Telegram-herald., 1888-02-27
IN HIS OWN DEFHSE
SAN CLAWS lsTTes TO rHs pUslc-
re AEAiszss suPeTtstsEasnf Aualsh's .
CLsE.~s-Aod AuA1x1s fh.E okksi~i
Row ths Aikss Cass WGs
Disposed OF


Disposed OF
There has been - much SANDER. Win
Psratsa. eSlumny and gossip published and
talked IA regard 90 myself ia the las few
seeks-foliew With the statement. in
oegssin newspaper. that / had run away
and probably would commit suicide. had
become al imoecile. etc. etc. and finally
an charged slth so-eslled m2liesssncs IA
Office. that l deem il bat justice 70 pa
friends aud the public 10 DO longer be 81
lent Tee excuse Tor the psrsoasi use
aud slAnder was the ierminSl 0 II law
suit contested for many dsys hetiy snd
desperately. Ia which the defendant did
no. win.
lae occasion for the sensational article
that had ran away. etc, Was the simple
fact that / weat to Indianapolis 10 yisil my
daughter attending school there. Before
leaving | employed competent counsel Ia
addition 10 my assistants 10 attend 20
official business, II necessary, and so
notified the Superintendent OF Police and
Others.
This wholesale denuuciztion, although
without excuse or justification, | am pain
fully aware has had the tendency ID alien
ate friends. preJu0ics the public aid EN-
b0iden enemies 70 make attacks they ~ould
Dot dare otherwise 10 have made. / feel too
well known ia Kent county, where ] have
lived for twenty years. 10 think il necessary
to reply TO this violent colunnlagiOn further
ihsn TO cay that while / am naturally in.
jured in feeling aud business by il, / am
still strOnS, attending 10 my personal and
professional duties. and ready for the next
attack During my absence at Indisnspo-
lis, ani taking advantage of the feeling en-
gsnde-ed. Sen. /. c. Smith preferred four
charges with Governor Luce against me
for the purpose of depriying me OF my
office; and for the past two weeks has
been busy Intervening different persons
brought TO him by officials and detectives,
hoping to find among them ali some chesp
Villain who would support the charges and
while the Superintendent has been thus en-
ployed there has bsen in existence in the
city of Grand Rspids un molested, ten houses
Of ill-fame, six gambling dens, two prize
lights ana other violations of the city crdl-
names which ii 10 his duty 10 see enforced.
Perhaps the courts sad tribunals OF the city
and county with whom the Prosecuting At
tofney has official business are competent
TO attend to their own business. How much
smoother the machinery Of municipal gov
ernmeat runs when each ofhcia! attends 10
his own business
Inc l0t OF the C0dfEeS-inc
stances under which they were made as
we'll as the motive which prompted-when
fully understood will leave but one opinion
IN the minds OF the public. The idea OF
putting this county TO two or three thou
sand dollars expense for the purpose OF in
vestigating charges made by l. G. Smith.
city police officer. against a county official
OF the nature OF those he has made sg ainst
CSC is absurd. The first charge is. that
asked hin whether IL would be well TO allow
ue Morton House 10 serve their guests
With liquor after IL o'clock in the evening"
This simple question shocked the man.
although be had for months before per-
mitteG every low saloon in tie city TO con-
tuue business in direct violation of law up
to IL clock az night, and up 10 this very
day permits liquor to be sold every night In
the same oailding where there is theatre
ard public amusements, in violation OF law.
The second charge is IN reiatioa 10 the
final disposition OF the Akin case, and
charges in substance that | said to one of
The attorneys of Akin that for $500 could
obtain con snt OF the Board Of Supervisors
10 nOlle pros. the case. This is the first
knowledge have had that the Board OF Su-
pervisors procticed in the courts. ! bad
learned by twenty years experience that the
Judge Of the court in v hich the case was
pending alone could order nole pros. The
Prosecuting Aitornev has no power TO nolle
pros. auy case. The Akin case was disposed
OF in this way: / was in attendance upon
the Supreme Court and heard \. A. Earle.
in brief way, convince the Court that II
was It's duIv TO kill the case. The Court
did so. and it was sent back 10 the Hon.
Judge BuTingame fer burisl-and was dis
posed OF by an order directing the same 10
nuile pros'd long before the Board OF Su-
pervisors met in October. 1887.
The third charge Is still more terrible and
asserts tnst one Marsh Byers and one
Jacob G. Forbes had arranged friendly
sDarring match 10 take place IN the county
of Kent and that l told them that I would
not interfere with them If they would give
me 500. Even II this we're lrue but It is
false, IL would be 20 more = violation Of nay
official duties than 10 say 10 two boys play
inx marbles on the sidewalk, If you will
give ne FIVE marbles I will not interfere
with vou Both games are innocent In
themselves. But if the fact is thai those
fellows had arranged prize hght, which
would be serious violation Of law and sub
iect them to Eve years imprisonment why
doe. rot I. G. Smith make complaint against
them. instead Of siall-feedng tbsn for wit
nesses. and | will see that tA-v are con-
victed. together with 9 few otners szgaged
In tie same business.
The fourth aud last charge is the -sost
serions of al. srd il this that in he
opinion Of Gen. Israel G. Smith TIE said :.
u. Clsv i. not competent for Prosecuting
Attorney. Now. | DO no; know bow can
prove that he hss not such a. opinion. bot
h orcurs to me If be bad been pagnanimons
enough ~ have given tbat opinion - the
voters Of Kent county before the lest slec-
ton if might have been iiee5e3 and al this
trouble avoided Summarized. then. toe
charges amount 70 tbs
Askei Gen. l. G. smith # be vas going
to ailou tbs Morton Houss % continue 20
ssve gnests after II o'oiock il the evening.
. Trying 10 influence tbs Board of "a
psrvisors to % something they could not
! DO aaa vhich bad slrssdT been done
?. asking fro men for money. sud prom
issng no; 10 interfere With their Innocent
sport
Not respecting Smiths orinion as 70
nv incoraD Datsncy, and a. once rtsigninE
my Office
Il vii - observed taat ibsss charges
even Is frae. 10 not sB0nat - ofleiai Tnis
/ oondact O. neeisct of 61rT. They srs false
and cannot - sipaor- q sxcspf Dv Pc ury
I .na ths NOS g8ff1' sna shameful raisco1-
strusiioa 81 tso a sss voFes ears II
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