Decatur Democrat, Volume 40, Number 51, Decatur, Adams County, 4 March 1897 — Page 4

THE DEMOCRAT PUBLISHED WEEKLY. DEMOCRATIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO LEW G. ELLINGHAM, EDITOR. $1.50 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE. Entered lit. the Postofliee at Decatur, Indiana us Second-Class Mad Matter. OFFICIAL PAPER OF ADAMS COUNTY. THURSDAY, MARCH 4. All no'ices of the election of trustees, directors or other officers for any organization or society will he charged at the uniform rate of $2 each, all notices fOr the sale of intoxicating liquors will be charged So each Governor Mount is rather small, figuratively speaking. Never were we so prosperous— McKinley is now president. . At twelve o’clock M tod’y President McKinley said to Ex-Presi dent Cleveland, March 4th (forth). William J. Bryan will help campaign Ohio this year. His logic and eloquence will revive the ad m’ration of Indiana democrats. If there is anything the corpora tions wanted from the Indiana legislature that they asked for and didn’t get, we would like to know what it was. Louis Holtman of the Brazil Democrat, was elected president of the National Editorial Association at a meeting of the latter held at * Gaheston last week. The press of Indiana are proud of this high rank of honor conferred upon Bro. Holtman. I-

The inauguration ceremonies came off according to program today. The “advance agent” was inducted into the high office of president of these United States, and if you need a little “confidence” to help you in well doing, just address the white house. The division of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit is now assured. Our people will not be burdened by ditional excessive taxation on account of it. The costs of court need be no more than now, and the Democrat will see that they are not increased without just cause. The Nicholson quart shop bill passed the house on Tuesday, and will very likely pass the senate. This bill provides that dealers can not sell in less quantities than five gallons, unless they first take out a license before the'county commissioners This virtually makes them retailers, as they have only to take out city license to become full fledged retailers. Under this new law a man will be obliged to bin five gallons to get drunk, and he must necessarily have a large storage capacity to rid himself of bosurplus pnrrhase, or prepare himself for an all summer drunk. You will find on local page where the Shakespeare Club have been airing their opinions upon the sub., ject of “The Ideal Newspaper.” They go at the newspapers of the present day, rough shod and sat some pretty hard things. We venture the assertion that should tbej meet one of those “ideals” in the road they wouldn’t recognize it, and even after they had read all the great things in that newspaper tbe\ would be disappointed. Disappointed because their corns would burn with the balance of frail humanity. As long as you touch their vanity all is well. This is a weakness of t|je human family. As regards an ’honest dollar, let us state that the only honest dollar is the silver dollar. It was the first dollar made by our government. In 1791 Gen. Washington requested Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton to take a Spanish silver dollar and see what was in it. This they did by having it analyzed and found that it contained 371| grains of pure silver. -This was then taken as the amount of silver that should constitute an American standard dollar. On April 2, 1792, an act of congress was passed making the silver dollar to contain 371| grains of pure silver, and that dolllar has never been changed as regards this amount of pure silver. AVe now ask in all sincerity, what constitutes an honest dollar? The silver dollar that has never been changed, or the gold dollar that has been changed three times by acts of congress? If law can not create value then when does either the silver or gold dollar

get its value? If the hundreds of . banks that failed since McKinley’s election had their vaults full of this much abused silver dollar, they - would not have failed and their de- „ positors would not now be suffering for want of money.

BAD RECORD. SHORTCOMINGS OF THE PRESENT LEGISLATURE. Ludlow Aaalyxe. th# Few Enactment* •t the and Show* Wherein the lateral e£ the People Have Been Neglected—Appropriation* Badly Handled—Other Goatip. Special Cnneapotulence. Indiaxafolis, March 8. —The legislature is taking its last gasp and will pass ■iion into history. Already the copies of the revised statutes which belong to the state are beginning to walk off under the arms of the legislators, and members are beginning to pack their grips for the return home. How some of the legislators can go home and face their people is a mystery to me. The Republican, members have done about everything they could to misrepresent their constituents, while they have seen to it that every bill in the least detrimental to trusts and corporations has fallen by the wayside. This is a fact which the records will show and which the Republicans willj have an awful time in explaining during the two years to come. I can pick out of the Republican members of both houses at least 25 ■who were elected to represent the people. but who have done nothing during this whole session but pander to the interests of the corporations. It is a fact that every important step that has been taken by this legislature has been in the interests of corporate power as against the people, and it is not too early to draw the curtain and allow a glimpse at the work done. The view may change slightly during the next few days, but not for the. better, as these are the days when big schemes are liable to be engineered through. In the first place, there has been no antitrust legislation, as the bill drawn is so worded that the trusts were all favorable to it rather than inimical. The Republicans have killed the East 2-cent railroad fare bill, thus destroying the hope of a cheaper railroad fare for two years to come. By voting down the bill terminating the life of the appellate court the Republicans have saddled a burden of $70,000 upon the taxpayers. Legislation of all kinds tending to remedy the evils in the educational system of the state has been killed. The Republicans have opened a door for endless fraud and corruption in the ballot system, by introducing the pencil instead of the stamp, thus forever wiping out the safeguards thrown around the ballot by the Australian law. The special verdict act, with all of its iniquitous and unfair features, will remain engrafted on our jury system during the next two years. By the creation of a number of new courts throughout the state a burden of at least SIO,OOO annually has been thrown upon the people, t o remain until there is a Democratic legislature to repeal the laws creating them. To what extent these courts were created to award the politically faithful is a matter of conjecture. but it is known that in one case the judicial system of the state was prostitutedfor that purpose. By striking down the Commercial club insurance bills the legislature has failed to throw any protection around home insurance companies, which means that millions of dollars will continue to be sent out of the state to pay premiums to foreign companies. After all of the vaunted talk no bill has thus far been passed that will protect the people from abuses in the township trustee’s office in the purchase of school supplies. The general medical bill, establishing some degree of qualifications for medical practioners has been killed, and the bill establishing qualifications for pharmacists has met the same fate. The situation on the building and loan question indicates that there will be no satisfactory legislation on that issue. That this is most disastrous to the welfare of the people goes without saying. The crying abuses of the building and loan associations have created a demand for a strict law all over the state and led to the appointment of a special commission to draft a bill. Not only has the work of this commission but the prayers of the people as well have succumbed to the building and loan lobby; It is true that a good bill passed the house, but the senate has so loaded it with amendments that it will be largely ineffective if passed. The appropriation bill provided originally for the expenditure of more money than ever before, and the amount has been swelled many thousands of dollars by amendments. Nearly every legislator has tried to work in a graft and a pace has been set that will inevitably mean an increase of the tax levy What, then, has the legislature done? may appropriately be'asked. It has passed a few bills of which these are a The prison bill, which gives the Republican party every member of the two prison boards, the wardens and every clerk and attendant; the metropolitan police bill, giving 33 police offices in the state to Republicans, and allowing as high as SIO,OOO annual expenditure for police protection in towns of as low as as 10,000 inhabitants; the bill allowing spoilsgrabbing Republicans the control of all the benevolent institutions and the bill ousting Tim Griffin and Mike Cain from their positions at the statehouse. In addition the infamous -gerrymander, known as the legislative apportionment bill which disfranchises 25,000 voters, is now a law. The Jones bill" which was the only bill in the interest of the colored people, was murdered I>y the Republicans, and the Sutton autiboard insurance bill, aimed at the insurance combine which keeps rates up all over the state, was

aln frfDei. This il not nearly all of ♦he bad things that the legislature has done. But it is a few. . What a record to facel ❖ ❖❖ The principal theme for discussion during the past woek has been the appropriation bill. As a matter of course, fully half of the members had special appropriations of some kind that they tried to have engrafted in the bill, and I firmly believe that the most of them succeeded solely and only because Chairman Smith and Captain Harris of the ways and means committee spoke for the bill. Both of these men have a habit of speaking earnestly, and both soon lose their temper, with the result that there was acoutinnal war of words between them and certain members. This bitterness of feeling was very destructive to the bill and I cannot help thinking that if those gentlemen had gone on talking much longer they would have added half a million to the appropriations. ❖ ❖ ❖ With the passing of the legislature it is interesting to know that Mr. Eichhorn, one of the bright Democrats of the house, is thinking seriously of moving to this city to engage in the law practice. He has received two or three flattering offers to w form partnerships here. ❖ ❖ ❖ There are intimations that S. E. Nicholson is figuring on being a candidate for Senator 'furpie’s seat in the United States senate, and thus he will be heard of more in a political way. Nicholson has a liking for politics and would be totally lost if ‘‘out of the swim.” He is known familiarly among “the boys” as “Nick,” a cognomen which seems pleasing rather than objectionable to him. ❖ ❖ ❖ It is not an unusual thing that persons of a disreputable character are found connected- with a legislature, but this has been a peculiarly unfortunate session in that regard. Such persons have found no impediment in the way of making themselves as “fresh” as they Me proper, and the doorkeepers have simply winked at their high-handed conduct without making any apparent effort to stop it. One woman in particular has been unusually bold in her advances, slipping into the seats of members and laughing and chatting with them, always of course when the family of the particular member was away. Some of the stricter disciplinarians rbjected to this, and four of the members last week received anonymous letters stating that their actions were becoming unpleasant and that they had better cease. These letters were reported to Doorkeeper Groves, and he made a valorous effort to find who the authors were, but was never able to do so. When .some of the members rebuked him for admitting such characters he asked them with much warmth what he could do, and cited the fact that the woman in question had a house and senate pass. How these were obtained nobody knows. The senate pass was taken up by order of the lieutenant governor last week, but the house pass is still outstanding. There are other improper characters who get in on the ground floor. One member of the house was so much under the influence of liquor the other night that he made several ridiculous motions, and on the same evening two of the professional lobbyists were so drunk that they reeled and staggered as they walked. ❖ ❖ ❖ Assistant Clerk McKinney of the house, who looks enough lire the renowed David B. Hill to be his brother, has acquired a wonderful feat which he performs many times daily. It is his duty to call the roll of members in taking aye and nay votes. Usually this roll is called from a printed slip, but Mr. McKinney has inaugurated a departure in memorizing the names of the members, and he always calls the roll with his eyes fixed on space and his hands in his pockets. There are 100 names to be called, but McKinney is never known to make a mistake. ❖ ❖ <• Dave Qlive, the minute clerk, is a man who does not attract much attention, but he is one of the most valuable men in the house. His stand is at the post to the speaker’s left and his duty is to keep an outline record of the proceedings. He has been the minute clerk for many years and it is amusing to watch the speakers pro tem, many of whom know more about haymaking than legislating, sidle up to him and in a very meek undertone ask him what they shall do in critical situations. ❖ ❖ <• The federal office seekers will be able to draw a long breath of relief when Senator Fairbanks gets back from Washington, whither he went Saturday night incidentally to attend the inauguration of McKinley but principally to obtain some definite information from the president in regard to Indiana appointments. I have it from inside sources that when the senator gets back he will more than likely be able to give out the, full list of Indiana appointments. He has received so far 600 applications for federal positions, and it took four large dry goods boxes to hold the letters of recommendation which he took with him to W ashington. He will have a conference with McKinley this week, when the papers will begone over and the slate made out. Mrs. Fairbanks and the two Misses Fairbanks will join the senator this week and the four will spend two weeks in obtaining a forecaste of life at the capital. I have it’from as good a source as ex-Senator Wishard, who was Fairbanks’ manager, that Jack Gowdy will without doubt be appointed consul at Paris. He is said to be studying French assiduously and the story is out that he even calls the hogs on the home farm in French. ❖ ❖ ❖ The latest aspirants for federal appointments are Dr. 0. H. Gilbert of Rushville, candidate for consul to Hamburg; R. A. Black of Greenfield, who wants to be consul to Bordeaux, and A. R. Cadwallader of Warren county, who is willing to serve as consul to Mexico. Louis L. Ludlow.

■ OVERCOATS, 20 PER CENT OFF. ■ ■ GLOVES, 20 PER CENT OFF. ■ B MITTENS, 20 PER CENT OFF. ■ j 7 ' CAPS, 20 PER CENT OFF. ■ ■ THE. TRUTH OF ■ i THE. MATTER , ■ Is, We have Entirely too Many Overcoats, Gloves, MitI tens and Caps for this time of the year, and if it is possible to turn these goods into moijey, we are willing to make this enormous sacrifice. Remember these are CASH PRICES. Yours Respectfully, a Pete Holthouse & Co.ffi

SAT ON THE GUV. The Adam. and Jay Court Bill PasMca Over The Governor’s Veto. There js great rejoicine among the members of the bar and others interested in the division of the twenty-sixth judicial circuit. The cause of such an unusual supply of joy, is aceoun’ed for by the new law making Adams county a seperate judicial circuit. The bill was first introduced in the senate by the Hon. J. J. M. LaFoVette of Jay county, and was known as senate bill No. 16. The bill was first introduced in the senate early in the session and passed that body without a dissenting vote. In the house which comprises one hundred members, the bill met a very hearty reception, passing that body with a good fair majority in its favor. When it reached the hands of Governor Mount, it met disapproval. The cheap executive had previously served notice that he wished to make for himself a record for economics—where no politics was concerned —and that he would veto the measure in emphatic tones. He did so. His veto message reached the senate last Friday, and consisted of a laborious effort to

impress that body of lawmakers 1 that the people of Jay and Adams counties didn’t know what they wanted, and if they did, they couldn’t get it. This raised the ire of Senator LaFollette. He exposed Governor Mount’s cheap record in a manner that was highly compli- j mentary to the senator. Immediately afterwards that body passed the bill over the governor’s veto, 1 and Monday afternoon the house ■ did the same thing by a vote of fifty-fonr to twenty-nine. Tuesday the bar had a meeting and passed the following resolution: Decatur, Ind , March 2,1897 Bar met pursuant to call of the President at the court room. R. K Erwin offered the following resolution which was adopted: Whereas, There has been introduced in the legislature of the state of Indi-

ana. at its 1897 session, by Senator LaFollette of Jay county, a bill for an act to divide the counties of Jay and Adams into separate judicial circuits, and known as senate bill No. 16, and Whereas, The same passed both branches of the legislature by a fair majority?, and " Whereas, The governor vetoed the same, and <j Whereas, Both the senate and the house have phased the same notwithstanding the governor’s objection, therefore Be it Resolved, That the bar of Adams county, Indiana, hereby tender our thanks to each member of the senate and house who has shown his greatness by demonstrating his ability to rise above party prejudice, and lend his support to the passage of said bill, and Be it fnrther resolved, That copies of these resolutions be forwarded to Hon. J. J. M. LaFollette, Senator from this district, to be by him presented to each member of the senate who supported the same in the senate, and that copies be sent Hon John T. Kelley, Representative from this district, to be by him presented to each member of the house who supported the bill in the bouse. R. S. Peterson, President. Clark J. Lutz, Secretary. ’ The division of the circuit is a necessity, the rapidly increasing i business in both counties and especially Jay, made litigation too slow and uncertain. Now that the

division is made we predict that no valuable time will be lost, strayed or Stolen. The docket in our circuit court gives evidence of neglect aud this will give time sufficient to dispose of the business when it comes up. The lazy lawyers of Adams county sends greetings to to the ever'swift Dick of Jay county, who ventilated his mind in a very remarkable manner. Governor Mount has no doubt discovered that are others ” His attitude in this matter was for the purpose of gaining a cheap reputation on the ground of economy, although he couldn’t wait to sign the Grant-Howard superior court bill, which provided a place for Hiram Brownlee. Right here we want to protest against the false impression that Adams county will be taxed several thousands of dollars to pay for this extra circuit. The judge and prosecutor are paid by the state ou property assesed at two billion dollars. The valuation of Adams county is $8,000,000, and upon this our people will be taxed about sls, toward the payment of these two officers. The other expenses of court need not be increased. The ca«es set down for trial by a jury, will be disposed of, and the jury dismissed, the same as now. No additional expenses will be

necessary or permitted by Judge Heller. This has been a legislature where trusts and corporations got all they wanted and the people got nothing. Lt has probably been the most expensive legislature in the history of the state. Aside from laws calling for a large expenditure of money or enacted for spoils-grabbing purposes about the only measures considered have had a local application. Chief among the iniquities of the legislature was the elections law, which inserts an open door for fraud in the Australian ballot law by doing away with the stamp and providing that a pencil be used instead. Another iniqaity was the enactment of the legislative gerrymander which, as shown by Mr. Eichhorn and other democratic members, disfranchises 25,000 voters. The

much talked of building and loan legislation, which has created a fever heat agitation' over the state, has suffered from too much lobbying and seems likely to fall by the board. The house passed a good bill, but it has been mutilated beyond recognition in the senate, and there is little prospect of the two getting together at this late day. By refusing to abolish the appellate 1 court the republicans have inflicted a debt of over $70,000 on the taxi payers to be met during the next two years. By the creation of new 1 courts a yearly debt of some $lO,- ' 000 has been imposed on the people 1 of the state. It is the generally 1 conceded supposition that one of these courts was formed solely t« 1 create a political reward tor Hiram Brownlee. The East two-cent rail-. ! road fare bill met its death in the . house as the result ot too much cori porate influence. The Jones bill, i which was the only measure asked by the colored people at the hands i of the legislature, was killed by the • republicans. The Sutton bill which i strikes at “board” insurance and i Combinations that keep up the rates, is doomed in the house. The . ical bill and the pharmacists’ bill, intended to create some degree of i, necessary qualifications, were likfr wise killed. All bills intended to [ strike down the evils in the educa- > tional system ot the state have met j their death, and it may be safely

> | predicted that there will bo little, ‘ I, if any, modification of the present - special verdict law. The much : vaunted anti-trust legislation fell by > the board early in the session. The t boose has passed the Link bill and f the senate the Gilbert bill, one of] > which is the practical duplicate of J ■ the other. The Gilbert bill has i come over to the house and it will probable be passed. Both bills are j farces pure and simple and were ’ more sought after than op- ? posed by the trusts and jobbers. » The legislature has pas-ed the met- - ropohtan police bill, which gives > the republicans two-thirds of the ' metropolitan policemen, all of the ) metropolitan police officers and pros vides for a robbery of the people by 1 enabling as high as SIO,OOO to be 1 expended yearly for police protec- ■ tions in towns of as few as 10,000 , inhabitants.—Sentinel. I.i — ; UNSPOKEN. When you owe a fellow money, 1 It Is always kind of funny [ Bow you’d just * little rather that you did»*t p chance to meet. 1 Os course you mean to pay it, And you know he wouldn’t say it If be even got to thinking you a trifle indiscreet. I i You know be wouldn’t bone you ’ For tho.temporary loan you . Unthinkingly asserted you would very promptj lypny; But, though cordially you greet him.

It is true you never meet him, But you wonder if he’s thinking of the things he doesn’t say. Though you grasp his hand with ardor. Though you grip it hard and harder, You'll still be sadly conscious of a something in between, Os ■ something intervening, Os the which you guess the meaning, For you know it’a but the spirit of the cash he hasn’t seen. —Chicago Journal. Like the Ostricli. Mr. Crimsonbeak—You women remind me of ostriches. Mrs. Crimsonbeak—l don’t understand you. “Well, you know, the ostrich buries its head and believes it cannot be seen. ” “Yes, I’ve heard of that.” “Well, you women cover your head with a bpnnet and think you are out of sight I’ ’--Yonkers Statesman. One Better. Jim Faro—l’m in luck. I got SSOO last night on the ace of hearts. Cracksey Joe —Dat’s nothin. A fren o’ mine cracked a jewelry crib las’ week an got five t’ousand on a tray of diamonds. —Exchange. Cheerfulness bears the same friendly regard to the mind as to the body. It banishes all anxious care and discontent, soothes and composes the passions and keeps them in a perpetual calm. The toothpicks of orange wood, which come from Japan, are made by hand. It is said that a Japanese workman can whittle from 12 to 20 dozen a day. A Sudden Change of Mind. She—Does my refusal really pain you? He—Yes, it does. I was so sure you would tell me ‘‘Yes” I actually wagered SIOO,OOO that you would marry me. “A hundred thousand dollars? Well, I was only joking. When shall it be, dear?”—Boston Traveller. The five principal fortresses in Bulgaria are at Rustchuk, Silistria and Widden on the Danube, Varna on the Black sea, and Shumla in the interion, 1 ED. COFFEE, pttorpgy, apd Justice of ROOM 3, OVER POSTOFFICE. 1 **■' T * i-*Y ’’r Decatur, Indiana. , ■ \ ' ■ ♦