The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-10-14
AMERICAN FAIR PLAY.

Demanded In Taxation as Elsewhere
Geo. T. Mason the Embodiment of that
Spirit-A Man Who Knows Laws both
as made by Legislatures and as Modified
by Courts-A Glance at His Record.
Among all the names on the republican
ticket this fall there is none which stands
for the best interests of the people at large
and the farmers and those workingmen who
own their own homes In part cular-none
which stands for good government and hon.
est Legislation In greater degree than that
of George T. Mason. of Owosso township,
the we'll known and universally respected
nominee for state representative.
A feature which adds especial interest to
this particular candid ate Is that 1t Is one of
the rare cases where the nomination has
plainly sought the man and not the man the
nomination, for 1t is quite we'll known
among his friends, II not generally known,
that Mr.. Mason did not seek the nomination
and only consented to make the canvass after
friends from all parts of the county had per-
sistently urged him to do 50. Now that he
has been placed In nomination however, In
justice to the party which has placed him in
this position, he is doing y0eman service
laboring for the success of the whole ticket,
himself included.
Mr.. Mason is not a man who finds it
necessary to 60 back to an army record In
order to find grounds for his preferment,
either on the grounds of work we'll done, or
of patriotic devotion to public duty, and yet
IL there is an old soldier In the county who
does not know Geo. 7. Mason as cOmrade
in G. A. r. circles it will only be necessary
to refer him to the news pages of last
weeks TIMES, where the account of the re-
ception to the old Eleventh Michigan Caval.
ry is given. There they can get at least a
faint idea of the appreciation his former
comrades have for him and his services; and
the cheers which were given at the mention
of his name and at the mention of the work
that he had done tor them should prove him
well entitled to the most favorable consid-
Grafton at their hands. And yet 1t is safe to
say that even the record which carried such
appreciation with 1t was not the reason for
his being placed In nomination. for repre-.
sentative from Shiawassee.
The fact is that there never has been an
official In Shiawassee county whose work
has been so widely known for the accuracy
and pains and the absoluteimpartiality with
which it was done. During the years when he
was county drain commissioner so we'll was
his honesty and perfect fairness known that
no one felt compelled to keep constantly on
the alert to see that he was not being impos-
ed on by contractors or by other land owners
for he knew he would be treated Justly.
In the days by gone It was believed thai
no drain could be legally laid and the tar
collected II any one chose to fight it, and
many an act of injustice to whole distric,
was done by some shallow minded persoE
who chose to block such work.
When Mr.. Mason took up the work hi
was convinced that drain which was real
ly necessary could be laid and accordingly
he began study of drain laws and court
decisions even more important, which ha.
made him today one OF the best known ant
most widely recognized authorities on thos'
laws, his services being called for by th'
legislative committee two years ago wheI
they changed the existing law.
1t is natural to suppose that man will
/ his wide experience in public life, compris
Ing the practical knowledge of valuation
! and assessments and combined with tn
most scrupulous honesty, would be the bes