The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-10-25
THE OWOSSO TIMES
EDMUND O. DEWEY. EDITOR.
0wosso, MICH. FRIDAY. Der. s5, 1901.
Changed Drain Commissioners.

55 Changed Drain Commissioners.
a The board Of supervisors showed thei
appreciation of the value of good official
work in very strange way Tuesday wher
by vote of fourteen to ten they elected
Supervisor Harry Myers, of Vernon, ove
Drain Commissioner Chas. w. Parker
AIR. Parker has been most efficient drar
commissioner for the county for the las
ToNr years and his defeat by any board
would have been eycee dinghy bad business
da%ctioe so far as the financial welfare Of
'NR county Is concerned, but there Is also
nf1other feature which makes the action oil
Ul6 board equally hard to understand IRON
= purely political standpoint. The fact Is
Urblicans and ten democrats. Mr.. Parker
Sgs the choice of the republicans and Mr..
Myers was the democratic candidate. 10
any who we're not in the secret, and that
seems to be the vast majority of the repub-
sicans about the county, the matter seemed
's,trfecsly simple-there seemed to be no
reason for supposing that the board would
80 0therwise than to re-elect Mr.. Parker.
Something went wrong, however, with the
'sslAns and the expectations of the repubi-
sans in genera, for four of the republican
fxssp beIs of the board instead of voting for
rbeir own candidate turned about and voted
Ec0r Mr.. Myers, the democratic candidate,
thereby electing him by the same majority
with which Mr.. Parker should have been
seleeted. Even yet with all the advantage
at Eaving survey of the action of the board
OTTER the thing has been done, there Is still
70 bard job before any one who attempts to
igtve any good reason or explanations of the
's0ard's action. Evidently, however, there
sse some republican members of the board
who are entirely through with their own
political aspirations. With the record
which Mr. Parker has made in the office
sxny republican who would turn back on
1im could scarcely have the courage or the
Ssodacity TO ask the party throughout the
county for any favors In the nature of
pdiitical preferment. 1t has been hinted,
ecc, that the vote showed at least one in
stance where with even more emphasis
ethan anywhere else the basest ingrattude
sunlight be charged-it being supposed of
$conrse as it must be that there was absc-
Autely nO.reason for the defeat of Mr.. Park
eer aside from the mere political reasons
Tvshicil induced the democratic members to
vote for member of their own party, and
snurely personal reasons. Strange as It
anny seen the same supervisor, whose elec-
sioS was more accidental than otherwise
1as INDUCED In quite r0seate political
Streams Tor person of so slight experience
TN politics, and in fact had been candi-
saafe for the very Office to which Mr.. Parker
SHOULD have been unanimously re elected.
There Is not much advantage to be gained
I'm making threats after surprise of this
kind, however, and so far as THE TIMES
KNOWS, none have been INDUCED In in this
Shses bat the fact remains that chickens do
sometimes come home to roost and the ac-
Stoa of those republican members OF the
beard Is not particularly pleasing to the
other republicans of the county to say moth
ang about the average taxpayer, without re-
'gsrd to politics, who has an appreciation of
the difficulties of filling the Office of county
SdrsiH commissioner satisfactorily. The
taxpayers of the county in general were
'moCe than satisfied with the work of Drain
Commissioner Chas. w. Parker and he
should have been reelected. 1t is no dis
credit 10 him either that he was not re-
elected. A sharp trick and little unex-
pected treachery on the part of supposed
friends did the business. One republican
member was openly opposed to the election
OF MI Parker. while 1t is stated by Mr.. Park
er that he had the personal pledge of all the
other republicans on the board that they
would support him.
Ar. Myers, the newly elected commits
stoner 70 an old supervisor and has been
popular member of the board. Personally
there is not much room for doubling that he
will do bis best to make a satisfactory
omciai There has been, however, great
amount of work to be attended to by the
oG1ce Of drain commissioner in the last year
OF two and the work OF Mr.. Parker has
been so satisfactory that, IA said before. IL
was exceedingly bad business practice for
Tho county for the board to make the
change when Mr.. Parker was a candidate
tor reelection.
q srOrt Io,,A H..