The Detroit times., 1910-08-26
.BLAMEs VOTERS
FOR CONDITIONS
James Sohermerhorn Tells Farmer,
of Two Counties Where the Fault
In Government Lies.

Farmers OF Lenawee and Hillsdale
counties. following custom Of nearly
40 years. met here today on the shores
OF beautiful Devils lake for their an
nual picnic.
II Is estimated that there are In the
neighborhood OF 10000 persons In at
tendance
The speaker OF the day was James
Schermerhorn, publisher OF The De-
troit Times
Mr.. Schermerhorn's theme was In
surgency." and In his remarks ne
dwelt upon deplorable conditions
existing today In state and national
government, for which conditions ne
told the farmers they are Responsible
as voters. as much as are those wnc
have proved faithless to public trust.
The speaker punctuated MS taik
with pointed stories which served te
drive his points home.
After his introduction, In whicn no
referred to his presence regularly
upon the picnic In barefoot days. ana
thanked the committee for having al
lowed him some 30 years to prepare
speech IN come back with. he SAID:
| In this period preceding the pri-
maries nearly all OF the speakers VINO
are appealing 70 the ,Pe9Pie ccs se
a lot OF pertinent things TO say about
each other and about conditions IN the
state and county that cry aloud Tor
Now. not being Republican. i am
not going to denounce other Republi.
cans In any seif-seeking spirit: ana
not being CANDIDATE ane VIII vii, he :
| ca ndidate for anything. l am not oois
I'D to talk about myself nor TO say
pleasing things about , you, q. g n
my solemn duty, to say some harsh
and uncomplimentary thing: ABOUT
you. and such as you. sovereign S sH,-
down OF our free institutions 70 the
next generation. secure and unsuiiied.
My Indictment for disordered de-
r not Right With the republic economi-
cally-.is not against men In office or
men seeking office. but asainst you,
busy men 2, d aes ssr Stores and shops.
whose votes put these men In office
and whose votes will put other men
In office this fall.
were supporters OF the present admin
istrations In the United States and In
this state. arraignment--somstim re-
gretful, sometimes bitter-of Presi-
dent Taft as too compliant. too wor-
shipful OF party solidarity: OF Aldrich
as the representative OF criminai
wealth; 81 Cannon as the arch-conspir..
ator against the peoples interests; OF
Burrows as one OF the betrayers OF the
party's good faith which he helped
to pledge In the convention at chicago
two years ago: OF Ballinger. accused
OF attempting to throttle the patriotic
resources; of Warner as a by-word
who, all but rejected by shamed and
angry electorate two years ago. seeks
TO project his malign influence into
another torn In the name OF one OF
his plausible henchmen.
The shame Upon the Voter.
We hear, I say. these serious denun-
cations passing publicly between
brethren OF the same political faith.
but I say to you that the shame OF II
Is no more upon the heads OF these
fecreant servants who are daily being
openly reprobated. than II In upon your
head, a and upon the heads OF All who;
parsizsnship or hope Of personal ad.
vantage. have given these ofncehold-
ers their opportunity OF betraying the
PEOPLE ana serving Big Business at
il begins to look as IL the country
VIII be purged of these enemies, but
public life will bear your iniquities as
we'll as their own, will be bruised tor
yours as well as their own transgres-
sions
For they. naturally and within their
rights. sought and still seek power.
They may shamefully misuse their
commission from the people. but they
upon you. freemen-I hope l may call
YOU that--whether. after repeatedly
hetraying your trust In their eagerness
TO serve piutocracy: they have another
chance. Is II not high time that CEN
sure. severe and unsparing. was direct
ed against the people themselves who
Ia. Ill -
men tho do,ninSst party is now threat
ening to drive out?
Hasn't the president-good easy
support OF tho fV' belief That" that party so.'
darity should he exalted above coun-
try' How can an executive OF judicial
temperament and great amiability be
expected to reject Aldrich and Cannon
and Ballinger and Burrows when their
liberation by the people has been so
long and unbroken?
shoulder toward the exploiters OF
Alaska when II has been the custom
to permit the great contributors to the
Why shouldn't the recent tariff
nbomination. adopted in fragrant vio-
letion of campaign pledges. he pro-
enacted. when those who pay the bill
through grievously enhanced cost OF
living. have voted regularly for a con-
t un,u,t OF the burden s,, that means ans
benefciaries 81 the system?
Why shouldn't Gov. Warner cherish
the deluson that you want someone
equally as good" at the head OF the
commonwealth when the electors, In
the face OF scandal and insolvency. Of
dastardiy attacks upon the unoTcnd-
Ing and the Imprisonment OF his ap-
pointees. be rewarded with renewed
expression OF hts party's confidence and
surport?
Haven't YOU. citizens of Lenawee
and Hillsdale. some call to repentance
and expiation in this matter? Hadn't
you better wear rough-hair shirt Uf
the tariff will permiD until election
dav. as reminder OF your RESPONSE
bility for Michixans disgrace?
And the greed. the get-rich- quick
mania. that underlies monstrous tariff
laws and corporate aggressions and the
iooting Of public rssources-is this
mined to the undesirables In office:
To what extent IL official life the re-
hection OF n quite common impulse In
private life TO get something we have
not earned7
Platform Of the Period, sect IT,"
Has II not been too universally the
platform OF a materialistic period In
our history ITO get II untaintedly IL
possible, but to get it7"
Honest now. we tillers Of the soil.
how often has your support OF high
,arif robbery that wrests from the
many to enrich the few. been extended
with tho belief that you were % share
IN the favors through protection to the
wool Industry. The fact that none of
the AootN wss ever found on your per-
son--that wool-growing has dimin-
ished rather than prospered-doesn't
lessen the degree of your guilt I'm this