Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 242, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1910 — Prosecutor’s Fiasco Should Not Operate Against John F. Pettit [ARTICLE]

Prosecutor’s Fiasco Should Not Operate Against John F. Pettit

The affidavit- made by -Prosecutor Longwell against the commissioners of Jasper county had the effect of swelling a great hope in a few democratic breasts. There was nothing but idle gossip of two rival bridge contractors upon which to base the affidavit. Two non-partisan grand juTies had refused to indict the commissioners on the flimsy, hearsay evidence which Mr. Longwell had dug up and Judge Darroch, a democrat, of Newton county, brought the farce to a close when the case came to trial in the Circuit court. Judge Darroch instructed the foreman in open court to sign a verdict in favor of the defendants and if that does not amount to a complete exhonoration, we are unable to tell what one it. The affidavit was a fiasco and did nothing more than smirch the reputation of three good men who have for some years given the most conscientious attention to the business affairs of Jasper county. In view of the other charges against Bader, which were not in the least tried by the case with the commissioners, he was not greatly affected. But we are of the opinion that citizens of Jasper county are convinced that there was not a particle of truth contained in the affidavit of the prosecutor. If there was he would have proven it. As it was he proved nothing except that the grand Jury that he mistrusted had better judgment than he hack * — Fred Waymire, Charles T. Denham and John F. Pettet were somewhat maligned by it but their qualities of highest citizenship will outlive the assault and we believe at this time that there is not a man in Jasper county who belives that any one of them had anything whatever to do with the alleged changing of the bid. And the writer heard Wallace Marshall, the rival bridge man, say at the depot the evening following the abrupt ending of the trial that he never did believe that Mr. Bader changed the bid. Another man reported that Wallace Marshall said that “When I get through with Bader, I guess he will not underbid us but will make *t possible for us to make some money.” This would indicate that Mr. Marshall was prompted by a motive that is apt to prove very expensive to taxpayers and may substantiate a suspicion that bridges have been let in “olden days” without quite the proper spirit of rivalry. There should be no politics in a matter of this kind and we believe that most people did not consider these things from .a political standpoint, except for the fact that the Jasper County Democrat offered to start a purse for probing the bridge matters with the one hope of finding something against the board of commissioners for political reasons. v Had Mr. Longwell the evidence against the commissioners he would have found himself aided by the best people of Jasper county instead of being deserted by them. •If there was no politics in it from a democratic standpoint, why does the Jasper County Democrat take the acquittal so sorrowfully? Could the state have secured a delay until after the election the democrats would have used the suits as an argument against republican candidates. But the commissioners insisted that it should come to a speedy trial. Ther result was a complete exhonoration. That of no evidence whatever against them, ever. So far as the present campaign is concerned only one candidate is affected by the case. John F. Pettet, commissioner in the first district, is a candidate for re-election and we believe that he will profit by the effort to make him a rascal. He is a well known farmer and business man. He is industrious, a home and family man and scrupulously honorable in every transaction of life, public or private. The effort to prove that he had conspired with three other men to steal $l6O was always regarded as absurd by those who knew him or any of the defendants in the suit. Mr. Pettet should receive the support of every republican in Jasper county, thus proving their personal approval of the court’s vindication. John Pettet should be elected by an overwhelming majority.