The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-06-30
Beautiful Political Acumen.

The Evening Argus, of this city,
never knowingly lets pass chance to
display its profound craftsmanship and
its good practical common sense in
either business or politics, but most of
all it seems to pride itself on possessing
deep and mysterious fund of knowl-
edge of politics such as is all darkness
| TO the uninitiated mind, and clear to
the common herd only as its editor, out
| of the kindness of his heart, dips his
| pen in ink or fills his fountain pen perS
| chance with mixture of ink and gall,
and writes word or two to let the
masses have just glimpse of what in
his marvellous political sagacity is so
common sight that it seems as though
he alone must see it all and must do
humanity a favor by exposing small
chunk of his political wisdom.
Twice at least of late such gems of
thought, such instructive and illuminat-
ing bits of rhetoric have been permitted
to slip from his pen. And it's not alone
the substance of them but most of all
| their timeliness which commends them.
It's like the trade killing efforts of the
same sheet last fall to attempt TO
create the impression that there was
diphtheria epidemic on in this city 1t
shows Just that rare brand of common
sense.
For instance, at the reunion of the
| Rough Riders in New Mexico the other
day, Colonel Roosevelt had something
to say about honesty in public officials,
remarking that if they would "steal for
you" they would "steal from you" and
for an illustration of dishonesty, said
that congressman sometimes worked
through public building appropriations
by dishonest methods. The whole ad
dress was characteristic OF the governor
who picks up any illustration which
comes to his mind but here comes the
political sagacity of the Argus.
After Owosso has come near securing
a public building during several ses-
sions of congress; when her develop
ment has reached such point that she
is plainly entitled to public building;
and when in every respect Owosso's
chances for getting such are known to
be better than ever before, the Argus
picks out this one part only of Governor
| Roosevelt's speech and publishes 1t
editOrially, emphasizing the statement
that "a man who will steal for you will
steal from YOU" and remarking on its
own authority that This is point in
politics that the mass of people has yet
| to learn"
Thus it apparently seeks to imply
that public building appropriations can
be secured or usually are secured, only
through dishonesty, and attempts to
make Governor Roosevelt say the same
thing-which he did not-wbie by its
own comment it practically says, "Spot
any congressman who gets through
public building appropriation he's
bad" Now after emphasizing such an
unjust view as that, what inducement
is there for a congressman to use the
earnest, honest, and untiring efforts,
which are always necessary in such
matters, to secure such needed inn
provement for Owosso, since by secur-
ing it he is to be branded as dishonest.
There is but one hope and that is based
on the fact that the congressman from
the eighth Michigan district is man
who dares do his duty no matter what
blunders some papers of the profound
depth of political knowledge possessed
by our contemporary may stumble into
| But twas really a most timely, most
sensible, in fact most profoundly wise
thing to do, to tell man that If he tries
to do something for Owosso to help her
get her just deserts, he will be suspected
of dishonesty. There is still one more
hope though. Perhaps the congress
man already knows the great depth of
the political sagacity and wisdom of
the Argus and trusts long suffering
public to haye little common horse
sense which can beat all hollow the
brand,of political wisdom doled out by
the paper in question.
But it isn't the Argus fault IL he does