The Detroit times., 1910-10-18
HEMANs TOURS
H|lLsOALE COUNTY
District That He Carried Two Years
Age Gives Him Noisy Welcome
Answers Osborn.

HILLSDALE, Mich. Oct. 1s.-(Spe-
cial) The politica. phenomenon
with which Michigan has been victim
lied during the past fifteen years has
not been Warnerism or Glazierism,'
declared Lawton T. Hemans, Demo
cratic candidate for governor at the
Ellis ring In Hillsdale last night. Over
Ave hundred Democrats and Republic
cans turned out to hear him and his
reception was more enthusiastic than
when he was here two years ago. He
carried Hillsdale county In that cleo
ton.
Mr.. Hemans declared that Michi.
gan's trouble was not individual, but
basic and that naming II Warnerism
was an effort TO individualize the
faults OF government elsewhere. He
expressed himself in favor of economy
in the administration OF state affairs,
civil service for state employees and
for a readjustment OF the taxation OF
mines.
Hemans answered Osborn's de-
tense OF the heavy expenditures our
ing Osborn's four years as state rali-
road commissioner. Osborn had de-
clared that when he became railroad
commissioners there was q law on the
statute books which compelled the
railroads OF the lower peninsula 10
grant fare OF two cents mile when
their earnings had reached q certain
figure per mile, but that nosehort nad
been made to ascertain whether the
earnings had reached that point.
In his reply hast night Mr.. Hemans
said the law to which Mr.. OSBORN re-
ferred was passed by the Democratic
legislature in 1891 and provided Tor
passenger fare of two and
one-half cents a mile-not two cents
as stated by Mr.. Osborn, when road
earned more than $4,000 per mile. He
mans declared the suit TO make the
Wabash railroad reduce Its fare TO
two and one-half cents q mile was
fought by the attorney-generais de-
partment and could not have been the
reason for extra clerks. travelling ex-
penses and to postage In the railroad
commissioners ONCE.
Mr.. Hemans continued:
Says Mr.. Osborn: The investiga-
ton which led to the successful
prosecution OF the suits cost money,
and | spent it, and yet his report OF
1899 says the facts were all disclosed
by the annual report Of the company
itself. The subsequent case against
the G.. r. & l. was of like character.
Again Mr.. Osborn says, During
my term there was a great period OF
electric railroad building, and We
watched this construction carefully
and such supervision entailed the ex-
penditure Of money. and yet In the
last report issued by Mr.. Osborn he
said. In the last two annual reports
OF this department, especial attention
has been called to the absence OF any
law in the state for the proper regu-
lation and control of electric railways
and IL Is desired at this time to again
emphasize the necessity for legisla-
ton upon this subject
During the years Mr.. Osborn was
railroad commissioner, that depart
ment had about as much control over
electric lines as IL had over city
payements. Mr. Osborn says that
| during his terms of office he travelled
upon passes furnished by the railroad
companies. | have never made such
charge. | have only said that the
travelling expenses of his department
were about $4,000. while for the same
! length of time under Mr.. Billings
they were only $4,000 and under Mr..
Atwood only about $4,000. From 1899
to 1903, someone in the railroad de-
partment surely touched the treas
ury for some travelling expenses.
The gubernatorial candidate was ac-
companied by o. j Cornell and other
prominent Hillsdale county Democrats
in his trip through the county yester-
day and speeches were made at ten
villages. In all places Mr.. Hemans
/ was warmly received