Charlevoix county herald., 1906-11-03
Lest We Forget.
The Loss and Humiliation
which Came to our
State Through Re-
publican Apathy
in 1900

In these &c lumns last :. eek. allusion
was made 10 Mr.. Kimmerle's chal-
lenge OF comparison be; ween the pres
ent republican administration and the
sole democrat administration in 1891
92,and his demand that the state shall
now return TO the style of administra--
tion which his party gave us In that
memorable biennial period. We wei
come his comparisons, bu: we do not
CONSENT to return. Some of us remeni-
ber too vividly the humiliation to
which our state was subjected in those
two years, TO permit us TO receive such
proposal with any patience: and for
the benefit OF those who do not, and OF
Mr.. Kimmerle himself, it may be well
here to recall some of the events Of
that period.
The first event came swiftly upon
the inauguration of the democrat ad-
minlstratiOn and the organization Of
their legislature. The democrat sue
cess had been aided by alliances with
the patrons of industry, an Organiza-
tion which had attained Il temporary
political prominence, and it, was
found that while the democrats had
clear majority in the house, the senate
stood fourteen republicans, fourteen
democrats and four patrons. These
members had been certified u the Sec
&etary Of the senate by the democrat
secretary OF state as having been duly
elected, and had been sworn in and
were regularly sitting as senators. So
the democrats lacked the majority in
the senate which they needed for the
partisan legislation which they con-
templated, and to secure that they
must have two more seats, aud then
the democrat lieutenant governors
casting vote would carry any measure
they desired. To secure them, as the
result showed, they would descend 10
amy treachery, and halt at no perhdy.
1t chanced that republican state
convention to nominate candidates for
the spring election occurred just then
at Jackson, aud the republican mem
bers of the legislature, upon solemn
agreement of the democrat managers
that no partisan advantage should be
taken Of their absence, went To Jack
son in body. Such agreements be-
tween parties in legislative bodies are
always held sacred aud always trusted
aS the pledge of honor, and 1t could
pot be imagined that elected senators
Gould be found capable Of betraying
it. But the train bearing the repub
lican members had scarcely passed out
OF sight OF the Capitol dome before a
revolutionary plot was sprung and de-
spite The protests of the patron mem ~
bers two republican senators were
ruthlessly unseaIed, and Two demo-
Gratis were dec ared TO haye been
elected, through prearranged con-
spiracy which threw not only law aud
right but faith aud honor To the winds.
One of those uuseated republicans
was OhC llOu. pNOi ASs AiOi VIZ.
ent master of the State Grange, who
had been elected In the MonrOe-L Lena
wee district over James Ii. Morrow, the
democrat who was seated in his place;
and the other was Benz. T.. Morse,
elected in the 26th district over Char
les A. Fridleneer. the democrat who
was seated in his place and who after
J ward scandaliZed the whole state by
the shameful revelations Of his dom
estic life, out Of which came the epi-
thet that characterized that legisla-
ture as "the Squaw-bucks." That
treacherous theft OF two seats IN tn e
senate was denounced by veteran
democrat, Farmer Reynolds of Kent
county, as grand larceny.
As the fruit of that crime, the
democrat party was now firmly seated
ia the saddle upon the back of poor
Michigan, and for two years they
Inundated her as she had never been
humiliated before, nor has been since
Carousal and debauchery stained the
legislative halls, and corruption and
plunder in various departments dis
credit the administration Of gov
nor whose personal good intentions
were freely conceded. Mrs. Lathrop,
state president of the WOman's Chris
tian Temperance Union, in her an
nual address denounced the snenes Of
reyelry, which on one occasion culmi'
mated fn hilarious senators marching
around the chamber bearing aloft u
butLle of whiskey ds their ensign.
The notorious Miner law" which
undertook TO revoluiionize the method
of choosing presidential electors. SC
that the democrats might secure some
of them in spite of the republican
majorities in the state, was one OF the