The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1918-12-27
WHY THE SARCASM?

comments at length on the proposed
Memorial to Van Buren, County He
roes and Heroines. The introduction
to the editorial in question reads as
follows
"Now that the war is over fer
tile minds are devoting themselves
to conceiving ways and means Of
spending the ten thousand dollars
recently appropriated by the
board of supervisors for the cree
ton of suitable memorial to the
memory of the Van Buren, county
heroes and heroines-soldiers,
sailors and nurses-who have
yielded up their lives in Americas
war for the safety of democracy.
The Day Spring has heard a
number of suggestions, but the
first suggestion through news
paper channels naturally comes
from Paw Paw"
Spring should have fixed opinions as
to how the $4,000 appropriation
should be spent to properly commem-
crate the glorious record of the Van
Buren, county soldiery. In fact, it is
the duty of every citizen of the county
to have some opinion in regard to so
important matter, and arguments
to substantiate that opinion. But why
the sarcasm?
The suggestion, at which the Day
! Springs chooses to hurl it's invectives,
was made by Rev. |. p. Bates, in a
communication published in the col
umns of The True Northerner two
weeks ago. The Reverend gentleman
is veteran of the Civil war and
resident of Antwerp Township. He
is probably entitled to his opinion in
regard to the County Memorial, the
same as every other citizen, and it
seems little unkind to say the least,
to make him the victim of sarcastic
comments. Those who know him,
know that he is entitled to respectful
consideration.
Seriously, the Day Spring need
have no fear that Paw Paw will at
tempt to surreptitously grab any of
the $4,000 for Library purposes.
Mr.. Andrew Carnegie has very gener-
ously provided the funds for that
purpose, and the building will be
erected on the grounds literally do
mated by one Of Paw Paws philan-
thropic ladies. The books for the
building are also in waiting, so really
Paw Paw has no use for a single
dollar of that money for Library pur-
poses. Furthermore, it is very doubt
full, even though the Committee in
charge should deem Mr.. Bates sug-
gestion feasible and desire to erect
the Memorial as an annex to the
Library, if those who are responsible
for the Paw Paw Library would con-
sent to such plan.
A splendid committee has been
named to "Devise Ways and Means
of spending the $4,000 appropriation"
They are all men of standing in the
county, men of integrity and good
judgment. We doubt not, but that
the plans devised by this committee
of estimable gentlemen will meet the
universal approval of the citizens of
Van Buren, county.
Personally, as stated in these col
umns in recent issue, The True
! Northerner would like to see the
Memorial erected to all the Van
Buren, County heroes of all the wars,
We believe also that the Memorial
should be in such form that it will
serve as an enduring testimonial, and
also serve a unitarian purpose, if
such thing is possible, and we be-
leve it is.
The same question has been under
consideration for some months in the
neighboring county Of Kalamazoo,
and the commission to whom was in
trusted the final decision and plans
have decided to erect a Memorial
| Building.
The following editorial is clipped
from the Kalamazoo Gazette of last
Week.
"To find any plan for memorial
izing our soldier and sailor heroes
that would meet with the approx
al OF every one of the thousands
who are interested was of course
impossible. Hundreds of suggest
ions have been made, many of
them of high merit, and all have
been given due consideration by
the special committee appointed
by the city commission to study
the subject. In determining that
the memorial should take such
form that it would serve not only