The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1881-01-07
AT THE CAPITAL.
Mtchigan's Ne.v Administration
Senatorial COntest-It Will Be n
sharp and HOtly-COntestcd One.

Senatorial COnsest-It Will Sc n
sharp and HOtiy-COntcsscd One.
LANSING, elan. 1, 1881.
In writing this first letter of series that arc
expected to follow, we are reminded that it
must necessarily consist largely of prophecy
rather than facts, yet 1t is not at ell improba-
BILE that what this lacks in interes. to the gen.
eral reader will be more than supplied by flu
ture notes from the Capital City.
NEW ADMINISTRATIONS.
We are reminded, az We glance at the date ut
the head OF this article that to-day il to wit
ness change mot political but personaD in
our State Government, and that Gov. Croswel,
who il an honest and honorable man, a very
pleasant and social gentleman and who has
given Michigan as good and clean an admins
tration Of its affairs AZ she ever had, for the
past four years, is TO step down and turn over the
rens of government to Gov. DAVID II.
Jerome, OF Saginaw, man who is known and
respec ed for sterling worth, honor and ability,
and who comes 10 the Executive chair from
years Of practical and thorough schooling in
business and polit cal life. In the course of
pleasant chat. only day or two since, with
the outgoing and in-coming Governors your
correspondent was thoroughly impressed with
the idea that, while Gov. CrosWells admin
istrati IN has been clean, pure and satisfactory,
Gov. Jerome's will be no less so. Possibly
few words AZ pen portrait of the new Gov
eInor may not be out Of place here. He is
tall (fully six feeD and erect, but can hardly
be called sllm, and will weigh probably $50 to
100 pounds wears full beard cut to the medi-
um length and quite gray, and is in the neigh
borhood of so years old has clear, keen eye,
and Is a sharp, shrewd, practical man, who has
good sense and knows how 70 Use il without at
tempting to ape any Of the agony so foollshy
demanded by so-caled cultured society,""
Tue new Lieutenant Governor, Nj. s. Crosby,
of Grand Rapids, Is bright, clear-cut, practi-
cal man, who has not yet reached ~ years q
graduate OF the Rochester On. " University,
and man who will preside over the Senate
with ease, dignity and impartiality, and to
whom the duties are not entirely new, he hav-
ing been an able member of that body in 1873.
Attorney General j. J. Van Ripper, OF BeTrien
county, also comes to his new duties with
| tr,t-class reputation for legal XII owledge and
! expert, nee, and has been Prosecuting Attorney
OF his county for several yeals
! Secretary of State William Jenuey, State
Treasurer b. d. Prltchard, Auditor General w.
| Irving Latimer, Commissioner of Land Office
James NJ. Neasmith, and Superintendent Of
Public instruction G. A. Cover all enter upon
| their second term with the wcll-earned plaudit
| of " well done" from the million and a half and
more of people whom they have faithfully
served.
THE IN COMING LEaIsLATUREa
membars of the incoming Lawmakers had ar
ived upon the ground, and he Democrat, so
! That any attempt at pump ~, for political or
! Legislative facts, upon our part. was entirely out
! of the question. 1t is expected, however, that
! Monday trains will not only pour into the city
nearly or quite all of the members of both
! houses but such crowd of third house
| members as Lansing has not seen Tor several
wears, If ever before. the organization of the
| legislature and the pending Senatorial contest
together, serving to thoroughly rouse up the
political feelings of every man who Is interested
| III such matters.
Aside from all minor issues, and tower
| ing above them all in interest, IL the
| SENATORIAL CONTEST,
which is to be ut lea-t u triangular fight, with
several counties yet to hear from III the way OF
| dark horses. At present the avowed and active
candidates are The present incumbent. ex-
Gov III. p. Baldwin, Of Detroit ex-Gov. John
j. Bagey, also OF Detroit, and Congressman
Omar ID. Conger. of Port Huron. The former,
who was appointed Senator 10y the Governor
upon the death of Mi;hgan's ablest leader,
Zachariah Chandler, something over year
ago. was Governor Of the State from 1869 to
1873 while Mr. Bagley was his immediate sue
cesso1 Gas he hopes to bo now, and served his
State from 1873 to 1877. Tine latter IL Michi-
gan's senior Congressman, who has
distlict Huron, Lapeer, Macomb,
Sanilac, ST. Clair and Tuscola counties) in
Congress for the last twelve years, and has
just been reelected for the seventh term. He
had previously served az State Senator for
Six years, and held oth,r important offices, so
that his Legislative experience has been long
and thorough one, while his reputation IL not
confined to Michigan but Ii national. Each OF
| them has many warm and earnest friends who
announce that their mon are in the field to
stay. Ffty-nine votes will be necessary to
nominate in the caucus, viii IN has usually
! been held at the very first Of the session, but
which will hardly be held this tune until
very nearly time for the election. which must
be he'd OR at empted) on the 18th,
the second Tuesday after the or
ganization. AS neither candidate claims
more than forty to fifty at the outside, with
these claims denied by others, the prospects
are good for long and closely-tOntested
struggle, possibly resulting in bringing out
dark horee, in which event the friends of ex-
Gov. eros we'll, ex-Speaker Jonathan j Wood
man, and others, expect to put in their best
work for their mon. AT present it Il not pos
sfble to even conjecture what will be the out
come of the contest but the people will join in
the sentiment, "May the best man win"