Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-08-29
COVell'S Defense
Is Without a Leg to
Stand On.
Every Claim Knocked Out
OPPOSED EQUAL TAXATION-HELPED
RAILROADS.
One of First Immortals-A Pioneer In De-
" feating Peoples wisbes-Look it Up.

No attack has been made on Mr..
Covell's character, but his vote as a
state senator has been criticized.
What is his defense?
MICHIGAN CENTRAL CHARTER VOTE.
1. Covell clhfmed first that the
charter repeal bill never came before
the legislature of 1897. Why not?
Because George Coyell voted with the
first immortal nineteen to kali it ia
committee. See his record ia this
issue.
2. He claims it would then have
been impossible to pass this bin be-
cause Of the pressure of other bust
ness. This is an old gag. Surely
nothing was more important than
this. Covell helped in every way pos
sible to delay this bill so as to pre-
vent its passage. 1t would have taken
no longer TO vote for 1t than against
III.
3 Coyell claims the charter repeal
bill came up again the same year at
later session and was passed "every
man voted with Mr.. Covell against
discharging the committee voting for
it," 1t Is certainly surprising that
Mr.. Covell or any intelligent person
for him should tell so deliberate an
untruth. These are the facts as
shown by the Senate Journal. No
other session was held that year (lS97),
nor was there any session held until
March 1898. At this session as shown
in Covell's record, the same dilatory
tactics were used as at the regular
session. Covell was there pretending
TO represent his district, but really
acting as a lobbyist for the railroads.
SO successful was he and his fellow
lobbyists that the repeal OF the Mich
Egan Central Charter never even came
TO vote.
In the session of 1899. Governor
Plngree again attempted to pass the
repeal of the Michigan Central Chart
er and again failed. Before this time
the mem bership Of the senate had al
most entirely changed. Mr.. Miliken,
Mr.. Covell's successor, was lined up
squarely for the bill as he always was
for right legislation. but Flood and
I.atimer, both Of whom opposed the
bill in 1897, still voted against it and
NOT A MAN WHO nDDnSEn Ivr INJ 1907
SUPPORTED 1T In this session. See
Senate Journal, of 1899 page 1915.
These are facts proven by the records
and completely refute The tissue of
falsehood inyented by Covell and his
hackers t. bolster up lost cause.
The records prove that the Charter
repeaI bill did not pass until special
session held in the fall OF 1900 when,
after repeated Hials, the people forced
the senate to do their bidding. Only
two we're left of the first nineteen i'm
mortals. Flood and Latimer, and
Latimer, and they with Sayre, Heald,
Chas. Smith and the whole immortal
bunch except five who lodged had
been finally dragooned by the gever-
nor and people into supporting the
measure and the repeal of the Michi-
gan Central and Erie and Kalamazoo
Railroad charters was approved Octo-
ber 70, 1900.
4. COvell claims that the repeal of
this charter "did not affect taxation a
cents worth. 1t was merely bill to
regulate the price of fare to be charg-
ed" etc. This, too, is deliberate
Justification. The Michigan Central
charter WAS granted by act az, session
laws Of 1916. In this charter, which
is before the writer, is a provision,
section 33. page 81, as follows:
"The said company shall pay to the
state an annual tax of one-half of one
per cent upon the capital stock paid
in, including the two millions of pur-
chase money paid to the state, until
the first day of February, eighteen
hundred fifty-one, and thereafter an
annual tax Of three-fourths OF one pei
cent upon its capital stock paid in"
So this charter bad nothing TO dc
with taxation? Does il look like it.,
when the exact amount OF tax is
stated In the chaFter? Does George
Covell think he can fool the people
with such rank stuff as this? Taxa.
tion was just the thing the charter
did affect As shown above in the
quotation from the charter ITSELF Oi
course such a charter must be repeal
ed before equal taxation could b