Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1916-07-21

BAD AXE. Mich, March 24-"Its
a terrible responsibility 10 run for
Governor" So said Albert l.. Sleeper
when debating with himself and some
close friends the question of his can
didacy for the first office in Michigan.
To those who have known Mr..
Sleeper best and longest this personal
sense of responsibility to his trusts
and friendships has been Characters
tic OF his life from boyhood. These
friends say that he never was known
TO shirk a responsibility and that he
ever feared one is as equally remote.
That he ever will shirk responsibility
is not believed by any of them.
The former senator and state treas
urer is politically and officially known
to thousands OF people over the state
and TO as many more, perhaps. in
business way. But the finer. closer,
human interest story in the Thumb
candidate for governor is much less
TO begin with 'Uncle Bert" Sleeper
comes OF good old New England stock.
And this, by the way, Is the name by
which he is most Familiarity known in
children at first whose close friend he
always is. By repetition in the homes
OF the children the parents took II up
so that now one hears ii quite as often
Towns Know Him.
Speak OF Uncle Bert" in Bad Axe,
Lexington. Ubly. Croswell or a num-
Der of other Thumb towns and any one
will know whom you mean. Ana espe-
cially to some scores of young peopls
does the term appeal with affection ana
gratitude rather than custom. because
he has been more than uncle TO them
through helping them through school
and college. or to a beginning in buslc
ness. Apropos of this comes story OF
the present campaign from town In
the southern part of the state A frleno
of men in a hotel preached his candi-
dacy. Two OF the men said they had
heard OF Mr.. Sleeper, but knew or no
particular reason why they should sup
hort him for governor. At this point a
young professional man broke In Win
the remark hat 1T am for sleeper hrst,
last and all the time and III tell you
college I was about TO quit because
had spent all the money ! had been
able to save TO put me Gu, tnroug IN by by
/ then scarcely knew. heard about my
going to 1T and offered to loan me
money to finish. He gave me S6OO on
my note. which | was to pay back AFTER
I graduated and got a start. After l
had been practicing year / found l
could not pay the note and told MN
SO He said he did not need the money
and TO pay IL as soon as j could ana l
need not pay any interest.
After this story was told. with more
detail. the two doubling Thomases said,
that IL Mr. Sleeper was that kind or a
man they were not surprised at the
number and enthusiasm OF his friends
and they didn't know but what they
would support him themselves. Many
similar incidents could be told OF I'm
Gle Bert" In fact. in more than a
dozen counties in the state his cam
paign Is being well looked after, with
out effort or expense on his part. by
men who have become his close and
loyal friends In ways similar TO the
above.
Born Green Mountaineer.
But to return TO the Green Mountain
ancestry OF our subject IL might be
said that his grandparents were OF
English descent on the paternal side
and OF French and English on the
maternal side Albert Edison Sleeper
was born into the home OF Joseph
Edison and Hannah (MerrilD Sleeper,
December 81, 1862. Both parents came
from the substantial farm folk OF Yer
mont Industrious, honest and thrifty
the home had always been well pro-
vided for although there had never
been an overplus OF wealth in the gen
erations back. At times one or more
of the flock had gone into the west
among them being his grandmother S
brother, John l.. Woods, of Lexington
Michigan, and later of Cleveland. Ohio
whose wealth and philanthropy are
well known in his native town as well
as in his adopted state.