Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 105, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 May 1911 — The Democrat Is Always Right According to Egotistic Editor. [ARTICLE]

The Democrat Is Always Right According to Egotistic Editor.

-Two years ago Clinton L. Bader, of Winamac Bridge Co., was awarded a contract for building a bridge across the Howe ditch in Milroy township. He cheapened it and then filed his bill for full price. He was sentenced to the penitentiary. The Jasper County Democrat claims to be the real cause of his punishment About six weeks ago the Jasper County Telephone Co. wanted 1,500 telephone cards. They asked for bids. The Republican offered to print them for 333.00 on ten-ply coated board, which was set out as the stock to be used. We lost the job, being informed that the Democrat would print them for $30.00. The cards came out in due course of time. They were not printed on 10-ply card board, nor on coated card board. Apparently the stock used Is only 6-ply board. This can be bought for half the price of 10-ply stock. That represented a saving perhaps of $7.60. Bader worked for the county and could be held for criminal prosecution because he scaled down the bridge iron. Babcock worked for a private business and if mad telephone subscribers kick and roar because the flimsy cards curl up or split, he can jingle the $7.50 in his pocket and laugh al the folly' of the public. A year ago last December Babcock was the contract for printing the county stationery. His bid was slightly below that of The Republican. The contract with the county required all stationery to be printed on Strathmore parchment That paper costs 22 cents a pound. Paper was supplied to Sheriff Shirer and to Coroner Wright of a very different fabric and probably costing less than half what Strathmore parchment cost The Republican procured samples and w’as prepared to show that the contract was not being fulfilled to comply with specifications. But Babcock never filed a bill for payment. Asked bv one officer why he had not done so he said that “those fellows down at the Republican office were laying for him,”

He is delighted because Bader goes to the penitentiary. How different. ' For several years George E. Marshall paid Babcock 30 per.cent of all the legal printing for the city of Rensselaer, that beipg demanded by Babcock to keep him from bidding it in at a low price. Later Babcock received only 20 per cent as his toll for not bidding. Along in the early nineties Babcock was working on the Remington Press. That paper published non-resident legal notice tor the town. The Press presented a bill for $13.00. The officers of Remington said the cost was excessive. Babcock wrote a letter to Jas. W. McEwen, publisher of the Democratic-Sentinel, enclosing a printed copy of the notice and telling Mr. McEwen that the town attorney of Remington would probably write to him and ask what the notice was worth. The letter then said “and we will consider It a favor if you will quote him full rates which is sl3. Please treat this communication strictly confidential and oblige. F. E. Babcock, with Remington Press.” The notice was padded by setting the names of the defendants in half column measure, enclosed in a brace column blank except for the words complaint No. 4545. The blank space was all figured Into the bill. The padding was evidently for that purpose. The bill was thus padded to the amount of $3 or $4. And the “taxpayers’ friend” would consider it a favor if the editor of the DemocraticSentinel would quote full rates and consider his communication strictly confidential.

And the Democrat says it is always right, as usual. It is probable tha* there is not a man in Jasper county who will consider these things right Do you, friends?