The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-01-13
Ye Law Makers.

a lot of Us had we been privileged to stand
in the boots of our represer tative in the
legislature the other day when the late
Gov. ri gree called him down for not
C cimbing into his band wagon, and dancing
to his music. Language would have been
feeble stuff for the occasion, but VT should
have selected some very choice specimens
for immediate use and scolloped it beauti
fully.
OF all specimens of gubernatorial i'm
pudeDce aud gall the present incumbent
takes the CAKE and pile of it too Being
elected perhaps by the debris, largely, of
all parties he belongs 20 none. He is a
party by himself No party owns him, no
party claims him, 10 pa ty wants him, no
party has any use for him, and what he
will do with himself at the expiration of
his term of office nobody knows and mo-
body cares. Possibly he may then be trot.
ting along In double harness with the late
Col Bryan. Oh, man! but how he'll kick
and snort when he turns the corners.
Our Legislators have something, however,
to occupy their time fully if thsx don't pass
a single bill. Simply undoing some of the
work of their predecessors, and correcting,
re adjusting and making inteligibe, what
laws we have. We have altogether too
many laws now, anu If the present legisla-
ture will scour up the statute books it will
do we'll But they will do nothing of the
ind ExraN ,lx.r knn La 80 ..I A.
and still there's more to folow-that he
wants enacted while the hundred and one
state benedciaries are rolling up their sleeves
to see which can thrust its arm fartherest
into the stata treasury.
Speaking of this class of leeches and
barnaces which have attached them
selves to the ship of state to see
a list of the number, kind and cost, is
enough to give a taxpayer ''the shakes. I"
Look at the number of our institutions of
learning-not including yeformatores-an
see what they cost the state, and every one
of them ought to be wiped out. Years ago
when the State Normal School was in.
augurated for the education of teachers,
there were no "high schools" as they are
called, and 1t seemed a necessity, but now
every Incorporated village In the State has
one, and pupils are graduated from them to
go direct to the University. Who main
tains these 'high schoolsP" 1t is the poor
taxpayer whose sole p session perhaps is a
house and lot and more than half his tax,
J frequently, is school tax. Now he Is taxed
for the benefit of his well-tO-do neighbOr
who has money to loan, and children to
school. Is there any equality or justice
about that? No, indeed. Our common
schools educate the pupil just as far as the
taxpayer ought to go, and II he wants a
higher education lei, him buy 1t and pay for
it. If he can't do 1t let hin 90 without 1t,
as most of our prominent business men
have done, fer he can get enough to do him,
IL he doesn't 60 much beyond 'the three
RS" readin,' 'ritin', and 'rithmetic. It is a
wrong, an inJustice-not only that, but It Is
outrageous. and people are waking up. to
the fact, so that our Legislators may we'll
ponder over the situation. In our haste as
q state to lead the world in educational
matters, we are perpetrating felony,
but little better than highway robbery.
We have had useless, utterly useless In
stitutions foisted upon us time and again,
the last one being that branch normal
school, located at st. Louis or Alma, or
both, perhaps.
We are punished bad enough by reforma.
tory schools which have got to be $50 ele
waited" that many parents prefer to send
their refractory children to a place where
they have all the comforts of home or
more than their own homes can furnish
them, and then the parents know that they
are not on the streets nights. So they feel
easy about them, and everything is lovely.
Very true, but II you want such delicacies,
pay for them, and do not ask your hard
working neighbor to do II for you.
Laingsburg, Jan. 12, $780, WARD.
Notice.