Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1918 — BABCOCK IS STILL HOWLING [ARTICLE]

BABCOCK IS STILL HOWLING

SMARTING FROM SKIN REMOVED BY FENDIG’S STINGING REBUKE. Having made a backdoor apology to county fuel administrator, B. F. Fendig, instead,, of standing up before the county council of defense and telling Mr. Fendig that he had willfully misrepresented him , having misrepresented the price of coal received by the dealers at Francesville and having admitted that in* stead of selling from 50c to $1 per ton below the Rensselaer' dealers, they were-actually selling at 15c a ton more. These 2 outlets from Babcock’s superfluous flow of bile having been damned, he could think of nothing else but to keep on howling about the editor of the Republican. He does not say that we have done anything wrong, but, in doing good we have had a deep, black, motive. He charges that we have a financial interest in at least one coal yard in this city. In Babcock’s evil mind that, of course, would warp one’s every action. Babcock knows exactly what holdings we have and have had for sometime. He has tried to give the impression that we still hold a considerable interest in the Kellner & Callahan coal yard when Hamilton told him over a year ago that he had sold his entire holding therein to Thomas Callahan. Even with a full interest in this or any other coal yard the editor of the Republican is too much interested in the successful prosecution of this to not be willing to do anything in his power to help the county council of defense or any other like organization in its efforts to handle the present difficult situation. We have sacrificed time and money and are willing to continue to do so. We have a son in this great conflict. For more than a year he has bared his breast to the awful onslaughts of the Hips. His life is placed upon the altar ready to be sacrificed for the good of humanity and should we place everything material we own in this world in comparison with his sacrifice, it would be infinitesimal. The accusation that our motives are mercenary can come only from a heart as stony as the Kaiser's and a mind as evil as the ruler «R Cades himself.

And now all of this is made by a Democrat who should be in favor of united effort and harmony. Who, instead of questioning peoples’ motives should be striving for co-opera-tion and it is the duty of Frank Welsh, chairman of the Jasper county council of defense who knows what the editor of the Republican has done, to see that the misrepresentations made by the Jasper County Democrat are stopped. Welsh should 'have taken this stand in defense of Fendig and Hamilton in the meeting of the council of defense. Was he more interested in the Democratic party than he was in the work of the county council of defense? And while Babcock was telling his readers about that meeting why did he not tell them about the rebuke administered to him by county fuel administrator Fendig?

Why did he not tell another very significant fact? Why did he omit from his account of that meeting to tell that while the innocent Greek was on the carpet for selling a single meat sandwich on meatless day, that on the very • same meatless day, Frank Welsh, the, chairman of the county council of defense admitted that ha had had meat for dinner and so informed the members of the defense body in the meeting assembled. Babcock agrees with Welsh on the German question, does he also sanc-

tion and commend this violation of the strict order of the national, state and county councils of defense? Welsh has asked that oil be poured upon the troubled waters between Babcock and Fendig. The editor of the Republicans demands that Welsh insist that Babcock stop his abuse of those who are earnestly and conscientiously working with Welsh and the defense council to do all *tihey can in this most important hour of the very life of our country. Welsh knows what the editor of the Republican has done and we insist that he make a public statement of the same.

And now as to the motive of the editor of the Republican, we leave it to the fair minded people of Jasper county, if $l5O invested in The