The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-11-03
FREE TRADE FOG.
From the Lansing Republican.

FROM the Lansing hepuOllcan.
The anti protection speeches of Tim
othy Tarsney of Saginaw, and of o. M.
Barnes at the opera house in Lansing on
the evening of Oct. Is, and the offer of
Arthur j. Eddy, secretary of the demo-
craticstate central committee, to furnish
free-trade editorials to combination"
papers on application, prove that the
opposition leaders do not care to dis
cuss matters pertaining to state affairs
but they wish to get as far from the
main question as possible. 1t Is all
right for republican journalists to prick
these bubbles as they come within reach,
but they ought not to relinqtlish their
efforts in presenting the facts which
show that Michigan under republican
rule has been more honestly and eco
nomically governed than any other state
in the Union. Messrs. Tarsney and
Barnes acknowledged this when they
confined themselves to generalities and
failed to even intimate a desire to
"look at the books" and find out just
how the record stands on state affairs.
MR.. TARsNEY's SPEECH
was an ingenious piece of deception.
He first made lame review Of political
ernment, which had about as much to do
with-e'ss-issues of the present state cam
paign as the M Osaic laws have,with reg
ulating the manners and customs of the
Sioux Indians. He raised his voice
against political assessments on govern
ment employees, but forgot to say the
practice Of which he was complaining
had its origin in the democratic party.
Had Mr.. Tarsney spent portion of the
time which he wasted in mixing up the
history of political parties he would
have found that away back in the
"GooD OLD DEMOCRATIC DAYS."
under Andrew Jackson, one David
Lyon, testified in an investigation that
he was the first deputy collector of the
port Of New York during the whole
time Samuel Swartwout was collector,
and that he was. frequently called upon
to contribute to political objects. To
use his own language, he says: 1.-THE
amount was from $40 to 500. The tax
was pro rata according to salary. 1t
bore a proportion of from one to six
per cent. l frequently paid part of
the amount. When IL was too high, and
more than / could afford, urged them
to reduce it. In one instance when
was assessed $40 Mr.. Swartwout told
the collector of the tax that $40 was
enough for me to pay. If the individual
did not pay the amount he was taxed
the collector would remark, You will
be reported to the general committee,
andeverybody understood that prOscrip-
tion would follow"
Arthur DePeystsr said: "The weigh
ers were called on to pay $l5 each for
Al - al n
declined, Mr.. Vanderpool, the deputy
collector, observed that j ought to con-
slider whether my 81 800 per annum was
impression that 1t was
THE PRICE OF MY SITUATION
paid it," These are but few instances
of the many that might be cited to
remind Timothy T. that he is little
late in his lamentations over political
assessments. The Covode investigation,
which covered a period from 1858 to
1850, showed that political assessments
were made the test of party fealty, and
to rebel against them was treason, and
was instantly and inexorably followed
by decapitation. During these palmy
democratic times President Buchanan
and Governor Hendricks
SUPERINTENDENT THE COLLECTIONS.
The Republican believes the system
of arbitrary political assessments as
practiced by the democracy or any other
party to be pernIcious in more ways
than one. but we would like to have the
"young lion of the Saginaws" show
single Instance where republican gov
eminent employe was ever turned out Of
Office or even threatened with decapita-
ton. Every officeholder in every poll
tical party should willingly contribute
to the legitimate expenses of political
campaigns, but so far as assessments are
concerned, the Republican believes that
MORE HARM THAN BENEFIT
has come when the republican party