Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 262, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 November 1910 — Late Campaign Canards. [ARTICLE]

Late Campaign Canards.

The closing days of the campaign show the extremity to which some candidates are willing to go in an effort to secure election and the Republican regrets to learn that lies are being promulgated and industriously peddled to defeat Lpuis P. Shirer, the republican candidate for sheriff and the present incumbent of the office. Following the conviction of Clinton L. Bader, general manager of the Wlnamac Bridge Co., last March, Sheriff Shirer took Mr. Bader to Winamac, to permit him to look after some business affairs and 'spend a short time with his family before starting with him to the penitentiary where he had been sentenced for a term of from 2 to 14 years. Mr. Shirer was of the opinion that he had three days in which to take his prisoner to the penitentiary and before the three days were up he would have done his -full duty as he understood it. But friends of Bader filed petitions with Governor Marshall asking that Bader by paroled until his case was heard in the supreme court of- the state and the governor issued a reprieve as petitioned for. On this petition appeared among other names those of N. Littlefield, chairman of the Jasper county democratic central committee; James W. McEwen, editor of the Democratic-Senti-nel; N. S. Bates and J. A. McFarland, all democrats and all good citizens. Mr. Littlefield afterward sent a telegram to the governor asking that his name he withdrawn from the petition. He did this because he understood his signing it might be used politically. Among republicans who signed the petition, were several leading citizens not concerned in the release from any political standpoint and the request was made with no motive to avoid punishment for Bader. Mr. Shirer returned here from Winamac with an order from Governor Marshall to admit Bader to freedom on parols. He thought he had performed his full duty, but he had been misinformed about being allowed three days in which to conduct a convicted person to the penitentiary and for this oversight Judge Hanley cited Shirer for contempt of court and fined him SIOO. This fine Mr. Shirer paid out of his own pocket. It was intimated to him that the Winamac Bridge Co. or Mr. Bader might pay the fine, but Mr. Shirer manfully replied that he would bear the burden of his mistake himself and be under obligations to no one. So Louie Shirer paid SIOO for having a tender heart. And this is being used against him by the most contemptible insinuation that he Was concerned in the bridge graft and the story has even been told that he was paid SI,OOO for keeping Bader out of the penitentiary. Mr. Shirer is a clean man, the highest class of a citizen, and above the taint of The story alleging that he was in any manner connected with the Bader matter more than the fact thalt through misbelief he erred in not taking to the penitentiary immediately, is false and told for political influence by unscrupulous and irresponsible people. So far as Bader was concerned It accommodated him but little. Had he been taken at once to the penitentiary he would have been just as free as he is now. Judge Hanley, in fining Shirer, did it to impress upon the sheriff his duty and not because he thought Mr. Shirer was influenced by Bader or his counsel; Judge Hanley would today, and so stated to the writer, be willing to go into any part of the county with Mr. Shirer and defend him against any suggestion of corrupt practices. Louie Shirer Bhould not lose a republican vote because of his action in the Bader, matter. He was influenced by a heart full of sympathy for a man who had every exterior appearance of honesty and he did what any kindly disposed man would have done when he took Mr. Bader to his home before he took him to the penitentiary. It may be remembered that when Tom McCoy was convicted at Monticello he was taken to Lafayette and spent two or three days there and in Chicago before he was taken to the penitentiary. The effort- to make political capital out of an act of mistaken kindness is the meanest sort of politics. Republicans and all good citizens should not be Influenced by it. Republicans should go farther and resent this attempt to keep him from reelection ' by the circulation of . such false and defamatory stories. No man in Jasper county can find a single good reason for failure to support Louis P. Shlref for re-elec-tion to the office of sheriff.