The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-12-30
THE OWOSSO TIMES.
EDMUND 0. DEWEY. EDITOR.
OwOSSO. FRIDAY. DEC. 80, 1898,
The Year Now Ending

The Year Now Ending.
The present year now drawing so near Its
close marks greater and moremomentous
changes, and greater possibilities for good
or evil to Americans than any since the
memory of the generation which Is now as
Stunning sway In the business and poltical
world. The wonderful success of our navy
and the consequent long stride to the front
made by the Anglo Saxon race has opened
before us new era full of the most wonder
full possibilities for extending our commerce
profit by the experience of our English
cousins and follow in the mistakes of the
Spanish whom we have succeeded-it
opens a new era of free government and
prosperity for millions who have for many
decades, t0iled under the oppression of the
Spanish colonial policy but who now are be-
ginning to awaken to the great democratic
idea of giving the people chance to bring
out the best that there is In them.
True, there are dangers, and vet there
have always been dangers since the country
first realized that 1t had common interests
that made 1t nation. But to yield and
crouch before dangers real or fancied, Is not
in keeping with the Anglo Saxon make up.
1t is the dauntless courage and firm will, the
ability to think out destiny and then work
1t out, which has brought the race to the
plane 1t now occupies. And shall we say
that the American people, who as we be-
lieve are in the very van of the progress,
shall we say that the American people no
longer have the stamina to grapple with
new questions, new to us as yet, but plainly
solved by our own kin? That would. be
cOwardly, and opposed to the very instinct
which has made the race what 1t Is. Dan
gers there are, but they will be met Prob
lens there are, but they will be solved by
earnest thought backed up by action. And
so not only does the present year mark great
and important changes for Americans but
these changes are the beginning OF new
era of prosperity and wonderful advance
ment In the business and the political world
and true to the instincts of the race we are
going to have hand In it,
In state affairs, as elsewhere, so In Michi-
gan, the war has OvershadOwed nearly all
else with its preparation of i've regiments of
Michigan troops which have been sent into
the field with their complement OF some six
thousand five hundred men Before this
action became certainty however, the state
beheld an object lesson in legislation. Ii
saw at a special session Of the legislature a
different, had been deemed important
enough to justify calling a legislature to-
gether to vote upon, had been petitoned for
by thousands of voters, and was voted for
by practically every representative and al
most a majority OF the senator's yet which
was defeated, whether wisely or not, by the
votes of IL out of 1872 Legislators, nearly all
the rest of whom voted for IL and each of
whom had been elected by the people aud
was no better than any other Since then the
state has seen political campaign in which
the citizens have nobly endorsed the Nations
policy under the present administration by,
sending a solid delegation TO congress from
the party that made the Nations policy. 1t
has seen in the same campaign man who,
by as powerful and unscrupulous a machine
as was ever organized, held the reDomina a.
ton for governor on the republican ticket
absolutely within his grasp In spite of the
sryio nf NJ
could see through him and appreciate both
his methods and his character Ii has seen
him elected by large majority derived
mainly from the populist element of the
union silver party and yet at the same time
Il saw ensured the reelection to the United
States senate of man to whom no epithet
was too vile for the same gubernatorial dem
agogue to apply. IL has been the food
year OF the governors popularity and each
year the majority of his supporters are COM
ing more and more largely from the popu.
listic class which worships such pretenders
for while but finally drops them hard. On
the other hand the contest for the senator
ship has seen the overwhelming majority of
the loyal republicans putting forth every
honest effort to re-elect Senator Bur.
rows. They well knew the force OF circum-
stances which made them powerless to In.
terfere In the state ticket but, after putting
their pride In their pocket, determined to
thwart the boss and save the honor OF the
state by re-electing one of the tried and true
officials who has so ably represented his
state In Washington, Senator j. @. Burrows.
And now they have success within their