The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-07-26
LEI Us Reason Together.

/ ~ lGt W nGdSuA IUS6thOtsq ~
| While the attention OF the publi,
mind Is drawn TO the past and present
condition Of township and county af
fairs In this county, we desire to see I
full and free discussion. We desire Il
zee working interest taken In thes,
matters Of vital Importance Ian inter
est which means the finding out Of th,
cause Of the, trouble, and then setting
1t right srinlnf "A. ngi 80 Isn ~,
. A feeling, which in some instances
amounts to frenzied bitterness, has
been worked up In the minds Of quite
a number Of our settlers against the
1'capitalists who own property and pay
large taxes. Public opinion has been
wrought upon, until it has reached the
point whore persons, however honest,
who favor an impartial regarding oi
the rights Of all classes, are Immediate
Iy made to suffer disapprobation from
u large portion And If this influence
continues It's pernicious course, towhat
evil results may IL not lead? fit has
gained control of the, political field,
how long will 1t be before 1t controls
also, the administration of law I'm our
county? OF, what avail will 1t be then
| to have al. upright Judge and officers,
IL public sentiment was such that 1t
would be impossible to obtain jury
to convict except in the interest of dis
honesty and corruption?, And further,
there " danger Of tue officers them
selves yielding to the temptation and
the pressure of corrupt Influence, and
aiding, or at least winking at the evil.
1t requires ne great stretch of imagina-
ton to discover the possibility Of things
coming to the condition above named.
In fact, we may be nearer the day of
its existence than We imagine. What
honest independent citizen is there
who desires to see the law Intended to
guard his rights and the rights Of all,
in such keeping? How will AN hon
est, impartial public outside ofour ceun-
ty regard our moral and mental con-
dition? "He that is not for us Is against
u.s." Every citizen of this county is
either opposing wrong-tloing, or aiding
1t directly or Indirectly. 80
The point we want to arrive at, Is
this. We want AN explanation Of the
reasons, If any there are, why SO much
lack Of harmony exists between the
settlers and the capitalists. We want
to get ut the foundation ofthc, charges
and insinuations that have been and
are being made to the detrimcnt oftLe
class known as capitalists having IN
tercsts In our county-7a sample of
which insinuation may be found I'm a
quotation from the sHlstorical Sketch
ofI.aie County," written by a we'll
known citizen, and, publicly read by
him at one of the largest gatherings
ever held I'm Lake eounty-July 4th,
1876. The extract Is as follows: "yyhcn
railroads shall cease from troubling
with subscriptions exactions, and un-
necessary n,idtIlemcn are ever more at
rcst;n &c. Now the question Is, does
this statement. and others of kindred
nature made from time to time-al-
Though rot SO publiclyAhave their
Foundation resting In truth? Is it q
fact that we are troubled with unscrup-
ulous exaetions of rsiilroad corporations;
that we don want the "middle man.
with his capital to buy and move the
surplus produce Of our county? In eur
opinion, the citizen who made the
statement above quoted, Is either wor
fully ignorant Of the basis of well-being
in.every conmuHity;Jor he was "un-
scrupulous''. in his endeavor to gain the
crest Of the popular wave which would
bear him into office, and made the
,stafsmentswith view to the effect 1t
would have towards that end. That
hc'stories which have been poured ill-
to the ears Of our settlers, In regard to
lack of desire OH the part of capital
lists to give said settlers Il aichance to
make necessary imlrovcinents-are
not founded IN fact we have long been
convinced, If we, are wrong in eur be-
lief, we are open to conviction. We
want the citizens who have made, and
who persist In making the statements
and destinations which only have the
tendency to destroy harmony between
classes where unity and good will
should prevail, to give the reason for
their acts. ourlobject is to let the day
light of truth into the matter--lct the
lightning Of honest wrath fall where 1t
viii. wspropose to give any and all
who wish to discuss grievances against
railroad companies or others, capital-
lists, a chance ts Dc so gratuitously in
these columns. We cali tie attention
Of honest citizens to this point. And
five fail To obtain any discussish, the
people may make up their minds that
It Is because these men have no de-
fence TO make Thsn men Of hsnsr
and intelligence can safely conclude
that the insinuations against capital
lists are not made with honorable in
tent; but that they are nothing more
or less than the cries Of dcmagogucs,
appealing to the passion or avarice of
lthose they deem Ignorant or the
sayings of men who, conscious Of hav-
/ Ing done wrong, seek excuse behind n
declaration that the capitalists have i'm
issre5 fhoir weIl-bcinQ. e. fti.f .ff4.u n