The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-11-02
The County Farmers Clubs.

The County Farmers Clubs.
Time after time, both in their own
regular club meetings, and in their
county gatherings, the farmers of Shia.
wassee county have declared their in
terest in the cause of equal taxation. No
longer ago than last January when the
county association held its mid winter
meeting in Corunna they passed strong
resolutions expressing their approval of
the work of the legislators who had
honestly attempted to bring about a
better condition of things in this regard
and scored the state senate holly for
presuming to block the proceedings of
the legislature in this regard through
the alleged organization of senators
known as the Immortal Nineteen"
The resolutions were passed upon by
the club members without any reference
to politics of the members of the clubs,
representing as they did the wishes of
the majority of the members from both
parties. Now the time has come for the
farmers of the county to stand up and
be counted. Were they sincere in what
they resolved in respect to equal taxa
ton and desire for reform in the
state tax laws which shall make every
Company and corporation pay as nearly
as possible under any human law it's
just share of the tax burden of this state
or were they, as a cant phrase expresses
it, talking through their hatss The
TIMES believes that they were honest.
If that is true what are they going to
do aboutit? Dothey themselves believe
that they are honest as class? The
TIMES believes that they are and that
there Is no reason why farmers them
selves should not have as much conf
dence in the integrity of their fellow
farmers as other people have in them.
But what are they going to do in the
present case9 They have had the re-
cord of their own representative placed
before them with every opportunity of
verifying it and obtaining any desired
explanation on any matter from the day
of the beginning of the first regular ses-
sion down to the present time, while no
person in the entire county has yet
ever been able to show satisfactorily
where he would have voted differently
in the interests of the people OF the coun-
ty, either farmers or others, from their
present representative. Trace every
sign of dissatisfaction back. to its source
and it will almost invariably be found
to have come from member of the OPP
posing political party who has attempt
ed to use his connection with the far.
mers' clubs organization of the county
to defeat Mr.. George L. Mason for
denomination and re. election. But what
are the expressed opinions of the truly
representative members of the clubs OF
this county, Can they be trusted to ex
press their opinions without any politi
cal chicanery? If the farmers OF the
county are honest in their devotion to
the cause of equal taxation, does it mean
anything to them that such men as N.
X. Potter, Chas. w. Shipman, and +. j
Cook attach their names to a statement
showing the vote of Mr.. Mason on every
important question before the house o.
representatives? Does the published
letters of that stalwart farmer member
and president of the Legislative farmers
club, Hon. Scion Goodell, mean any
thing to them? Does the letter in which
Hon. s. C.Goodyear, the secretary of thu
same farmers organization in the legis
lature, commends Mr.. Mason for hi
course lin the interest of the tax payel
and in particular the farmer, mean any
thing TO them9 DO they still think tina
thes author of the Cheever-Atkinsor
bill is friend of theirs and that he Cal
be trustedg II so, do they think tina
the letter which he has written to then
through the columns of The TINES is
piece, Cof political tomfoolery cajole'
out of him by some mysterious process
Do they imagine that MIR. Cheeve
would have-commended Mr.. Mason a
he does if he did not think that he di'
what was right in this legislature AM
that he would make better representa-
tive for them than any other and ne,
man whom they could send to Lansin
to represent them in the Legislature
Do they think that Hon Geo. L. Lusk
the kind of a man who would recommen
Mr.. Mason to them just for the fun G
seeing his name in print9 Do the
think that Hon. John j. Carton woul