Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1898 — The County Ticket. [ARTICLE]

The County Ticket.

For County Clerk. JOHN F. MAJOR, of Carpenter Tp. For County Auditor, GEORGE O. STEMBEL, of WheatEeld Tp. For County Treasurer, MARION I. ADAMS, of Marlon Tp, For County Sheriff, WILLIAM C. HUSTON, of Milroy Tp. For County Surveyor. DAVID E. GARRIOT, of Union Tp. For County Coroner, DR. P. J. POTHUISJE, of Carpenter Tp. Commissioner Ist District, FRANK M. HERSHMAN, of Walker Tp. Commissioner 2nd District, LUCIUS STRONG, of Rensselaer.

The republican administration at Washington still lives, but where, oh, where, is the “dollar wheat.” The word wheat has become so distasteful to republican editors of late that they hardly like to publish the market report. The Monon railroad is to pay $350 per year to the city of Rensselaer for ten incandescent lights and water for their engines. Jasper county pays $350 per year for water alone, for the court house. The Monon will use from one hundred to five hundred times as much water as is used*in the court house. Whenever more ecocomy is advocated in the administration of public affairs a great howl goes up from the republican machine. Their policy is to spend money lavishly, keep adding each year to the already oppresive taxes, and “if a man can’t pay the tax, by G—let him move out.” That is the doctrine of the men who today carry the vote of the republican party around in their vest pocket. Carpenter township contains more territory than Marion, and we believe is even more thickly settled than the latter, but Mr. Hoadifer of Carpenter assessed the township and town of Remington this year at an expense for assessor’s services of only $132. The cost of- assessing Marion tp., was $114.75, and of Rensselaer—not quite twice as large as Remington —5143.75, making a total cost for assessing town and township of $318.50, or $186.50 more than the cost of assessing Remington and Carpenter.

Much saving in the expenditure of public money conld easily be made in Jasper county in both township and county affairs without in anyway effecting the service to the public. This is not only true of Jasper but of nearly every county in the state. That such is the case is evidenced by the fact that both the democratic and republican state conventions resoluted for the speedy enactment of laws for the correction of same.

That was a scurvy trick young Leiter played on the republicans when he allowed his corner on wheat to collapse and the price to go tumbling down from “nearly $2” to 65 or 70 cents. It closed them up like so many clams, and it'is now harder for a genuine, close communion republican newspaper man to say “wheat” than it would have been for him to swallow a bale of hay two months ago. —Starke County Democrat.

The following are among the bills still remaining unpaid on account of the new court house: Fenton Metalic Furniture Co., $182.25; W. G. Andrews, $81.25; Grindle & Weatherhog, $1,405.38; Heinzman Bros., $2,310.62. None of these bills were included in the “official statement” of the cost of the building. There is also a bill of $1,800.25 “balance on tower clock,” but we believe this was included in the published statement.

The Benton Review says: “Prosecutor Chizum issued a call for a meeting of the prosecuting attorneys of the state in Indianapolis last week for the purpose of taking action that would result in an appeal to the next legislature to raise their salaries. The officers appealed to gave little heed to the call and the proposed meeting was a failure.” We had supposed from our own observations that Mr. Chizum was already receiving very good pay from the office. Some people are never satisfied, however.

The Lafayette Courier interviewed John Ross, democratic candidate for congress, in regard to his alleged defalcation while trustee of York township, Benton county, a few years ago. Ross stated the article copied from the Indianapolis News and going the rounds of the newspapers, did not do him justice, inasmuch as he had paid $5,600 in cash, including $2,000 in court costs, thus closing the matter to the last cent, but still holds that he was unjustly dealt with. The Courier adds that Ross has been a highly respected citizen of that city for several years, and that his life there is an open book.—Goodland Herald, #( re P-)

If the compilers of that “official statement” of the cost of the new court house wanted to be honest and fair with the tax payers, who must foot the bill, why did they not include all that had been paid out on court house matters at the time the aforesaid statement was given out? Why did they not also state that there was claims amounting to several thousands dollars still remaining unsettled? This latter fact is not generally known, in fact but few people right in Rensselaer are aware of it. This matter, like many others connected with the building of the court house, has been kept from the public very carefully, and it has remained for The Democrat to enlighten the people on the subject. ..While the Journal is in the record hunting business why not look into Prosecutor Chixum’s official record, Abe Halleck’s court house record, Sim Dowell’s business record, etc., etc, Give us something up-to-date, Bro. Clark; instead of going back twepty or twenty-five years and digging up something that has long ago been forgotten and which you twist around to make suit the occasion! We do not believe there is anything dishonorable in the official record of John Ross of twenty or more years ago. We know nothing about the allegations - charged

against Mr. Boss by the Journal and a few other “pap” organs of the district, but we have no donbt they will be effectually exploded in good time. The Lafayette Courier, the republican organ of Tippecanoe county, and one of the few republican papers of the district now supporting Mr. Crumpacker, says Mr. Ross has been a highly respected citizen of that city, for many years, and that his life there is an open book. Bro. Clark will pardon us for preferring to accept the Courier estimate of Mr. Ross.

We regret to know that one Benton county paper has thought proper to invade the sacredness of home to satisfy the appetite of a few for vulgar news. He that would put the name of woman before the world in such a light as to bring heaviness to more than one aching heart, has surely not learned well from the teaching of the carpenter’s son. —Oxford Press. The above refers to the late Fowler scandal, in which Dr. A. C. Boyce, a republican ward heeler and the wife of an ex-Judge of the circuit court figure conspicuously. Perhaps the “sacredness of the home” and the “name of woman” might not have been quite so sacred had not all the parties been republicans and stood so high in Benton county “sawciety.”

The Journal thinks the duties of township trustees are such that it is necessary to put in one day’s sendee per week, which would amount to $lO4 per year. How does S4BO per year strike the Journal as a reasonable bill? This is the amount paid Marion’s trustee in 1897 on service account. Trustees Freeland, Kaupke and Castor have never received anything like S3OO per year for their sendees, therefore the Journal’s statement that we insinuated that those trustees had robbed their townships of about S3OO per year is not worthy of consideration. The Democrat does not think the office of township trustee should be consideaed as a money-making office, but in this, of course, the Journal will not agree with us. The republican idea is, “all’s grist that comes *to our mill.”

But few of the people of Jasper county are familiar with the bond issues for the new court house, the amounts issued, the interest they bear or how long they are to run. For the benefit of those who are not informed on this subject we have taken the trouble to look the matter up and publish same. The first issue was for $82,500 and was issued July 1, 1896. Of this amount $32,500 is due and payable July 1, 1921; $50,000 July Ist, 1926. Of the second issue of $40,000 dated July Ist, 1897, $lO,000 are to run ten years; SIS,CfIDO thirty years; 15,000 thirty-five years. The third issue was dated Jan. 1, 1898. and was for $30i,000. Of this issue SIO,OOO run five years; $5,000 run seven years; $15,000 run twenty-two years. The total issue was $152,500, and all bear 4£ per cent, interest, payable semi-annually. Should all these bonds be paid at maturity—which they will not be—the total amount paid by the county on account of court house bonds, including principal and interest, will be the the enormous sum of $323,512.50. The Journal in speaking of the official record of a democratic official who held office in this county many years ago, says:! “Whileto revive the history would be to republish the shame of our county, it would furnish very interesting reading in connection with the Democrat’s appeal for a change.” We remember that charges were made against a certain Democratic official who held office in this county many years ago. We also remember that any money belonging to the county to come into his possession, mußt have passed through the hands of a republican official. The charges were laid before the first session of the grand jury after the alleged illegal act was brought to the public notice and some of the backers of

' ;■ -v. ■-.j-, the Journal man winked hard to secure an indictment but failed. We also remember that a majority of that grand jury were republicans and that the Circuit Judge and Prosecuting Attorney were both of the Journal man’s political faith. We believe the Judge and Prosecuting Attorney and grand jury did their duty and as they failed to find anything criminal in the act of said official, it seems to be rather bad taste for the Journal man to imply that these republican officials who were sworn to do their duty violated their oaths.

J. H. Springer, ex-secretary of the Indianapolis single tax league and editor of the Single Tax World, says: “I keep a close observation on the labor exchanges and I want to say that right now there are more strikes on in this country than there have been for years. It is high time for an industrial commission to investigate the troubled industrial and laboring conditions. The public in general does not know of the many strikes and grievances that exist, because‘the daily papers for some reason do not publish news of that character. These strikes are so many and are so menacing to industrial conditions that it is silly to talk.of the return of prosperity. It is a significant fact that only a very few of the strikes, practically none, one might say, are to secure advances in wages. Nearly all are protests against reductions. In the big furniture factories of Oshkosh, Wis., the men are getting 6 cents an hour and I have just noticed that Glasgow,, Scotland, central labor union has boycotted Oshkosh furniture because it is ‘pauper made.’ That is something for our prosperity howlers to contemplate. A big wire nail strike in Cleveland involves 1,600 men and promises to fhvolve that many thousands. The men are protesting against a reduction of 20 per cent. They doubtless remember the profuse campaign pledges of the wire nail trust that wages would be advanced. There are large miners’ disturbances in California, Illinois and Pennsylvania. In Omaha, Evansville, Ind., and other cities street laborers are on a strike. In our own city of thd 240 members of the painters’ union but forty can get work and there is a similiar general apathy and bad condition in other unions.”

Senator Gostlin of Hammond, recently sent out letters to each member of the state senate asking them to donate their services for a special session in order to enact a law allowing soldiers to vote in the field. In reply to the letter Senator Horner, democrat, of Brazil, sent the following which is worthy of a careful perusal. “I will say that I would favor and vote for such a law. However, Governor Mount is represented by the papers as saying that he would, in no event, calL a special session and that such law would be unconstitutional. This, I understand, was the construction put on the constitution during the late war of the rebellion, for our soldiers were not then permitted to vote in the field, while those of many other states were. I believe a law permitting soldiers to vote in the field, who are residents of this state and who would be qualified to vote if at home, could be held constitutional without doing violence tp the language or intent of that instrument. The provision that “every male citizen,” etc., (setting out residence and age qualifications) “shall be entitled to vote in the township or precinct where he may reside,” conveys to him an absolute right which could not be taken from him by legislation, but it might well be said, in constructing this language, that this right does not preclude the enactment of a law authorizing such citizen, when he becomes a soldier, to vote in distant climes in the emergency of war, and having that vote counted for his home candidates, especially when construed in connection with that provision of the constitution that “no person shall be deemed to have lost his residence in the state by reason of his absence, either on business of this state or of the United States.” As to tendering my services free to the state, I would certainly be

as liberal as others should occasion demand. Members of the legislature. are paid practically nothing for their services. It is not the pay of the members which makes a legislature expensive. In the senate alone during the last session there were nine (9) doorkeepers and twenty-two (22) clerks (see senate calender, March 8, 1897). Besides these employes many members of the majority side had stenographers to conduct their correspondence at an expense of $5 per day each to the state for a long list of lady type-writers for the entire session of two months. There were pages and cloak-room employes sufficient to swell the number to more than fifty; to more than one employe for each member. This is an outrage, not only on the people of the state, but on common decency. Two or three janitor assisstants already employed in the state house could find time to keep the doors without additional pay; less than half the clerks could and Would do the work for much less than the usual pay, while members could hang up their own hats, put on their own overcoats, conduct their own correspondence and carry their own messages as they have to do at home. It is this extravagance and not the per diem of members that the people of the state cry out against. If it is proposed that this horde of useless employes are to return and draw their pay at a special session, while I am to devote my services, I decline to devote. Otherwise I would be as liberal as the rest. Very respectfuUv.

Frank A. HORNER."