Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-02-06

degrading and corrupting in the mere
touch of money that most men will
barter their souls for gold, don't
waste your strength in trying to be-
little Mr.. Prentiss but rather tell
the world that within the borders Of
your city there lives a man who for
the past five years has worked at his
desk from early morning until nearly
midnight, six days in the week, deny
ing himself every pleasure which
most men seek, until it seemed to
many that his whole soul was alb
sorbed in the problem of how to keep
what he had and get more yet who,
when the crises came to test whether
he was man, or only a walking
check book, deliberately, cheerJuHy
threw away $4,000, his all, for an
idea ! not because he had to, but be-
cause it was RIGHT; and rejoice that
there lives in Alpena one man at
least as honest and as smart as Geo.
Prentiss.
1t may be proper, but probably
unnecessary for me to add that |
have had no conversation or cores
pondence with Mr.. Prentiss in rela-
ton to this matter since left Alpena,
that this letter is written and publish
ed without his knowledge, and my
reason for not sending it before is
that | did not learn that the ARGUS
had referred to the Prentiss Lumber
Co. troubles until this afternoon.
HENRY d. BILLINGS.
Lowell, Mass, January 25th, 1884.
The small caps, italics, and other
distinguishing marks are Mr.. Billings,
not ours, placed there at his request,
excepting the word ARGUS. Let him
who reads weep that such jewel has
been in our midst and was not dis
covered.
From the above we should judge
that while Mr.. Billings admits that,
while he certified to the correctness of
the published statement of the Prem
tiss Lumber Co. last year, yet he de-
MES having sworn to it. We confess
that we do not know what moral diff
ference there is between signing and
certifying to the correctness of state
ment, and swearing to it. If there is
any difference, it is too fine for us to
discern it. In our article regarding
that statement we stated that, as we
understood it, both Mr.. Prentiss and
Mr.. Billings swore to it, and that the
public could form just opinions re-
garding the statement, we published
it at that time just as it had appeared
in the Reporter. We understood it
as follows: Mr.. Prentiss, the Presi-
dent, and Mr.. Billings, the Secretary,
made report of the finances of the
Prentiss Lumber Co., on January LIST,
1888. They signed said report and
certified that it was ga true statement
of its condition on the first of Janu-
airy, 1888" That report must have
been taken, by the head of the firm,
after it was signed, to a notary public
and was there sworn to by him. In
that case we understood that Mr..
Prentiss represented all whose names
were signed to the document. That
statement with its certified affidavit,
signatures, and the sworn affidavit of
Mr.. Prentiss, was published in the
Daily Reporter of Jan. 31st, 1888,
and as Mr.. Billings was in town, he
must have known such to be the case,
and we have never heard of any pro-
test he made against the statement
signed by him, and so published and
made public; therefore we understood
him to accept and endorse that sworn
statement. Why should he object to
be charged with swearing to it? He
certified and signed it as a true state
ment, and the oath before q notary
public is not as strong as the certifi-
cation, because the swearing is to the
best of the knowledge and belief Of
the person who makes the statement,
while the certification is that is a true
statement
However, if Mr.. Billings wishes
the public to understand him as say
ing: Gentlemen, | certify to the
correctness of the statement given
above, but at the same time / wish il
distinctly understood that / do not
swear that l believe it is correct" or
if he wishes the public to understand
that he certified to the correctness of
a statement that he believed incorrect,
as would seem to be intimated by
his remarks in the letter above, why
certainly he has that privilege.
The only reason we know why he
objects to being charged with swearing
to the report is the ones he gives in
his communication, and one of them
is that he had not ascertained exactly
how many onions had remained I'M
eaten in the lumber camps Of the
Prentiss Lumber Co. Now, we be-