The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-01-31
The Nom Tax-Paying Guardian of Shia-
wassee County's Taxpayers and his
x.ya~1 o1.osa 7 zeal n.&;oa

The Nom Tax-Paying Guardian of Shia-
wassee County's Taxpayers and his
ward oppose Local Option.
In season and out of season Ward" has
taken IL upon himself the burden of defeat
ing "local option" in this county. Careful
inquiry as to who "Ward" is discloses the
fact that he is kindly old gentleman who
In his declining years writes fables on ''hang-
ing" "ditching," "local option" aud other
subjects. Ward" has habit of making
people think he is serious when he is not.
At certain county convention "Ward" sat
sleeping and dreaming, and when he awoke
he savagely called man to order who was
making a nominating speech. The inter-
ruption was so sudden and unexpected that
"Ward" apologized to the gentleman after
wards for allowing himself to be awakened
so easily. In the matter of local option he
Is either amused il people take him seriously
or else will afterwards apologize for allow.
ing himself to have been awakened. But it
is impossible to take "Ward" seriously. For
example, he says:
LAINGsBURG, Jan. 11.-And now comes
our county treasurer who asservates before
the honorable board of supervisors, that,
treasury will be empty by June IL the SIS. 900
usually derived from liquor licenses is cut
off, as it promises to be, by local option.
The general government is in the same d.
lemma, for wonder, but no one has pro-
posed as yet to abate the liquor tax in order
to recOup its finances. 1t might be i'm order
to inquire ''where are we at" as county
financially?
Now, inasmuch as we have deficit with
the saloons, and as Chas. Holman says that
the liquor traffic costs us directly $4,000 to
support the poor, and as supervisor of this
county says that liquor compels us to pay
over $50, 600 for court expenses and $4,000
for insane patients at the state esylums, it
would seem that the liquor traffic has been
piling up taxes so well that this local option
is move on the part of taxpayers to cur
tail taxation by curtailing the cause. Now,
while we are at this point one Dukesmith,
for whose paper "Ward" writes, viz: the
Durand Express, pays taxes to the extent of
500. 90 and is very much afraid that local
option will multiply his taxes, so that as the
case now stands Dukesmith pays 10000 and
if local option multiplies them by two or
three, what will Dukesmith pay? WARD
and Dukesmith are 'longer" oil giving adj
vice than they are on paying taxes. Ward"
says again:
We hired detectives from abroad and
whipped the devil out of sight in Charlotte.
1t was expensive but it was right. 1t has
driven trade to other towns and streets are
silent but we can't help that. There may
be just as much money squandered for drink.
We don't know it and we don't care. We
propose to do what is right, dollar or no
dollar.
Now "Ward," by unanimous vote the
board of supervisors of Eaton county have
said that local option has reduced expenses
and proves in every way beneficial. Now
where it has reduced expenses is that not
sufficient answer to your contention about
county finances and exactly along the line
OF the reason the people want LOCAL OPTION
and reduced expenses in Shiawassee county,
The Banner, published in Grand Ledge,
Eaton county, mot in Durand, Shiawassee
county, and the editor taxpayer as we are
informed, says in the issue of Jan. 21st of
local option:
Business men in all branches, including
real estate and the farming interests through
out the county, are against return to the
saloon system. Professional! men, including
nh mr. a m
paper fraternity are supporters of the law.
Wives and mothers are nearly unanimous
ia its favor.
And further in the matter of expenses:
Our court and criminal expense has been
less than formerly. In fact crime with the
exception of the socalled local option cases,
and the instances of petty larceny and small
burglary where the unemployed have been
forced to beg, steal or starve) has been
brought to its lowest ebb; and the fines
from the local option cases have put about
as much money into the public treasury as
the licenses used to. If q vote were to be
taken today. the majority in favor of the
new law in preference to the old would be
overwhelming.
Eaton county has been unfortunate all the
way through. Dreamland stories should
not be located, or at least so near home.
Official resolutions and facts vouched for by
reputable taxpayers and newspapers make
unfortunate confictions. Better give dreams
a mythical location. You would not think
of locating the "Weatherwax" family or
expect one to search the county directory
for them.
And further, is not the resolution of the
board of supervisors as to the matter of it
being benefit to Eaton county-men who
know individually and officially about what
they say-of greater weight than your I'M
supported statement But then "Ward.'
on, anolonu for uour hninn axual1anad NV the