The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-02-23
Mr.. Woodman Again

| Mr. WOOufQdn Again
Mr.. EpIToR
AS Mr.. Jay Reynolds, seems to have
assumed the attorneyship for the narrow
gauge railroad company, and through
the Northerner has made his plea for
that corporation, and inasmuch as | have
written an article for the Courier cover
ing Ito some extent) the railroad matter
and bond question, which seem to inter
est our people, | will not go over the
ground again, but refer to some of our
friends flights of eloquence and criticise
some of his statements. Our friend claims
the company has expended thirty or
forty thousand dollars in improving the
road, which has drained their purse and
compelled them to appeal to Paw Paw
township for the little donation of nearly
$4,000. Then our friends scope scars
away to the sea board, coal fields and
islands of the sea, and he begs us rush
to the aid of a crippled enterprise, which
is SO solicitous for our welfare. A Grip
pied enterprise, indeed! How long since
the road was purchased for a meager
sum? Only few months since. Does
or friend believe the company is hard
up, that it embarked in the enterprise
without counting the costY If it did the
sooner it "busts up" the better. Then
our friend scores us for the non-success
of Mr.. Burroughs. attributing it to 1.-The
non support and jealousy of our people"
Possibly some others know quite as much
about that matter as Mr.. r., and he
wrongs our people when he accuses them
of wrong doing.
Mr.. X. admits that past experiences
should be lesson to US, and he constructs
it to mean that we have dropped our
dollars into our own pockets instead of
giving them To the railroad. Then he
refers to our village as quiet little town
to live in: then he goes on and attempts
to belittle our ancestors, whom he charges
with being a quiet-loving, non -enterpris-
ing people, who by their teaching and
practice made Paw Paw what it is day,
an, SO quiet! Shades of the departed,
come up from your dusty beds and re-
flute and rebulxe this SANDER charged up
on you What? Willard, Sherman, Briggs,
Stevens, Manning, Lamphere, Snow and
our old citizens generally, non-enterpris-
ing? Verify, if we should hold our peace
the monuments they have erected would
cry out. Let me ask our friend VINO
built our big Touring mill, and three
others? Who built our fine school house
and seven churches? Who established
furnaces. machine shops, planning mills
and other industries? Who built our
fine brick blocks and nice residences?
Who planted the thousands of splendid
naples. that adorn our streets, and last
but not least, who paid $4,000 or over to
aid i'm building broad gauge railroad
from Lawton. Oh, our non -enterprising
ancestors, as our friend calls them, have
done all this.
In regard To our friends argument in
the matter of stock Yards. and elevator
monopoly in handling grain, have
only this to say: every man of average in
teliigence knows, or should know, that
railroad should and can be compelled to
furnish conveniences for its patrons,
and we all know that since the broad
gauge was stolen from us the road has
been nO-good one.
Yes sir, my interests are in South Ha-
/ ven, and in every orher township in the
county. 1 would not wrong or cripple
one township for the special benefit of
another.
What induced the railroad company
to profess so much interest in Paw Paw
ali at once, in rushing so many trains
over its road daily between here and
Lawton. and carrying passengers from
that place 10 their homes in our village
for fifteen cents? Can they afford it?
Certainly not. Then what? O, they are
only feeding talfy to Us, as any one can
plainly see. Does any one suppose this
state of things will continue after the
bond matter is settled? II is kind of
walk into my parlor' game, which will
on play out. Our iriend seems iascinat-
ed by the gli,terng generalities of this
railroad scneme i'm when he and all of
us will be caught. provided the scheme
is successful. VINO next?
ID. WooDMAN.