The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1919-09-12

precincts of the Circuit court of this
or of any other county. / can only
account for my selection as q public
official from the fact that | was but
recently discharged from the army
after nearly four years active SER
vice in the Civil war, and that then
as now the loyal citizens of the
nation thought a soldier was Ten
titled to the earth and the fulness
thereof. At all events the position
came to me without effort on my part
and ! determined to make good" if
possible. That l have ever since
been connected with the public busi-
ness of the county, indicates that my
efforts have met with some degree of
success. Fifty years ago we not
onIv had no automobiles, but we had
no telephones, no typewriters. either
human OF mechanical, and no court
stenographers. All legal papers and
copies thereof had to be laboriously
written in long hand. Many night
have ] burned the midnight oil copy
ing records for the Supreme court.
Complete copies of all records in
cases appealed. including the volumin
Gus testimony in Chancery cases
were required in those bygone days.
For much Of that work some attor-
neys forgot(?) to pay the clerk. We
don't have that kind of lawyers in
Van Buren, county today that is.
not to any alarming extent. Hon.
Flavius J. Littlejohn was Circuit
Judge when I began my duties in
court and he was a friend indeed as
well as in need. I shall never for
get his kindness toward his newly
elected clerk. In those early days
the court and counsel could not call
upon the reporter for copies Of testi-
mony, but each had to keep outline
minutes thereof and sometimes it
was a difficult matter to settle a bill
of exceptions because of difference of
memoranda between attorneys or be-
tween counsel and court. Fifty years
ago the only railroads in Van Buren,
county were the Michigan Central
and the "Plug" from Lawton to Paw
Paw operated by Sam Munger as
engineer with an equipment of one
engine, the cid Vulcan, and one
ancient passenger coach. The only
means Of communication with the
northern and western portions of the
county was by overland mail and the
method Of public transportation was
Jake Craiger's stage coaches which
connected Paw Paw with South Ha-
ven and also with Hartford and ST.
Joseph. There was not even a tele-
graph line in the county except the
line along the Michigan Central. The
only hank in the county was the
First National in Paw Paw. 1t
would hardly seem possible to the
present generation that business
could be successfully carried on under
such circumstances as then existed,
but it was, and the people were just
as happy and no more disconnected
than IN these modern days. When
Samuel F. B. Morse had succeeded in
his effort to secure electric telegra-
phic communication, his first public
message sent from Washington to
Baltimore was "What Hath God
Wrought. Since the days of Morse
the country has been girdironed with
railroads. both steam and electric,
criss-crossed with telegraph and
telephone wires, wireless telegraphy
and telephoning become a commercial
success. Millions of autos traverse
the country in every direction, air.
planes and seaplanes have conquered
the air and men fly like birds and at
a speed tndreanled of but a few
years ago, boats sink beneath oceans
waves and still continue on their
course, all these and other wonder
full inventions. Things of every DAYS
observation and taken rs matters of
course. Well may VIC repeat and
with added emphasis Nor rs first
telegram, What Hath God Wrought.
1t is said that III The early years. of
the nineteenth century cannon locat
ed at Dover on the coast of England
bore the following inscription:
Load me well and keep me clean
and III throw ball to Calais green"
A distance of some twenty miles.
This was considered as one Of John
Bulls boasts, not to be taken literal
ly, but as a bit OF hypelbole. But in
the late World war the Huns had
guns which actually throw shells a
distance of seventy miles, and the
L. S. had constructed one, not need
cd because of tho end of hostilities.
that was expected to send explosive
shells more than a hundred miles
and which in their fight would reach
a point of forty-fvc miles above the
surface Of the earth. I would not
dare in this connection to repeat
Morse's message, but would rather
paraprase It by saying "What Hath
Satan Wrought"