The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-09-30

| hand 1T was occupied by friends of
Fred nj. Warner. 1t was ten year ago
that his constituents sent him to the
senate. They were satisfied with his
record and returned him for another
term. The Detroit News said of him
at the end of both term that he was a
man who had not been controlled by
the machine" In 1898 he came up
for the nomination for secretary of
state and was defeated by Justus s.
Stearns. He turned in and did his best
for the success of the ticket. Two years
later he came MP again for the same
Office and was nominated. For the last
four years therefore he has occupied
that Office and never for an instant
during that time has there been spot or
blemish on his name or on any of his
official acts. At next Christmas time
Fred M. Warner will go to Lansing to
take the oath of Office as governor of the
State of Michigan and for the next four
years there will never come any blush
of shame to the face of any Michigan
citizen for any act of their chief execu-
tive.
So don't trust the democratic party
too far with its plea for primary re-
form. Like the many other measures
which it has fathered for a, time, only
to disown later when discredited by
the people, the present issue is simply
one on which it fondly hopes to sail in
to power, one which it hopes to make
the means of destroying the united ef-
fectiveness of the republican organiza-
tion and one on the details of which the
members of its own party are widely
disagreed except as to the advantage of
making it present means of attacking
the republican candidate for governor
in this state. You have seen the party
quickly abandon one after another dis
credited issue which it had successively
claimed to be paramount to all other
issues Don't trust it too far with this
one.
Congressman Joseph W. Fordney was
then introduced to the audience and the
speech which he made was full of his
usual mixture of plain common sense
and contagious good humor. He was
certain. he said at the outset, that if
there were any persons present who
had been in favor of primary reform as
advocated by the democrats they must
have been in the condition of a certain
Irishman after they had listened to the
hsmocratic candidate attempt to ex-
pound his theories. 1t was the Irish
man who dressed in hurry and jump
ed out of third story window to escape
burning in hotel. He did not notice
in his haste that he had got into his
trousers with the front where the back
should be and announced to his inquir-
ing friend after the jump, and after he
had looked and felt himself over, that
he was mot hurt but dom bodily twish-
thed. ," He thought however the ad-
dress just given by Mr.. Fellows was
one well calculated to take the ''twisht"
out of the minds of the audience in re-
gard to the primary reform plans of the
democrats.
Mr. Fordney took occasion to call to
mind one Of the strange contradictions
on which Mr.. Parker is making his
claim for election. In one instance the
Judge said that even if he were elected
and even If democratic house were
also elected they would be powerless to
do anythi 4 for the next four years be-
cause the Senate would still remain re-
publican. In the next place he tells the
country that if elected he will positive
ly decline to be a candidate for reelec-
ton. Therefore his claim for the cleo
tion SINNERS down to plea that if
elected he will be unable to do any in
jury because he will not be able to do
anything the first term and will not
take. a second term. Nice sort of a
policy that indicates.
Mr.. Fordney then discussed briefly
and in most interesting way some of
the subjects of national interest in
which he had taken the greatest inter
est, touching on the healthy condition
of the United States treasury which
shows an enormous gold reserve and a
big balance of cash on hand even after
just having paid fifty millions for the
Panama canal He spoke briefly of the
great benefit the republican party had
conferred on the country districts by
the rural free delivery service which
the democrats had tried to discourage
and suppress. The Panama canal and
the vigorous course of the president in
making certain that the policy Of Presi-
dent Mckinley and the wishes Of the
American people in regard to 1t were
also gone over and the reasons given for
complete approval of the course of the
president in the matter.
Our president, said Mr.. Fordney. does
not take forever TO make mp his mind.
And yet contrary to the impression that
his enemies would like to make, he is a
conservative executive, with an able
council about him, one of whom, in my
opinion, is the ablest statesman in the
world today, Secretary of State, John
Hay. The nations treatment OF the
Philippines was reviewed briefly as
was also that of Porto Rico and Cuba,
while the subject Of pensions to the old
soldiers was touched on in manner
which showed conclusively the time
and attention which he had given to the