Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1903-03-19
A MONTCALM VOICE
Wants Cleaner Men I'm Official
Positions.
Thinks District should Demand Res
ignations of Some-Raps Both
Counties and wants Whole
some House Cleaning.
PINE STuMPERIEs. 81

PINE STUMPERyES, 3-7-'H3.
EDITOR BANNER:-C Concerning the
Banners opinion of Montcalm's sena-
torial shame-what's the matter with
Ionia? She defended her representa-
tive against the charge of openly and
secretly attempting to pervert the
ends of justice upon the grounds that
she was trying TO help friend "
Now permit us to offer in defense Of
Montcalm's representative that when
he went upon the junket, he too, he'll
ed friend. The difference seems to
be, a jury has disagreed with 80 per
cent of public belief in your case,
while in ours, the jury has not passed.
1t is little to the credit of lonia to
express satisfaction that one has es-
capped the penalty of an offense, and,
in the same breath say, "of course |
think he was guilty." and then heap
reproach upon another who does not
pretend to deny a less fragrant
charge, and while public sentiment,
or any considerable number of indi-
viduals concur In this sentlmentalism,
we can expect but little for the bet
ter.
1t is not Montcalm, it is not lonta,
it is Michigan. Go down to Lansing |
and see if you are not satisfied that |
Mr.. Laflamboy isreally in the popular
set there, and holding his own; and |
further, that this popular set is max
ing about all the noise we hear, while !
small number of men are doing an
honest stroke of business when they
can. The public is silent in its salts
faction with the good they do and has
no need to defend them for misdeeds,
hence we seldom hear of them or see
their names in double-leaded type.
A few years ago a good deacon in
the MusEegon regions visited the SEN
ate in Lansing, and on his return a
, friend asked him what he thought of
E the body He greatly shocked his
audience in his reply: "Oh! there are
some good. smart men over there,
some fools, some blank fools and some
blankcty blank fools, and John Doe is
, there yet, and through his apprecia-
ton Of the Indifference of 90 per cent
of the public to political disgrace,
= continues TO disgrace his district.
. Now if Montcalm or Ionia, or both,
r would set other districts a creditable
e example by making square demand
for the resignation of man who has
dsgraced h 5 constituents, other aspi-
= rants for questionable notoriety
might take warning, and other dis
tricts join in wholesome houseclean-
= ing.
Come down the line of u years
!. past, speaking of the body as whole
q and we have a comic panorama-haw-
l, bucks, squaw- bucks, boodle-bucks,
t lazy-bucks, reform and tax bucks and
q bucks who employ stenographers and
2 hold their typewriter in their lap
d all 60 to amuse the public, and, for
(, the good few earnest men do us
= there, we pay in laughter at the clown
,r freaks of the rest, and when a man
d goes wrong, if he is ours, we get lot
+ of satisfaction out of the fact that he
l has distanced all in his class. This il
: politics. This it is that sends to posi-
&c tions of public trust only men who
: come running after the job.
- Possibly the lesson, as it stands
70 several times repeated before us, may
20 profit something to our attachments
n in the future. 1t certainly seems
z time we should awaken to the fact
y that men whose chief employment i:
% to pursue questionable practice o.
law and politics, would better be re
- ~ placed by less of brilliancy and more
= of modest retirement of character
70 that that is possessed of virtue. eyer
If though the dust of shop, office or field
o. may rest upon It's mantle, 1t matters
IN little where a man comes from pro
C. vided he is not ambitious to spenC
d $500 to secure $500 job.
N While this may all be mistaken by
y some as criticism and slap bacl
:, at Ionia from Montcalm, the sensible
=, element. including the Banner o
- Ionia, will recognize it as the ex
i preston of one who stands squarell
with the Banner and Ionia in it's sens'
of shame and disgrace, not by one
10. but by more than one of its represent
- ative men. A hint to the wise is sui
- ficient. MoNTCALM