The true northerner., 1898-11-02

paper last week, in reply to challenge
published by that paper, calling on Mr..
Phillips TO explain his position: &.
Dear Sir:-I am encouraged by your
challenge in last weeks paper to break
over my rule of not attempting TO con-
tradict or correct the misstatements of
the opposition press in political cam
paign, and l gratefully accept your
manly challenge. You say, "We chal-
lenge the press of this county, or Mr..
Phillips himself, to deny the statements
of this paper. We said that he voted
for the bill (the Atkinson bilD in the
special session and he voted against it
in the regular session"
First-At the special session | pro-
posed three amendments to the Atkin-
son bill: One to reduce the salary OF
the clerk from two thousand dollars per
annum to one thousand dollars; a second
to strike out the item allowing the board
of assessors their expenses in addition
to ten dollars per day which they were
to receive as salary, as | deemed the
per diem alone ample pay; and third to
more clearly define the tax raised under
the bill as specific" taxes and thereby
preventing their being taken from the
school fund and diverted to other pur-
poses. To neither of these three amend
ments did Mr.. Atkinson interpose word
of objection and the last of the three he
heartily endorsed in brief speech. L
also opposed clause in the bill provid-
ing for the issuing of bonds by the state
to recompense the Michigan Central
railroad for damages resulting from the
bill, which issue of bonds | deemed en-
tirely uncalled for. AS neither the At
kinson bill nor anything resembling it
was proposed at the regular session l
could not and did not vote against it.
Second In several issues you quote
me as saying; II have no use for Pin
gree;" what he wants do not;" ''any-
thing he supports | shall not" | never
used that language or anything that
could be so construed, and never enter
tained such sentiments, and my whole
record, both at the regular and special
sessions, shows it to be false. The papers
of the state uniformly and rightly classed
me as an Independent, neither Pingree
henchman nor an anti Pingree.. 20 ----.
Third-in your issue of October I, re-
ferring to my bill increasing the taxes of
express companies five fold, you say:
They (the people) know too that the
Phillips measure served its purpose, that
of detracting the attention of the legisla-
ture from Pingree's bill" Mr.. Atkinson
said of this bill: 1T is eminently Just.
It is bill that ought to pass without a
dissenting vote" 1t passed the house
without dissenting vote. Was Mr.. At
kinson and every Pingree supporter in
the house voting for bill intending to
detract from Pingree's bill?s
5 Fourth-In your issue of October 81
you quote me as saying at Paw Paw,
February II, 1898: Il do not believe in
the agitation of these things that is
opposing trusts and monopolies): if car
ried too far it will eventually lead to
civil war" This is as gross misquotation
as to quote the Bible to prove that there
is no God because the good book says,
The fool has said in his heart there is
no God" What / did say is this: The
legislation of the next twenty-five years,
both state and national, must be directed
to protecting the individual against un-
just oppression of the capitalists and
monopolies on the one hand and the un-
due encroachments upon his rights by
the trades unions on the other. Unless
this is done it will stir up the more ig-
norant portion of the people and will
eventually lead to civil war"
Let me close with word not strictly
in answer to your challenge. am glad
that the republican press of the county
have refrained from any personal attack
on Mr.. Dilley. AS the Courier rightly
says, he is an honorable christian gentle
men, and | am glad to know that he has
not been a party to the unjust and false
attacks upon me, and | hope no one will
allow his vote to be influenced by any
canard that may be circulated concern
ing him or myself in these closing days
of the campaign. when it is too late to be
met and disproved.
Yours truly,