The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-07-22
WANTS A FARMER FOR SHERIFF
Recommends Frank Barnes, of
Byron, For the Job, But Has a
Good Word For Boutwell,
and Cook.

Mr.. EDITOR:-
l am farmer but claim to be a
farmer who takes more or less intelii-
gent interest in our county politics. 1
also claim to be one of those farmers
who realize that there are other people
on earth whose wishes are worth con-
sidering. do wish, however, to call
your attention just at present to some Of
the reasons why farmer candidate for
sheriff of Shiawassee county should be
selected this fall.
A few days since, at chance meet
ing not many miles from your city, of
two or three well known republican
workers and few of us farmers, in
cluding one especially prominent farm
er who is well known for his exception
ally intelligent interest in local politics,
this particular farmer opened on the
politicians with these words: do you
know. believe that the nearer the day
for the county nominating convention
comes, the more surely the strength Of
Frank Barnes, of Byron, is going to be-
come determining factor in the nomi-
nation for sheriff" Then he went on
to say that he considered Mr.. Barnes
the logical candidate for the party this
year. His arguments set me to think
ing and 1 wish you might see fit to give
cDooa apn,,crJ, -, TIII, rVrNHnc, 70 oat ont
my line of thought as suggested by his
remarks.
You remember, or perhaps you don't
remember, but it's So that back in 1888
the repub leans were in much the same
condition they are today as regards the
county ticket. The county was safely
enough republican on all ordinary ques-
tions and for all ordinary offices. But
when it came to sheriff why it seemed
as though the offices were hoodooed as
far as the republican nominees were
concerned. Good men they had been,
too, but for some unexplainable reason
every time the votes were counted the
democratic candidate for sheriff was
found to have won out by comfortable
majority. 1t never got so bad that it
was hard job to find republican
willing to run but it gave several good
men creepy sort of feeling when
they discovered one after the other that
they had been defeated in their candi-
dacy for the Office at the head of the
county ticket, by democrats. Well sir,
in 1888, after a good deal of discussion,
some of the boys took us farmers into
consultation in the matter.
Now sir, I don't want it understood
for minute that I'm one of that class
of farmers that wants to bolt every
ticket that isn't made up with every
other name on it that of a farmer. l
never ran for. or thought of asking for.
a nomination for any county office in
my life and don't expect to, but I knew
that there were some of the boys who
lived some miles from the cultured CEN
ters of population and civilization, ct
cetera, who felt that you fellows, of
these various centers were attempting
to take altogether too much for your
share in the way of nominations for the
county offices Well. for one, told the
boys what / thought might be in the
wind, so far as some of us country rubes,
il you please, were concerned.
Well, / don't pose as any intellectual
giant, and never considered myself
very good at coaxing things out of
either men or beasts, though l have
seen the day when I've coaxed whole
drove of suspicious hogs into places
where some of the other boys had tried
for long time to drive them with only
their trouble for their pains-no person
alities intended by this allusion, how
ever 1t may have been, too, that the
thought of the good republican candi-
dates for sheriff and their peculiar and
discouraging fates loomed up darkly on
the horizon just then. Or the gentle
men from the aforesaid centers of cul-
ture may have thought that it was as
good time as any to take some of the
self-esteem out of us fellows, thereby
placating us and at the same time doing
it at no loss to themselves, for between
you and me, they had no idea of elect
ing sheriff from their own numbers
anyway. But whatever the reason was,
they grabbed up the idea just as though
it was tie very thing they had been
thinking about, only they were too
modest to suggest it themselves. They
began to inquire who there was among
the farmers of the county who would
make good sheriff and who in our
opinion would not only make good
officer if elected, but who would be re-
garded by the rest of us hayseeds they
used more polite term-as fully repre-
senting us--one in whom we would be
fully satisfied and on whose record as to