notice it, / could 'Swhite-
wash" him without varying a hair
from the truth. He is in poor sit
uatlon to seek controversies as to
character or business integrity. He
can justify his efforts to provoke
them only from a desperate CON
seriousness that he has nothing to
lose. In this he may be quite right.
If [ owe him. or any of his name, [
am abundantlv able to pay. What
little | have is not covered up in the
name Of another. The courts are
open to the tar.payer, and he has
his remedy. He is most cordially
ipUited to resort to 1t! The insinua-
ton that I have accepted a gift from
them, or any of them. is. false, as the
motive is Infamous that gives curren-
rency to it. If | had taken such
gift, | should be anxious to return
it, and then &C to the penitentiary
for having received it.
Tan-payer seems troubled in be-
half of the 'laboring man." For
getting that many Of that class have
other reasons to remember him, he
languishes with patriotic anajety lest
they shall be ''disfranchiced" by an
amendment to the charter of the
City Of Grand Rapids, passed last
winter, changing the time for hold
ing charter elections in that city from
the first Tuesday in April to a day
early In March. He does me too
much honor in that regard, because
he insiuuates that [ am responsible
for its adoption. | did aohat I could
to secure its passage, and am thank
ful that it passed. 1t lad been talk
ed Of for 3 year or two, and many
prominent taxpayers advocated it,
or similar change. / neither know
nor care who drew or ''fathered' the
bill of last winter. 1t was present
ed, its passage asked by large num-
Der of the citizens Of Grand Rapids,
and it received the support Of Sena-
tor Scott. He is understood to be
almost as friendly to the "laboring
man" as Neeves. He treats them
almost as well. The measure APP
plies to the city Of Grand Rapids,
and its charter elections, only. It's
object was 30 place the municipal af-
fairs Of that city within the control
of its own citizens. 1t DISTINGUISHES
no man and was intended to disfran-
chise no man. Experience had
shown that at the April election the
city was not unfrequently overrun by
a class of men who had no interest
there, who were not legal voters
there, and who care nothing for its
welfare. Many Of them, land the
Individual persons are constantly
changing,) have never pretended to
have residence there, even tempo
rarilys but having been at work in
the logging camps during portion
or all of the preceding winter for
like Neeves, they came
out in the Spring to get a settlement
and their pay if possible, and then
leave. While thus waiting, such
tac-payi'ag patriots as Neeves, who
wanted office, and who owed them,
would drive them up to the polls
like cattle to vote-Neeves, or no
promise of pay. They had as soon
vote for Neeves as anybody, because