The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-10-14
The Sheriff Situation.

the party. This is not lecture to those
republicans who, believing sincerely at
first in sweeping change in the matter
of primary reform. were for time un-
decided what to do. They are begin
ming to realize that possibly what they
were asking for would not be for their
best interests after all, and whether
they haye changed their minds gener.
ally or not they are at least seriously
thinking the matter over and can be de-
pended on to vote right The trouble
comes right down to the county ticket.
There is no particular advantage in
mipcing matters at this stage of the
campaign, Everyone knows that the
democrats of the county are uniting
their entire strength in an attempt to
elect their candidate for sheriff. The
present sheriff, holding his Office by the
grace of republican votes, is doing his
best to aid his party in holding this
Office in the democratic column. The
democratic county machine, revolving
about the sheriff's Office, is bending its
entire energies in this direction. APP
parently the rest of the democratic
county ticket is left to the tender mer-
cies of the candidates themselves and
their personal friends. Everything,
everybody, must yield to the one Office.
and no wonder Realizing that their
only effective organization is built up
about the Office of sheriff, the entire
working force of the democratic party
in Shiawassee county is being employed
to elect their candidate for that Office
and to defeat once more the republican
candidate. But that is not the worst of
the matter
Shiawassee county is normally repub-
lican by about twelve hundred major
ity. Four years ago and again two
years ago enough republicans deserted
their party nominee, after he had been
named in convention in which they
had been represented, to elect the dem
ocratic candidate. 1t was party treach
cry, party treason, pure and simple.
There was no pretense that the republi-
can candidates were unfit There was
no pretense that the democratic candi-
date was more competent, honest, or in
any way better qualified. There was
a lack of interest on the part of some
who had not worked for the successful
but worst of all there was
deliberate and disgraceful slump of re-
publican voters to the democratic can
didate for sheriff.
The democratic managers played their
game well. They did not rest on their
oars either year. Every republican was
tackled. 1t made no difference how
stalwart republican he was some dem
ocratic worker got after him. And they
were all things to all men. 1t made no
difference what reasons they gave.
They gave in each case the reason which
they thought would most interest the
man in hand And the republicans
bit. There are republicans too, who
took an active hand in the work them
selves and whose actions in the cam
paigns of 1900 and 1902 will always be
disgrace to republican politics in Shia
wassee county. The democrats could
never have defeated these republicans if
they had been unaided by republicans
The same is true today.
Within the last week or more reports
have been coming in persistently that
In certain quarters there was an unac
lack of interest in the fight
over sheriff on the part of more than
one prominent republican worker.
These reports, at best disgraceful, under
the circumstances have grown even
uglier until many do not hesitate to
name republicans who they say have
been deliberately working for the de-
feat of the republican candidate, Chas
w. Mimic, and throwing their influence
for the election of his opponent, Mr..
Jarrard That such condition can ex
ist among Shiawassee republicans is al
most beyond belief. 1t should be i'm
possible. The indications today are
that it is only too true.
Now the question naturally arises,
what is going to be done about itY Why
should any republican be Indifferent in
regard to this most important Office
within the gift of Shiawassee county?
Still more why should any republican
who is honest by himself or his party
take hand in helping elect democrat
to that Office and thereby help strength
en- the democratic machine and make
their own party success less easy in the
futureg Or, do they think that dem
ocratic administration is more economi-
cal for the county than the republican
administrations have been? Let them
examine the records. But what is 60
ing to be done?
How do the republicans of Burns
think they would have enjoyed seeing
their late splendid candidate for the
nomination of sheriff, j. F. Barnes, de-
serted had he been successful in win
ming the nomination which they asked
for him? How do the republicans of