The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1908-03-27

regard for political precedent whan 1t
fails to conserve his personal Interests,
when il fails to perpetuste his political
career or to bring to him the lions shai Q
OF banqueting at the public crib No
matter how applicable he may have con.
sidered the precedent to the cases OF his
predecessors, his reluctance to make 1t
applicable to his own career is sufficient
provocation for mechanical clsmor.
machine" is the greatest misnomer
yet injected into political theory. 1t is
usually intended To designate a domi
nant organization against which the
minority is prone to rail. 10 slang par
lance, it may be more correctly defined
as "the outs against the ms" Instances
are not entirely lacking wherein the
principle OF political patronage has been
perverted for the upbuilding of an organ
ization. the aims and means of which
are not entirely commendable But no
such charge is or can be founded upon
fact in the republican politics of Van
Buren, county.
Unusually, however, any political activ-
ity, the facts of which are susceptible to
distortion, any machination that may be
charged, regardless of its truth or falsity
is sufficient to serve the purpose OF the
machine" denunciators, of the men who
have political sores to heal, disappointed
ambitions to soothe and cherished
ACCOMPLISHMENT to attain.
Thedire extremity Of the primary pro
motors in Van Buren, county, and their
willingness to grasp at straw was dem
onstrated by the Courier and it's demo
cratic contributors last week 10 an effort
to drag the passage of county officers
salary bill into the present controversy
a matter entirely irrelevant 70 the cur
rent question, and the charges against
which show "A fragrant disregard of
truth.
The bill placing all OF Van Buren,
county's officers on salary basis was
framed and introduced in the last legis.
lature by Van Buren's representative,
Capt. n. f. Simpson. Before it's intro
duction Van Buren, people in general
we're consulted as to the wisdom Of its
ICS VI pOilbiCdl
ton.
In the replies now on file, commencing
the draft Of the measure, is one FROM the
editor OF the Courier, who now fathers
the censure of 1t. Another appears
from County Clerk Mosier strongly CON-
mending it, and placing especial COM
mendation upon the fixing OF minimum
salaries.
The Courier further inquiries why a
certain member of the board of super
visors, and chairman of the recent inyes
tigating committee, took occasion at
meeting of the board, to strongly de-
nounce the handling of the salary meas
ure. That question, Courier dear is too
deep for tins paper TO solve, for under
dates of March D, 8 and 10, 1907, appear
three letters from this member to Rep
Simpson in which he voices
bis approval of the measure in general.
However, in lieu of the minimum saa-
ries SEIZED uled in the bill, he suggested a
schedule satisfactory to I'VE" in which
he WAS supposed to speak authorita-
lively for the board of supervisors
This schedule varied, in the aggregate
Of all salaries, exactly S300-surely not
an important item when the salaries OF
all county officials are considered.
In discussing the matter Saturday
night Representative Simpson stated
that the handling of this measure was
influenced wholly by the petitions pre-
,eDted from Van Buren, county people,
by the communications from the board
and the replies to his efforts to ascertain
The sentiment of his constituency. No
meeting of any men or set of men was
ever held, so far as his knowledge goes,
despite the allegations Of h. A. Chase.
ln view of the facts in the case, the
Courier's contortions are most unscrupu.
ous-and are, perhaps, a reliable cri-
Ierion by which to judge of the argu-
ments advanced by the primary coterie.
A pity it is that the proponents of
movement such as the present, upon
which their future political hopes are
builded, should be compelled to rest
their case upon so frail foundation.