The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-03-15
A Dog in the Manger.

DOSs
For some weeks it has been talked over
the county that South Haven would play
the "baby act" in the county seat matter,
by bending every energy to carry the
removal proposition and letting the
bonds go bydefault, depending upon the
county's necessity to secure buildings in
the future.
In view of the representations made
by the committee of South Haven's
citizens who were present when the board
of supervisors voted a submission, The
True Northerner has been loath to believe
that such condition of affairs really did
exist. 1t was then definitely stated that
South Haven people were satisfied that
the county needed new buildings, and
that they were certain to vote in favor of
bonds for such buildings, provided the
removal proposition was submitted at
the same time, and that they were willing
to abide by the decision of a majority of
the people as between the two towns,
and then to build buildings that would
be creditable to a wealthy and progressive
county like Van Buren. From that time
to the present, the Paw Paw people and
the Paw Paw press have bent every
energy to secure the appropriation, believ-
ing honestly that buildings should be
built somewhere. On the other hand
South Haven, as is now clearly shown by
the utterances of some of her leading
citizens and by the tone of the South
Haven papers, has become a veritable
"dog in the manger." 1t is fact which
cannot be gainsaid or denied that South
Haven's influence is being exerted against
the appropriation. If they cannot win
the location, and they cannot, they are
now unwilling to abide by the decision of
the people, as it was represented in
January that they would do.
Indeed, it is freely talked that if this
appropriation does not carry and the
removal does, that South Haven will be
able to secure eventually a much larger
amount than 100000 FOR county buildings.
Such a course of action cannot be de-
Tended, and is deserving of positive and
overwhelming rebuke at the polls. The
voters of Van Buren, county, regardless
tactics, and should go to the polls and
vote against the removal and in favor of
the bonds.
The tax would be nominal, only 81
cents per year on 500 of valuation, and
would be burdensome to no one.
The people are tired of the county seat
campaign and do not care to go through
another. The fight has engendered more
feeling and animosity than any election
that has ever been held in the county.
There is but one way in which the ques-
ton is at all likely to be permanently
settled at the present time, and that is
by voting against the removal and in
favor of the bonds. If South Haven
should win the location without the
bonds, which The True Northerner does
not believe possible, it is extremely
doubtful if another bonding proposition
could ever be submitted unless a re-
moval proposition was coupled with it.
There is not the slightest argument in
favor of the removal of the county seat
to South Haven. All that has been said
by the South Haven press is the merest
clap-trap, and is either founded on false
premises or else built of thin air. There
is not a single valid objection to the
present location of the county seat.
There is not any good reason why the
people of this county should not build
suitable modern county buildings, as
they can afford to do. 1t does seem as
though, in the few days intervening be-
fore the election, the sober, common
sense of the people must prevail and that
the bonds will be voted for the erection
of buildings in Paw Paw.