The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-01-15
AN UNFAIR ATTACK.

AN UNFAIR ATTACK.
| senator Miller. of Detroit. is quoted,
front page. top of column In the De-
troIt Free Press in a singularly vicious
attack on Governor Osborn. Its occa-
sion is Senator Millers assumption that
the governors friends in Wayne coun-
ty are planning to elect delegates to
the national Republican convention
who will favor voting for him Tor the
presidential nomination, on the first
ballot at least. Senator Miller as :
serts that Governor Osborn Is dead
duck i'm Wayne county. which. he says,
is through with him for all time.
There are things that Governor Os-
born has done in the past twelve
months over which even his friends
might differ with him. but these things
are not the subject of Senator Miliers
remarks Instead he strings together
an equal number of unfair and of in
consequential heads of attack. and
presents a statement that he must
know we'll is unwarranted and wholly
unjust.
For instance. he greatly deplores
the fact that Governor Osborn did not
retain In Office former Insurance Com
missioner Barry. and. to strengthen
his point. he attacks the administra-
ton of c. A. Palmer. Mr.. Barry's sue
cessor whom he charges with incom-
potency and with greatly increasing
the expenditures in the department.
Without wishing to decry Mr.. Barry's
work, ii is still a fact that Mar. Palmer
is the most active and efficient COM
missioner the state has ever had And
he has received recognition outside
the state for his good works Mr.. Mil
Ter can doubtless recall that he was
made chairman of the committee APP
pointed by the National Association of
Insurance commissioners to investigate
a number OF derelct casualty com
panies and that, as result Of the re-
port his committee brought in, these
companies largely reformed their man.
ncr of doing business. AS for increased
expense in the department. report
by Auditor General Fuller showed the
other day that the insurance commits
sioner and his aides used but a little
over 5000 more than was drawn the
previous year. "A triflng increase.
Again Senator Miller attacks the ap-
pointment of Perry +. Powers. OF Cadil-
lac. as labor commissioner on the score
that he is an enemy to labor" The
Mining Journal does not know what
1T.
peated charge that Powers is an enc
my to labor, but II does know that In
the actual work of his department. Mr..
Powers is proving the best kind OF
friend to labor. and particularly to
girl and woman labor. Laws that
his predecessor had allowed to be ig-
norcd with impunity MIR. Powers has
revitalized and made effective. Sena-
tor James Of Hancock. is one OF the
men who voted against the confirma-
ton of Powers appointment a year
ago, when Governor Osborn nominated
him to succeed Dick Fletcher In the
office. Senator James also thought
that Powers was unfTendly to labor.
But within a few weeks he expressed
to The Mining Journal unqualified APP
prevail OF the work Mr.. Powers is doing
In his office, and he said that IL he had
the thing to do over again he would
vote for his combinations
The trouble in Wayne county is this.
Governor Osborn has the cnmity of the
Stair newspapers. the Detroit Free
Press and the Detroit Journal, because
he would not play the political game
the way their owners and their circle
OF Demo- Republican advisers wanted
him TO play IL. Also I'm Wayne there
are powerful capitalistic and COM
with the governor because of his adj
vocacy of a adjustment of the taxa
ton system that Will put the general
corporate and manufacturing interests
of the state on about the same basis
the railroad, and mines arc now taxed
on. The Stair newspapers. which are
the organs OF these interests, are los
Ing no opportunity TO be-llttlc tho gov
ernor, so that his strength may be i'm
paired Nothing would please them
better than to see him come n crop-
per this year. The only thing that re-
strains them from open opposition.
and an active search for another candi-
date Is their fear that he cannot be
beaten. They have had their fingers
singed In politics so often In Michigan
jof late years that they are getting
timorous about venturing near the fire
i IL Is, OF course. only characteristic
OF the stupidity OF these papers in poll
ticai matters that they pass by what
might be conceived to be real and sub
stantial grounds of criticism of the
governor to stand sponsor for attacks
the absurdity of which is clear 10 any
person Of intelligence who possesses
even an elementary knowledge of state
pon'ics and state affairs.--Mining
Journal.
..sre.f..r a. "a r. -