The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-08-07

making complaint by intinfating that
he, Dubbs, would in all likelihood be ar
rested the same as Sayre. The confer
ence ended by Dubbs' saying, 81 do not
desire complaint at this time.'
Public discussion of the matter be-
coming rife, meantime, on the 18th Mr..
Blackney drew up complaint and in
company with the sheriff and a reporter,
went to Flushing and requested Mr..
Dubbs to sign it, which the latter de-
clined to do, saying that he would let
Mr.. Blackney know about the matter
next day.
On the succeeding day the prosecutor
himself, Mr.. Bishop, arrived in Detroit
with an auto party. of which he had
been member during tour of the
East, and heard of the matter for the
first time, through friend. He imme-
diately got in touch with his Office, left
the party, caught limited car for
Flint, prepared complaint and war;
rant and in company with the sheriff
and reporter. went to Flushing. He
saw Mr.. Dubbs and asked him to sign
the complaint, which the latter again
declined to do, saying that he did not
wish to "for personal reasons" Then
the prosecutor told Dubbs that he had
brought a stenographer with him and
that if he would make statement of
the facts and sign it, which would be
for the protection of the sheriff, he
would have the latter make the COM
plant on information and belief, and
make the arrest. After consultation
with his wife, Dubbs refused either to
make the complaint or to sign the state
ment. At this time Mr.. Bishop told
Mr.. Dubbs that he would entertain a
complaint and a warrant would be is
sued at any time he desired. Later,
the prosecutor AYERS that he saw Mr..
Dubbs' daughter and reiterated this
statement to her and told her to tell her
father of it.
Now all of these statements are made
on the authority of the sheriff, the
prosecutor and his assistant. They
az rec in every particular and we be-
lieve are worthy of credence.
The sheriff has been connected with
the sheriff's Office in various capacities
for many years, is thoroughly familiar
with the procedure in that Office and
maintains that the usual procedure was
followed in the Sayre case without any
deviation and with no idea of shielding
or favoring anybody.
The prosecutor, likewise, maintains
that the usual and safe procedure was
followed and that it would not have
been good judgment to have taken this
case into court and put the PEOPLE of
the county to the expense of prosecut-
ing it when the only witnesses to the
affair were unwilling to make a COM
plant or even to sign a statement of
the facts.
We believe the assumption reason
able that after the county had been
put to considerable expense the whole
case would very likely have fattened
out into an inconsequential settlement.
If these statements are true, and we
believe they are, we fail to see where
the prosecutor or sheriff have in any
wise been remiss in this case. The fact
seems to be that the social relations of
the Sayre and Dubbs families were
somewhat involved in this fight and
when it was all over the immediate
parties to it wanted it smoothed out
with as little trouble rs possible. This
was quite natural, and far from being
unusual, and while, as we have said,
the interests of the community would
seem to have been best subserved by
the arrest of Mr.. Sayre, vet, had a
similar controversy arisen between peo-
pie of no prominence, and had the mat
ter been allowed to drop as has been
done in this case, no one would have
taken any great exception to such dis
posal of it. This case has been particu-
larly outrageous and valuable to the
politicians.
Now, just one word with regard to
the liquor cases and then we are done.
No doubt but that many violations of
the liquor laws have been and still are
being made in this county. The visible
and superficial evidences of such viola
tions are many and undeniably often
sive to the best type of citizenship.
But such violations are universal con-
comitant of local option laws and the
collection Of evidence against the violat-
ors, every one of whom is opposed to
the enforcement of the law, is a diff
cult matter. Nearly every citizen of
the county has personal knowledge of
this situation. He has knowledge of
the fact that liquor is being drank and
Al l.. A.