The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-07-02
Osborn Refuses to State Position at
Present

The gubernatorial sphinx is still
sphinxing.
Here is what Chase S. Osborn said
to the Grand Rapids Herald in answer
to pointblank query as to his cam.
paign Intentions
In my judgment the time is not ripe
for any announcement from me. When
that time comes shall make my posi-.
tion in the matter clear"
Does this mean that Osborn will or
will not be candidate for the Republi-
can nomination for governor2 Make
your own guess. Up here in the 500,
where Osborn is the biggest noise for
miles and miles and miles around, they
say it means "Yes." But the most you
can get out of the ubiquitous, urbane
Chase is promise that some time prior
to the Ides of March he will have some
thing to say on this interest consuming
topic.
Although "the time is not ripe" for
Mr.. Osborn, it has ripened for Lieuten-
ant Governor Kelley, Amos S. Mussel-
man and Judge Montgomery. Each of
this trio has practically announced an
intention of being in the race for the
Republican nomination to the finish.
Up here in the 500 you hear nothing
but kind words for all of them. They
like Kelley because-well, everybody
likes Pat They like Musselman be-
cause he is a clean, progressive bust
ness man with no taints and no flaws
They like Judge Montgomery because
he has been magnificent adornment to
the states supreme bench. In fact,
they insist that his attainments for the
bench are far superior in legal direc-
tions, as Osborn's attainments for the
governorship are superior in executive
directions.
"Osborn's greatest strength" says
close Osborn boomer-and note that he
talks as though he took it for granted
that the 500 man was just as much of a
candidate as if 1.-The timewere not ripe"
flies in the upper peninsula which is
unanimous, the northern section of the
lower peninsula, the Saginaw valley
and in Wayne county, where he has
many active and potential friends. His
friends have expected western and CEN
trail Michigan to supply the opposing
candidates and in this they have not
been disappointed. Kent county, the
dominant factor in western Michigan,
is not only embarrassed with twin gu
bernatorial candidates-if Judge Mont
gomery be accredited to Kent-but her
leaders are further perplexed by the
certainty of Huntley Russell being a
candidate to either succeed himself in
the land commissionership or for Die
kema's seat in congress, by the proba-
bility that Colin Campbell will be a
candidate to succeed himself as speaker,
by the fact that Roger 1. Wykes is fence
building along the road which he hopes
will end in the attorney generalship,
and by the expected candidacy of Mayor
Ellis for congress. So we are satisfied
with the outlook for Mr.. Osborn in
statewide canvass"
There you are-the most that can be
wormed out of politicians at the 500.
Mr.. Musselman has hosts of admirers
here who would be for the Grand
Rapids man if Osborn were out of the
way. Judge Montgomery is generally
admitted to be man of exceptional
superiority. Kelley is loved, too. But
there will be nothing doing in the con-
struction of gubernatorial fences for
anybody else up here in the 500 until
'the time is ripe" and Mr.. Osborn
makes his position in the matter clear "