Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1884 — CALKINS AGAIN. [ARTICLE]

CALKINS AGAIN.

The Republican Candidate for Fovernor and the School Fund. Laporte, Ind., Aug. 28. a letter lately written by me with some feeling refuted the idea of a fraudulent connection between Major Calkins and the school fund of LaPorte county. Though the charge was made by the Argus of this city, a paper that is edited by a gentleman, who, while he may never shrink from severity, i know usually to be conservative. I treated it as the vaporing of a campaign, heavily charged with malice, that could even.find expression in personalities and perversion. Concerning the letter the Peru Republican said: Jap Tur,pen has a very interesting letter in the Indianapolis .News of Monday, exonerating. Maj or Calkins of defrauding the LaPorte Conn ty school fund. The Republican then proceeds to quote the following extract from my letter: There has never been a time in his life when Major calkins, whatever his disposition might have been, could afford to trifle with the school fund of Indiana. If he is guilty of having perpetrated or even attempted, a swindle, Dr. Church, an JEx-Democratic Auditor, as well as Mr. Hall, the present Democratic Audi tor of LaPorte county, is guilty of criminal negligence in not having dragged him to justice, indeed, the charge is a flagrant insult to the intel; ligence of the average newspaper reader. To make it is a brainless abuse of the privieges of a free press. ihe next post, after theappearnce of Maj or Calkins’ version over nay .signature, brought me a hut f ull of matter bearing on the subject, declaring the Argus faithful to the record in statement and implication—that even a decent respect for outside facts and circumstances touching the transaction would show Major Calkins wholly unfit for any position of executive responsibility ; that by an . act originally dishonest the .Republican nominee for Gov - rsmor, to-day not only holds *ssoo due the school fund, but that he has frequently re-.-cognized his individual obligation, and that his more recent statement is <a shameless prevarication. Several 1e tters from gentlemen whose names I had mentioned were hot with indignation, one demanding, “Inasmuch as you have been so unanimous on the.side of Major Calkins, you

must come down and make an investigation. Reasonable ininiry on the outside, as well as an - explanation of the records, will reveal that you have .been altogether to pre vious. Major Calkins mortgaged <to the school fund a iract of. Kankakee marsh, for which he never would have paid during his wildest deli•ium of an ti-panic speculation me-half of S3OO, the money advanced. Except for growing lucks and creeping things, and to pad out a trade for docks and stuff equally f aniful, the land never had a Tangible valnesince the world >egan. But even in other Particulars j our article in the News wants accuracy. Thia is the state of facts disclosed by 4 ie record that I am called to examine, nd though it may not convict of swind- ■ ag to the full satisfaction of Major f alkin’spartisan?, a negligence is shown must prove embarrassing to a can . dale for the office of Governor. Major alkins has certainly taken liberties ■WitU the school fund.of LaPorte county ■at he would have dec lined, in any pride or individual interest. A bank or -.»rporation would Jong since have in- • ituled suit to recover. Even -in a horse ace f lie would not have availed himself advantage and escaped the iputetion ofcheating. Ln hw first conversation with me, Ma>>r Calkins said that Mortimer Nye, now 3 layer of batorte, and a democratic candate for elector, was one of the ap-i-raisers whose’ affidavitjseeured the l«an. e has since informed me that he was is taken, that he and Mortimer Nye Avlng held .the property together, led oa to mix .the two facte. Mortimer tye has answered me: ‘lt wae ten years io. Many of the facts have faded »m my memary. I never aaw the nd. and,doubt if Majof Calkins ever wit- Itpinthe center of au abso.tely valuka district, except for huet- * and fishing. I have heard that there not a hay press within five miles of •j property. So its worth for haying eposes, --onsldering its distance »m the Dourest railroad, is fletitioushaye f«ra often bow we came by the .ids and us cost, but we never could ve pM . . ore than |lO< for it- Major Jklns I were trading together. closing up this particular piece of

land fell to hie share. Some of the Kankakee property falling to me, la still cn nay bands, and m ail human probability, will belungjio me and my heirs forever. I once attempted to discover it, but the route, even when the season was dryest, was not practical. To the mud there was no bottom, and the swim .-Ing for a horse was hazardous. No sir; I was not one-c-f the appraisersI was ignorant of tbe cloan having been made for years afterward Had I known it at the time I shodld have felt c<>mpel led to caution the Auditor.’ So, from the language of Mortimer Nye, it is reasonable to infer that the original transaction was of questionable hone* tv. For the reason tbat this gentleman was erroneously connected with the appraisment it is only fair that be should be heard This tate of facts embraced in a quotation from the.LaPorte Argus, August 7, is continued by the record and faithful ia spirit Ten years ago next fall William H. Galkins secured a loan fr»m the common school fund, on land .that is practically a worthless swatpp. With the assistance of intimate personal aud party friends, who probably neyer saw the land, he obtained .money from the school fund to full twice tbe amount of the value of theewamp. .He has failed to pay the interest on the debt, and for eight years the taxpayers have been obliged by law to pay it. for him. tie has failed to pay this honest debt to the school fund, although repeatedly urged to do so. He is a lawyer and knows that the money can not be collected on his note by suit until the: land is sold, and he has the best of reason for believing tbat the land can not beeold at the appraised value, which is only twothirds of the amount ,he recewed from the school fund. He knows tbat the people who pay the taxes have>for nearly eight years been paying tbe-interest that was due from him to the school fundIs this an honest transaction, or is it a swindle on the echoed fund, that should be sacred to every citizen of Indiana? ‘At that time,’ a gentleman observed to me, ‘sued transactions were by no means uncommon, and tbat character of excess is what resulted in the defeat of the local Republican parly. The Geimans of LaPorte county came over to the Democrats in a body because they had good reason to suspicion, the-exact, bouesty of the ‘Count-house,ring? If not wholly on the beat, it was altogether too liberal with the people’s money.' -Why bare not the officers of-LaPorte county recovered the money?’ I usked.

■‘The officers of LaPorte County have done every thing possible-under the law. .By legal provision tbe land must first be sold at its appraised value,,s2oo, befere Major Galkins becomes liable. This last appraisement Uy .citizens of the township where tbe Laud is located, and, of course, interested in .keeping up the value of real estate, is made* tee years alter. Close, person al and political friends of Major G'uJkn>s 4 living in the city of La°orte, had sworn it worth $7 The laud has long been ufikred for sale, but no buyer turns up.’ tWhy were these facts newer brought out against Major Calkins while a candidate lor Coni'ressV’ ‘They were published I the Argus in 1878, but seemed to hav- «o particuar bearing on a legislative oui e.’ ‘Has Major Oalkirs ev.-r recognized his .individual obligation., or has it seemed to give him any r-.uble-?’ ‘Yes, he has promised ihe officers time and again to fix it up.. fffe.i-t loose in his business habits aud a chronic procrastinator. While a gt«at big boy, whom to meet socially is somethine like a tonic, there are really many elements m his composition tbat totally disqualify him for tbe office to which he aspires. Though in hie explanation he avoids the truth and flouudera, like all who attempt to deceive, he does not tbefull force of the moral questiondnvolved. Fearing that Dudley would get hold of the tacts and use them to his detriment at the State Republican Convention, he asked to have ittixed up, ofieiing to give his check for $3')U, which if the laud could have been sold at the appraised value. S2O(, would haye made rtbe amount required. The matter hung.;be has a haphazzard way of doing such things, and it floated un. observed until he became the Republican nominee for Governor. He may think such things of small consequence to a Republican candidate. Anyhow, LaPorte county continues to pay taxes to the school fund on money at first, it is no more than reasonable to suppose, dishonestly secured, aud to day unlawfully held, by Major Vrlixins It won’t do for his partisans to say that he is too big tor such a thing, for there it is, a matter of record. Suppose he has sold it subject to the mortgage, no purchaser ever became liable to .the school fund. Suppose he values it at sioo, or $5,tfiOO. as against the stuffs for which it has been exchanged, car-shop stock and mining stock, Jt was perhaps worth SIO,OOC. Think of that addition to Michigan City, of Jots measuring one by three inches —-think of the btue sky that bas been sold, and of C hicago lots lying three miles out in the lake. To command the logic that could explain this, to the complete satisiaction of any reasonable man, does notday within the possibilities of Major Galkina, aud if a suitable man for the office of Governor, he would have satisfied the mortgage and.fixed the matter on business principles long ago-’ The, fact that the land has been offered jfar sale at S2OO since 187.6 wopid imply -that .it.is mot worth the money. So the (present,appraisement is too high. The laud was .delinquent for taxes at the time.the mortgage was executed- The fact that the patent was not issued until 185'7. when LaPorte was one of the first counties eurthis footstool, would .certaingo far toward •showing that it never had a real value.

The transaction is going to pr we a great humiliation to Major Galkins, and even if disposed, I could not htjp it. But the controversy, by calling public attention to a detective law Hu. has already resukeddn .vast loss, both to Amschool and college fund, may, by securing a wiser enactment, prove a benefit. Partisans may .object to the term ‘swindle,’ but the shool fund has lost sums on the fraudulent appraisement of mortgaged lands in various sections of the State, as lam reliably informed. I was asked to-day by a geutl imau, whose politics are not unfriendly to the.Repubhcan nominee: ‘ls Major C alkins coming up to the expectation of the Republican party?’ My reply was, ‘I do not know,’ and continued,‘Why do you ask thatques tion?’ ‘Because,’ he answered, ‘when first' ! n-ffiinaled, the Republican press put a lurid estimation on his ability, and those

editors fur overdrew him as a stump orator and the master of political Questions. They attributed to him oratorical accomplishments that would flatter General Harrison or Mr. Voorhees. I have heard both.and Colonel Gray is superior to Major Calkins on the stump. Major Galkins is a man of dash, fine personal address, but. although smart, is unlearned, and his statements are wanting io torcc and perspicuity. He is rich In the social qualities that H«rrison lacks, and of that leader’s strong points wholly nnd lameutablv destitute. So, i' the spirit of the Republican press is accepted as true, a popular expectation was quickened that Major Galkina will bi unable to reach during the present campaign.’ • I have been shown the photographic negatives written bv the Republican nominee, while a member of the Hubbell committee—one that will certainly call for a new in that " idow Duncan matter. Mr. Wadsworth has artiste and engravers at work on several epistles th*d -will throws new light on Major Galkins’ explanation of his explanation. explaining his reply to the reply. in reply to the charge of assessing poor widow women in the Government employ to buy of the calamity that threatened to culminate in Winterbotham’s election to Congress. Thus LaPorte Countv politics are dragging their interesting aud benighted length through the last days of August. It will soon be given to the public through tue columns of thergus. JapTukpen.