Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-02-28

this has stood, evidence of the corrupt
use of official patronage and power
use of the peoples money to force
Thomas w. Ferry upon the Republi
cans of Michigan as United States
Senator against their wishes. Is il
any wonder that Mr.. Ferry counts
"the most of the Republican press
in his favor when the bestowal of the
advertising valued at from 5000 &c
81 200 net profit to each of these re
spectacle and influential papers is
only offered as the bases for his sup
port, and what sort of political integ'
rity and freedom is that which is Of
fered the average country editor, to
support Mr.. Ferry or to loose the
richest and most profitable patronage
the party has to bestow. Talk about
machine politics-this is worse-it is
dishonesty-it is the use ofthe peoples
money and business interests to pro-
mote dishonorable private ambitions
and ends.
Now to the sequel =
1t was given out just after the Re-
publican State convention that failed
to renominate the old auditor general,
that there would not be any tax adj
vertising in 1882, as the force in the
office was not sufficient to complete
the lists under the new law. Just
how much this dulled the energy of a
portion of the Republican press, and
opened the way for another portion
to either SANDER and Willy our NOM
inee for governor and some other of
ficers, we do not know, but that it had
a leaning that way was plainly evil
dent. But as soon as the election was
passed while the political corpses of
the head of the ticket, six out of
eleven congressman and many "un-
sound" candidates for legislative and
other places lay at the feet of victor
ious boilers, scratchers and machinists
out comes "a list of papers designated
to publish the delinquent State tax
lands held by the State, and with the
exception of bare four counties, so
far as we are able to learn, these pa
pers were the outspoken allies or Sc
cured by this influence for Senator
Ferry, and in but one of the four
Allegan-was it given to anti-Ferry
paper when there was a Ferry paper
in the county-and that turned out
to have been simply-a mistake.
There is the best of evidence that in
more than one county personal effects
were put forth to ascertain the sound
ness of the papers on the Ferry ques-
ton, and not far distant from the
Saginaw Valley some wonderful con-
versions were wrought and have
been bringing forth Ferry fruit since
that list was published, when before
they brought thorns. With these
facts before us it is palpably evident
that nearly $4,000 of the peoples
was distributed by this State
officer for the paramount purpose of
securing the election of Senator
Ferry by the aid and pressure of the
newspapers on which the bonus was
conferred. 1t was piece of machin-
ism scandalous beyond precedent, dis
honorable beyond any prior attempt
to control the free will and stihe the
real voice of the Republican party.
In the interest of the party, for the
sake of honest and legitimate politics,
to retain the good name and to pro-
tect the integrity of the Republican
press, the Herald gives its voice in
favor of investigation and reform. If
the intentions of the people to benefit
the press are to be thus prostituted,
better forego them, and if the party
cannot maintain a press independent
of patronage fraudulently used and
distributed, let it and its party organs
die together"