The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1910-07-22
CAN HE DENYa
Did Mr.. Kelley Make Pledges for Sup
portf It's Charged.

Sault Ste. Marie. June 23.-An up
per peninsula man, who is actively
interested In Chase Osborn's cam
paign for the governorship, in an in
terview here today threw veritable
bomb into the Kelley camp by d.
rectly charging the lieutenant-gover-
nor with having made pledge,
months ago, to the mining interests
OF the upper peninsula that he would,
| If elected governor. veto the tonnage
tax bill If 1t passed the legislature He
said:
MY attention has been called to
an editorial In the Lansing State Re-
publican, which has lately become the
Kelley mouthpiece, In which the dec
laration is made that the guberna-
torial contest lies between Osborn
and Kelley This Is followed by the
bald statement that Osborn is pledged
to the mining interests, while Kelly
is pledged only to the good of the
state
Sup to few days ago l was in
clined to agree that the contest lay
between Messrs. Osborn and Kelley,
but since Kelley's Mt. Pleasant
speech, in which he attempts to re-
pudiate his intimate association and
connection with the present admins
tration, l am beginning to believe
Kelley will be a negligible quantity
in the situation before primary day.
People instinctively admire loyalty
even when the object of that senti-
ment is not entirely to their liking.
But when, as in the present case, a
man who is an integral and important
part of an organization, who has been
largely responsible for the success at
the polls of that organization, at
tempts to repudiate 1t solely because
he finds public sentiment almost uni
versally unfriendly to that organiza-
ton, l have too high an opinion of
public intelligence to believe he can
get away with it,
THE second declaration in the Re
publican is a most unfortunate one
so far as Kelley is concerned, since
1t permits Of rejoinder which will
puzzle Mr. Kelley to meet satisfac-
torily.
"Mr. Osborn is pledged to no spe-
cial interests, either in the upper or
lower peninsula. He is pledged to see
equal and exact justice done all in
terests. His political record and the
character of his declarations upon the
stump; in fact his entire life and the
quality Of his mind give absolute as
surance upon this point. But how
about Mr. Kelley?
rs Mr.. Kelley prepared to deny
without qualification that in his eff
forts prior to Mr.. Osborn's entrance
into the race, to secure the support
of the upper peninsula that he gave
certain representatives Of the mining
interests his personal pledge that he
would protect the mining companies
against the tonnage tax proposition
should 1t become an issue before the
next legislature? Is Mr.. Kelley ready
to deny that he gave these represent
atives the assurance that If ton
mage tax bill passed the legislature,
and he were governor, he would kill
1t by his veto?
II don't believe Mr.. Kelley will
answer these questions. He has had
one good opportunity to do so, but
declined. The Detroit Free Press,
several weeks ago, asked a similar
question. Kelley ignored it then, and
presume he will ignore 1t now"
taxation is still problem as it al
ways has and will be for years to
come, 1t Is no more a problem now
than 1t has been during the six years
of the Warner-Kelley regime.
Throughout the six years of Warner
as governor, and Kelly as lieutenant
governor, no word on this subject
escaped either Kelley or his chief.
Nov that Kelley is candidate and
needs an issue he has become very
keen for equitable assessments, par
ticularly in a section of the state
where he does not expect much sup
port
"The real issue in Michigan today
and the issue in which every citizen
is interested Is that the money col
lected for state taxes shall be hon.
estly, wisely and conservatively ex-
pended. Since the Kelley Warner rec
ord along this line is not exactly
popular, Kelley is making every effort
to distract attention from this phase
of the situation"