The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-03-31
THE CIRCUIT JUDGESH|P.
"LOcal Pride" Tactics of Livingston
Silver Men.

The State of Affairs Viewed From the
Partisan Standpoint.
BY this time there Is probably not a
voter In Shiawassee county who does not
realize that the term of Hon. Stearns r.
Smith as Judge of the Shiawassee-Living.
ston circuit expires December 3lst, and
whether he shall serve for another term or
not depends largely on the actions of
Shiawassee voters between now and next
Monday before the closing of the polls.
He has now served partial term. being
elected to fill the unexpired term caused by
the death of Judge Montague, and having
given the best of satisfaction, according to
the precedents of bis party he was unani-
mOusly renominated by it. He now Is q
candidate for reelection and Is just as de-
serving at the hands of the voters In general
as he was at the hands of his party. The
task of convincing anyone of this last state
ment should not be difficult one nor
should 1t be difficult to make votes for him.
The man who has made the faithful record
which his Is in a partial term deserves the
honor of filling out at least one full term,
especially in an Office where at least two
full terms for an incumbent. is the rule.
Then again he has gained knowledge and
experience which should make him even
more valuable in the future, and has arrived
at time in life when ones judgment is
most matured and ripest and ones expert
ence most varied, yet he has the strength
that he will not only have the strength to
complete the years of his full term but to
live out many more years of usefulness
after that. His kindly and sympathetic
nature furnish just the right sort of tenn
pering for judicial mind. His ability and
fairness onth bench are acknowledged on
every hand. In word be Is tried and
true, and everyone knows it.
But because his record is so open and so
satisfactory in every way it is unnecessary
to dwell upon 1t, fact which has already
been tacitly admitted by his opponents
woo have therefore been obliged to seek
other methods for defeating him. The re-
sui: is, that, urged to desperation by their
slim chances for success, the democrats in
Livingston county have been using every
means to arouse a sO-called sense of local
pride in Livingston voters and thereby to
increase the vote for their candidate, Judge
Smiths opponent.
1t is easily to be seen that this may put a
different aspect on the case, depending of
course, on the extent to which they are able
to influence Livingston republican voters,
and yet il Shiawassee voters will look at
the matter in the proper light this final re-
suit will be only to increase the vote for
Judge Smith. He is going to have the sup
port of the great mass of Livingston repub-
licans anyway, while there are many
democrats in Shiawassee county who will
see 1T to follow the principles so hotly laid
down by their party leaders in Livingston
county and vote also as local pride would
lead them.
This latter suggestion should furnish the
clue to the course to be pursued by Shiawas-
see voters during the remaining time before
the closing of the ballot boxes next Mon
day. When the democrats of Livingston
make the residence of their candidate
within their county and the local pride of
Livingston county voters strong enough
roosop for a ttonntjno IN oaouro tho votoo of
republicans for their candidate, they not
only insult good republicans In that county
who see through their scheme, and are loyal
to their party, and endorse Judge Smith,
but when it comes to their treatment Of
Shiawassee democrats they are in just as
bad middle. If their Livingston county
leaders think local pride so strong an argu-
ment In Livingston county, the suggestion
Immediately comes to them that they, the
Shiawassee democrats, are being made
cats paws to pull Livingston county local
pride chestnuts out of the fire. They see
that the silver leaders in the neighbOriDg
county have logically surrendered their
right to ask the votes of Shiawassee demo-
cratic-silver men, and the conclusion
which they inevitably reach cannot fail to
make them quite willing to consider the
matter In non. partisan light and to con-
slider what local pride they, too, have at
stake.
y Ii LiviDgston's local pride demands so
much, when their candidate is man who
has never been before the people and is I'M
known outside part of his own county,
how much should Shiawassee pride demand
when 1t is question OF the reelection of
man who has been before the people as an
official and against whom defeat would be
urged as verdict of disapproval of his
work. Yet this is what 1t would amount to
In the case of Judge Smith. The Judge has
made a good record; has been fair and i'm
partial. He has been broad minded and
ltberai In all his. political utterances, speak
Ing withk due regard to the dignity of his
Position whenever addressing public gath
erings. He has been absolutely non. parti-
sans in his, dealings. and has always been
economical dn ,his administration Of the