The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-12-12
"JOE' FORDNEY,
ULTRA-REPUBLICAN
From The Detroit Saturday Night.

3
From The Detroit Saturday Night
For the first time in considerable
period Detroit had the opportunity of
seeing and hearing the true type of
old-line, stand-pat republican when
the Retail Merchants Bureau was adj
dressed Tuesday evening by Joseph
w. Fordney, the chairman of the ways
and means committee of the house of
representatives. Mr.. Fordney is not a
halfway party man, a halfway
American, or halfway anything;
he is either all for or all against what
ever he discusses.
Physically Mr.. Fordney is just what
one conjures up as an image of po-
litician whose abilities have taken him
beyond the trammels of mere "poli-
tics" and made him striver in the
halls of national service. He is fairly
tall, of generous girth, and possesses
the gray-crowned, lenonine head and
the dropping gray mustache which
have been SO, often, in American his
tory, associated with able statesman
ship. 1t is, inconceivable that Daniel
Webster was more successful story
teller. And surely no stripping, fresh
from the law school, stumping for his
election to the legislature, ever pos
sessed in greater degree the quality
of pep
To hear Mr.. Fordney speak in public
is to see verbal canvas daubed with
the vigorous colors of sincere republi-
canism. And every conclusion is
reached after an amazing recital of
statistics. These literally roll off Mr..
Fordney's tongue and, since no one
else could possibly remember half so
many, no one can say him nay with
out retiring and spending consider
able time building up structure of
refutation. Thus is seen the secret of
his eminence in debate, for whose
seeks to introduce personal and ad-
verse opinions is overwhelmed by, an
avalache of facts and figures from
under which the most perfervid flights
of oratory cannot extricate him.
Tuesday evening Mr.. Fordney left
no doubt as to where he stands on
many of the important issues of the
day. He is opposed to government
control of railroads, telegraph and tel
ephone lines and numerous other en-
terprises, for, behold! the same thing
has been tried in this countfy and in
that, and the results have been as fol-
lows. If you have the slightest doubt
as to the desirability of tariff and .
high one, pray examine the conditions
of all the nations where free trade
has prevailed and draw your conclu-
sions. Should you, by the remotest
chance, feel sympathy for the pro-
gram of the democratic party, bring
the pressure Of your intellect to bear
and you will automatically become a
republican. "Just study republican
ism," said Mr.. Fordney, "and let's
see If we can't make this thing unani-
nous next November"
A real party man is this chairman
of the ways and means committee,
and seeing and hearing Mr.. Fordney
makes one believe that this loyalty is
due to a most sincere conviction that
the policies of his party best insure
the welfare of his nation. He is re-
publican of republicans, because he is
so very certain that thereby he can be
of most service to the United States.
IAIN0SBUR0
Mrs. l.. Griswold, who has been
spending the summer at the home Of
her sister, Mrs. ] Terry. left Saturday
to spend the winter with relatives in
FloridaA-Mrs. Ada Drake left Friday
to spend the winter with her daughter
and family at Delts-John Vert, who
recently sold his farm northeast of town
to Mr.. Bloomfield Of Bath, has moved
his family to the w. ID Smith resi-
dence in the west end of town-Dr.
and Mrs. D. G.. Austin have returned
home after being out of town for sew
eral weeks-M Mrs M. Bacon has gone
to Lansing to make her home with her
daughter, Mrs. II. b. Main-- Miss
Pauline Savage has resigned her posi-
ton as bookkeeper for the Farmers'
Elevator Co on account Of poor health
and returned to her home in Byron
Harry Holder who has been employed
in the postoffice for several years. has
received the appointment of rural car
rier at Lennon, and will take mp his
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