The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-09-23
FOR JUDGE OF PROBATE.
Republican Nominee One of the Best
Known and Most Widely Respect
ed Probate Judges In Michi- 81
gan, Today.

Shlawassee county appreciates GOO
| thing in the matter of the probate iudg
) ship. Eight years previous to the ele
tion of Judge Matthew Bush the offit
of judge of probate had been held f,
sixteen successive years by Judge Ke
sey, the father of the present most eff
cient probate register, and one of I'll
most efficient judges in the state. Nor,
over it was through no lack of appreci,
ton ON the part of the voters of I'll
county and through no desire for
change in the administration of thj
Office that Judge Kelsey was not nom
mated for his fifth term. In fact had !
not been for his own determination I
leave the office the probability is tina
he would have been retained in tn
Office to the end of his active life
Judge A. A. Harper succeeded him bu
after serving eight years and givin.
good satisfaction he declined to max,
an active canvass for denomination ant
retired gracefully, bearing the respec
ana friendship of all citizens. AT the
retirement of Judge Harper from the
Office, Judge Matthew Bush, then q
practicing lawyer in Vernon, was nom.
mated by the republicans for the office
and was elected. The record made by
the new judge was soon found to be a
worthy one to follow the creditable
ones OF his predecessors and he was re-
nominated and reelected three times in
succession. Today he is again the nom
inee of the republicans for the. same
office.
There are number of reasons which
make the general run of people exceed
lngly conservative in the matter of max
ing changes in the probate judgeship
whenever a judge has been found in
whom the people have confidence. With
many other offices it is different. Even
in the case of the circuit judgeships.
which are usually considered less in
politics than most other offices, there is
much less reason for exercising great
care in the matter of selecting the in
of the bench than there is for
exercising it in the case of the probate
Judge. The reason for this is very
simple. In the case of the circuit Judge
the voter has every reason to believe
That he will be able to look after any
affair of his which may come before the
court. In the other case he has pretty |
good reason for fearing that if it is any
matter which concerns his property it
will come in the matter of the probat-
ng OF his own will and the disposition
II his own property-and the ordinary
7oter does not see this done in his own
lifetime. The result is that the ordi-
larry man is exceedingly careful about
he character of the man for whom he
asts his ballot for probate Judge. He
wishes to know that if it becomes a
uestion of the administration of his es-
ate for the benefit of his widow and his
rphaned children, that the man who
)oks after the business will be one as ,
whose legal ability, business iudg. I
lent, considerateness and absolute in Z
egrity there is and never has been the r
rst shadow of doubt He also wishes @
} know that not only will the business I
handled in as prompt way, with as a
tile expense, as possible but he also h
ishes to be sure that no trickster or +
7er Jealous relative with trumped up Z
lis or claims can, through any comfy =
ice with the judge of probate, rob his +
idow or children Of one cent of that
hich he has left for their support. n
hese are some of the reasons why I,
'ople are usually conservative in the I,
after OF changing probate judges. I,
hese are also some of the reasons for n
ing especially conservative in the r
after of making change in the Office 81
Shiawassee county this year.
During the four terms which Judge
1sh has spent in the office of probate
dge considerably more than three
ousand estates have been handled bv el
$ office. Of all this number a scant II
II dozen cases have been appealed n
pm his decisions and only one of these IL
rs passed on differently from the way 81
which he disposed of it. A record of CO
t one correction in some thirty-three "
inbred cases is not bad one. But ca
dge Bush came to the office we'll quail ia
I'd in the first place. Before being ii
'cted to this Office he practiced law in o'
'rnon for nine years and previous to M
at had practiced in New York. A CT
orough legal training and wide &C. 10
aintance with the people of the tn
unity served him well from the begin VIC
lg of his work in this office. But the tie
rsonal qualities Of the man aided him. til
those who had business to come be- w,
q his court, even more than did these
~ necessary qualifications. A kindly tn
npathy and gentlemanly tact are pr
lite often as much appreciated as the ge
petition with which an estate Is set. W.
d or the saving in dollars and cents va
lch can often be made by following mt