Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1901-01-10
EX-GOvEREOR'S WRATH
DEFENDS Upon the Heads Of His
Critics and the Courts.
MAKES SOME SEVERE CHARGES
Roasts Everything I'm Sight, Including
the Press-says Pardon Board Is a.
Farce-scores Pros Tuttie-Claims
TO Have spent $4,000 a Year.

Ex-Gov. Pingree S eXaugural mes
sage was delivered to both houses of
the legislature at noon on the 3D..
Following are few extracts taken
from the same with comments: Il do
not claim 70 be perfect, said Mr.. Pin
gree to them, "but ] do claim to have
the back bone to speak out as TO what
think is my duty and yours. There
are questions before us which require
conscientious study. | have studied
them for the last four years regardless
of what conspiracies there might be
against me, political, judicial or any
other, including the press. To be gov
ernor is a high honor but very eX-
pensive luxury. / can truthfully say
/ have had To spend $4,000 of my own
hard-earned money | never received
bride from our best citizens and
have had to spend $4,000 year to
keep pace with the times and do the
work. 1t is up to you to see that an
appropriation is made for the governor
TO pay his honest bills
The governor can't go out of town
with his staff without paying their.
bills. Railroad travel is expensive at
three cents a mile. | could have car
ried my family and my staff all over
the United States if | consented to
allow the railroads and other corpor-
atoms to rob this state.
Piugree showed how other states pay
their governors enough to meet ex-
penses and commented bitterly on tho
criticisms of his buying few postage
stamps.
Taking up the question of pardons
and paroles, he said there are twice as
many men who should be released rot
ting in Michigan jails as he had re-
leased. The pardon board is the big
gist farce of any state commission, he
said. He then waded into his big mes
sage, and IA number of senators got out
their newspapers. The ex-governor
stood it for a time but before long he
stopped the reading and said deliber-
ately: THE distinguished senator's
might have the courtesy to postpone
the reading of their newspapers
There is few things in this message
they ought to listen 10"
The governor said that if the young
man on the bench in Ingham county
thinks he, Pingree, is in contempt of
his court alone he is mistaken for he
holds in contempt dozens of courts in
this state. He says they violate the
laws themselves and call it justice. Il
leave it to you" said he, whether these
gentlemen should be allowed to sit on
the bench or not. 1t is up to you now"
He suggest that changes be made in
the law governing the term to be given
a man convicted of murder in the sec
ond degree. In another extra he takes
up the Ingham county trials and gives
the people concerned few raps He
apologies to the people for not re-
moving Prosecuting Attorney futile,
as he knows she is thief, and de-
ceiver and a briber." These are his
exact words:
Il realize that it was my duty and
that | had the authority to remove
this man, but / did not do so because
the state of my health was such that
/ could not explain to the people as l
should the reason for my action, and
knew the prejudiced press would not
do SO" He then said that the Ingham
county grand jury was disgrace to
the state; that grand juries are relic
of the dark ages and very few states
allow them. Two members Of the jury,
he states, offered to report everything
that was said before the morning ses-
sion of court for 81 600. He got it
through a detective for $500. Honest
men would be shocked and disguised if
they knew all the details of the ICON
spiracy," he adds.
AS to the contempt case, Pingree
quotes an alleged statement by Wiest's
predecessor to the effect that 1.-THE gov
ernor was an old bald-headed -"
The contempt proceedings were started,
he argues, because they were afraid he
was not yet politically dead.
Pingree then accounted for his not
staying all the time in Lansing by tell
ing an amusing story of the accommo
datious in the two leading hotels.
Amur Threatened with Famine.