Charles Wesley DRIVER

                   Todd's Able Seaman's Card is signed Wesley Driver and dated July 5, 191
0. His position is Watchman and his height is listed as 5'10".
From Michigan Weather
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1894: Lansing has a completely rainless August.
Undated News clipping
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Mason Baches Rap Landlady
New H.C. of L. Club Proposes Strong Entrenchment Plan
Special to the State Journal.
Mason, Dec 12 - The Mason Bachelors' H.C.L. club was formed Monday nig ht
at the Sweeney hotel. Todd Driver was elected president of the new orga
nization which aims to conserve the finances ofthe bachelors forming t
he club. President Driver, following the formalitiesof organization, ga
ve a short talk in which he pointed out the dispositionof landladies to
b oost the board, while at the same time, they make two pieces of pie
grow w here only one flourished before. President Driver also called
attenti on to the fact that carrots had replaced meat in the Irish stew
and that a ll boarding house coffee seemed dispirited and weak and needed
codliver o il and sanitarium treatment to recuperate its strength.
"All landladies," declared the new president, "are retrenching. We shou
ld not blame them considering the cost of all necessities. But why add mo
re to our board bill when all these curtailments named have been made? T
he bachelor is at the mercy of the boarding house keeper in these thing
s. They raise our board but meter the beans. They even put a medicine
drop per on the catsup bottle. The amount of mashed potatoes we are
served loo ks like a recuperative dose for a convalescing typhoid fever
patient. If o ur board bill is increased, why not increase the amount of
food?"
Will Roll Own Pills
The club plans to cut downthe high cost of living by many means. It was
a greed that every member wouldconscientiously save all coupons for one
thi ng and roll his own cigarette.Where landladies have been tyrannical
and n iggardly in boosting board, but cutting down the side dishes,
members wi ll refuse to take the landlady's daughter to any show, opera,
dance, socia l, entertainment of paid admission, circus or movie.
In all cases where members room where they board it is purposedto start
r eading circles for these, each member remaining in his room and burni
ng as much gas or consuming as much electric juice as possible. This wi
ll cut down the expense of cigar store dice or card games as well as
elimi nating the expense of pool and billiards.
Each member will report weekly to thesecretary the exact amount he has
sa ved. A general fund may be started forthe purpose of erecting a
bachelor s' home in Mason. Stock in this home willbe sold probably at $5
a shar e. In event the home is built, it is also purposed to install a
culinary d epartment and buy tubers in the north and spagetti from the
Chicago mail o rder houses.
Urges Strong Legislation
President Driver in a second talk pointed out that the time had come wh
en bachelors would have to organize and protect themselves. "Congress ge
ts scared and passesan eight hour bill for the railroad men. It gets
scar ed again and votes forfree seed and the rural credit for farmers.
What h as it ever done for bachelors? Not a thing, gentlemen, except to
solicit t heir votes and then forgetthem when elected. If the bachelors'
organizati on grows strong enough it will wield a national influence.
Some day congre ss may get scared enough to establish federal boarding
houses for bachelo rs where board may be had at cost;boarding houses
where a bachelor may a sk for a second piece of pie withoutthe landlady
threatening to call o ut the militia."
Handwritten letter
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Lansing, Michigan
Sept 12, 1916
My dear Miss G