MORSE, J.
The
plaintiff commenced a suit in a plea of trespass on the case
for libel against the defendants in the Wayne circuit court.
His declaration averred that he was and is a good, true
honest, just and faithful citizen of this state, and as such
had always behaved and conducted himself; that at the time of
the printing and publication of the articles of which he
complains he was a member of the legislature of the state of
Michigan, from the city of Detroit, being such member from
the 2d day of January, 1889, up to the present time; that as
such member he hath at all times conducted himself as a good
honest, and faithful official, and hath executed and
performed his duties as such representative in an honest and
conscientious manner, and for the best interests of the
state, and of the constituency represented by him, and that
he has never been guilty, or, until the time of the
publication of these articles by the defendants, been
suspected to have been guilty, of the offenses and
misconduct hereinafter mentioned to have been charged and
imputed to him; that the said plaintiff, as a member of the
said house of representatives, at the session thereof, which
began on the first Wednesday of January, 1889, did introduce
a bill in said house, entitled "A bill to empower the
common council of the city of Detroit to borrow money for the
purpose of improving the boulevard," and which said bill
was duly passed by said house, and on the 7th day of May
1889, passed by the senate; and said bill is the same bill
referred to in the publication by the said defendants as
hereinafter mentioned, and that the said defendants,
contriving, and wickedly and maliciously intending, to injure
the said plaintiff in his good name, fame, and credit, and to
bring him into public scandal, disrepute, ridicule, and
disgrace with and among his neighbors, and
other good and worthy citizens of this state, and to cause it
to be believed by them that he, the said plaintiff, had been
guilty of the several acts of misconduct and offense
hereinafter mentioned to have been imputed to him,
heretofore, to-wit, on the 8th day of May, 1889, at Detroit,
in said county of Wayne, falsely, wickedly, and maliciously
did compose, print, and publish, and cause and procure to be
published, in a certain newspaper, known and styled "The
Evening News," and of which numerous copies, to-wit, of
the number of 40,000, are circulated in said city, county,
and state, the words following, to-wit, and the picture
hereinafter delineated, to-wit:
"A
GREAT VICTORY-WHAT NEXT? Rep. Randall is receiving
congratulations on every hand over his success in inducing
the Michigan legislature to pass a bill designed to enrich
a few speculators at the general expense of the city of
Detroit. The next move of the speculators will be to
corrupt the caucuses of both parties, and bribe and
bulldoze a sufficient number of the common council and
board of estimates to vote to issue the bonds. This is
somewhat of a job, but it will be cheaper than allowing the
people to vote on the bonding question direct. If the
$500,000 wanted now was all that would be required, the
question might arise whether it was worth fighting; but
$500,000 is only the entering wedge of a demand that will
not stop short of $2,500,000, even if it does then. And all
to enrich a few men who have grabbed a street and are
determined that other people's money shall make them
wealthy. However, the News can stand it a great deal better
than the majority of citizens, who must foot the bills. We
therefore join the others who are congratulating Mr.
Randall on his victory over the solid opposition of his
fellow-citizens. There probably never was so signal a
victory against such great odds in the history of Michigan
legislation. Here was a measure proposed avowedly in the
personal interests of its introducer and his partners. He
made no secret of it. He told his fellow-members very
plainly from the start that he did not go to Lansing to waste his time in the public service. He went
there for this bill, and this bill alone; and he
represented himself and his copartners in the deal, who,
like himself, had pecuniary interests in the measure. The
bill was denounced by the may or, denounced by the common
council, denounced by the board of estimates, denounced by
5,000 petitioners; and Mr. Randall candidly acknowledged
before the senate committee that if it were submitted to
the popular vote of Detroit it would be overwhelmed by an
adverse majority. Furthermore, the majority of
Detroit's representatives at Lansing opposed it, and
still further, the bill was one which concerned Detroit
alone, and which in no way affected the state outside of
Detroit. Here was a situation which might well appall the
strongest heart. But it had no terror for the
boulevarder's gall. When the legislature was carefully
sized up, it was found to be the smallest, cheapest,
rottenest body that ever assembled in Lansing. The
premonitory symptoms of a desire to steal something
manifested themselves from the beginning. Scarcely a day
passed that some measure was not introduced containing
promises of boodle, or that the legislature did not resolve
upon some expedition or junket, for which the members voted
themselves extra pay or allowance. Nothing was too small
for them to despise, nothing too large for them to grasp
at. Twenty-five per cent. of the whole gang openly
announced themselves by words or acts to be paid attorneys
of outside interests, and most of the remainder of them
waited around for these attorneys to share their fees. All
who have been to Lansing this winter, and including even
the lobbyists, confess that the present legislature is the
rottenest and cheapest that ever gathered at the capitol.
One thing has conspicuously appeared from a very early date
in the session. The legislature of Michigan has learned the
trick, long practiced in the legislature of New York, of
looking upon the metropolis of the state as a victim fatted
for the sacrifice. In both states the state legislature is
overwhelmingly Republican, while the metropolis is
overwhelmingly Democratic. At Albany the metropolis is
robbed and pillaged by special legislation. Detroit has
always been treated with just as little conscience by the
Republican legislature at Lansing, but never until the
present winter did it dawn upon the rural legislative mind
that she would afford fat pickings for the rural
legislative pocket. Mr. Randall materially
assisted in impressing the rural legislator with this
lesson, by assuring him that the city was governed by
Democratic rascals and populated chiefly by Democratic
thieves, knaves, rumsellers, and rum drinkers, mean while
keeping open house, and dealing out free rum himself to the
thirsty granger law-maker. In all these considerations the
rustic not only found argument for appropriating
Detroit's money to his own use, through the medium of
those who expect to recover it, and a hundred times more,
from the taxpayers, but also found a salve for his
hypocrisy, for he dearly loves to find a moral reason for
his thefts. With such a body everything was possible,
particularly when $500,000 was at stake. But what shall the
people of Detroit say to the Republican party, which,
through the legislature it
controls, becomes responsible for this infamous treatment of
the great city? And what shall the common people of the whole
state say, who are in sympathy with the robbed toilers of the
city? They and their fellows have been robbed and pillaged by
the authority of the Republican party, in the name of the
Republican party; their petitions and protests have been spat
upon, and their spokesmen branded in the open senate as
anarchists and incendiaries,-all because Detroit gives a
Democratic majority. Detroit is, in short, officially
informed by the Republican legislature that so long as she
votes the Democratic ticket she will not be allowed to govern
herself; she will be ignored in every measure, concerning her
dearest interests; her representatives will be snubbed, and
only those who go out to Lansing to rob her will be respected
or listened to; a junto of state appointed, and irresponsible
police commissioners will be sustained and supported in
oppressing and abusing her law-abiding citizens, while they
allow thieves and murderers to escape; and every rascal who
makes his way to
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