Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1898 — domic Township Minis. [ARTICLE]

domic Township Minis.

The Democratic voters of the several Townships of Jasper County, Indiana, and all others who expert to affilliate with them, wil| meet in mass convention at places herin designated on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1898, At 2 o’clock p. m., and nominate township candidates to be voted for at the November election, as follows: One Township Trustee in each of the Townships of Jordan, Union, and Gillam, and three Justices of the Peace and three Constables in each township except Marion, which is entitled to five each, and Carpenter and Wheatfield four each. The places of meeting is as follows: Hanging Grove, McCoycburg. Gillam, Center school house, < Milroy, Center school house, Union, Wild Lily school house. Walker, Hershman school house. Keener, DeMotte school house. Marion, City Hall. Jordan, Egypt school house. Carpenter, Remington Town Hall. Newton, Sayler school house. Kankakee, Dunnville school house. Wheatfield, Wheatfield school house. Barkley, Cozy Palace school house. D. W. Shields, Chairman. J. P. Walters, Sec.

Facts are stubborn things. Hard to get around, etc.

The Democrat does not attack individuals, but the methods of individuals.

We submit that the removal of those four pages from the Commissioners’ record is without a parallel—it is an unheard of manner of correcting errors in public records.

Immigration to this country has during the past month broken all records of the past ten years. Since Sept. 1 upwards of 20,000 have passed through the barge office and landed on our shores.

In Newton county, a county that compares more equally in valuation with Jasper than any of our neighboring counties, the rate for county expenses is 30 cents on the hundred dollars valuation. In Jasper it is 50 cents. Comment is unnecessary.

If the “barnacle” and the other republican papers of Rensselaer are correct, no public record is sacred and our legislatures have wasted time in making laws for their protection. Indeed this is anarchy from a source we least expected it.

The receipts from the poor farm in Newton county for the year ending May 31, 1897, were $1,251.78. The receipts from same source in Jasper county were $911.75. We have not the figures at hand giving the total expense of poor farm in Newton for that year, but it was a great deal less than our own, which was $3,367.95.

The Journal is strangely silent about the poor farm this week. Come, now. Bro. Clark, do tell us just how far off was the auditor’s report of receipts and expenditures for 1897, which shows $911.75 receipts (report of state auditor) and $3,367.95 expenditures. Get your statistician (30 years in office) to work and see if lie can’t somehow figure out a surplus. Two years ago the tax rate in Lafayette was, we are informed, $2.90 on the one hundred dollars, valuation. This was thought an excessive tax and an indignation meeting was held and a committee consisting of one hundred of the representative citizens of the city appointed to endeavor to have expenses reduced and the tax rate lowered. The rate is now, we believe, $2.24 on the hundred. In Rensselaer the rate is $3.49. Here is a little item for the Rensselaer newspapers that believe high taxes make people prosperous, and is an actual fact: A widow lady, having sold her farm and taken mortgage notes for $12,000 bearing 6 per cent interest, came to Rensselaer to reside. The notes were assessed at 86 per cent of their face valne, and the tax rate here being $3.49 on the hundred dollars, her annual taxes on same is $897. This leaves her bat sßos net income from the SIB,OOOI

•••Will the Democrat ttaelf enumerate any very material or very costly particulars in -which it actually and truly believes that a smaller, poorer or less attractive court house would have been better for the present and future demands of the people of Jasper county f —R eoublican. In the first place we believe an excellent court house could have been built and equipped for from $40,000 to $60,000, large enough and attractive enough to meet all requirements for years to come. We also believe even with the present structure, that thousands of dollars was needlessly spent, and will proceed to enumerate a few items which in the aggregate amount to a great many thousands of dollars. These items all come under the head of extras, and before proceeding to enumerate them we wish to call particular attention to the following paragraphs in the contract with the architects: "The specifications and plans to -provide for everything complete with the building, except chairs, tables, paper files book cases and movable furniture and fixtures. ***A fully completed fire proof court house. * This to include all permanent fixtures and appliances. • Said plans and specifications to be for a fully completed building to cost not to exceed SIOO,OOO. ***The detail drawing shall be full and complete, showing and illustrating in detail every part and portion of said building from the foundation to the extreme top of towfcr, both exterior and interior, including heating and ventilating appliances that are attached to the building, their location and adjustment. ** • Said Alfred Grindle to be liable for all sums in excess of specified price unless extra costs are caused by changes in plans and specifications by the Board." Well, the contract was let for $89,180, which was $10,820 less than the highest estimate by the architect. Now, as to the contract for erecting the building. Messrs. Heinzman Bros, agreed to furnish "All work and material, Implements, models, scaffolding and cartage required in the erection and completion of a court bouse building of the best quality *• • That the specification* and drawings and detail plans are made a part of this contract and are intended to cooperate, so that any work exhibited In the drawings, and not mentioned in the specifications, or vice versa, are to be executed the same as if mentioned in the specifications and set forth in the drawings, to the tro- intent and meaning of said drawings and specifications.” It will be seen by the above

that the contract was for the building itself complete. The contractors’ estimate for the work was as follows: Excavating $ 620 37 Drain Tile 65 54 Concrete floors footing 318 66 Footing and rubbed stone work 4,796 85 Cut stone work 19,762 74 Brick work 7,009 39 Iron work 18,187 35 Fireproofing 10,160 96 Plastering 2,757 20 Metal ceiling 583 36 Slate and copper work 3.856 10 Tile floor and wainscoting 3.881 55 Marble work 2,56171 Wood floor and sheating 1,445 27 Doors, windows and finishing lumber 4,330 16 Painting 791 00 Plumbing 2,187 96 Heating 2,260 05 Electric wiring 1,057 68 Carpenter work 2,147 00 $ 89,180 00 It would seem from the above that about everything was included in the original contract except the movable furniture, boiler house, clock, and the grading and fixing up of the yard, which, to say nothing about the merits of going to so great extremes of extravagance in providing, cost about $30,000. Add to this $4,000 commissioners' per diem in extra sessions, office rent, etc., and we have about $123,000. This would leave nearly $42,000 to be applied to extras not enumerated above. Now. were the plans and specifications so defective that it was necessary to add extras to the amount of $42,000, about one-half the original contract price for the building complete? And was it necessary to pay $5lO for a one hundred dollar corner stone? (The writer has had considerable experience in the granite and stone work business, and if there is a man in Jasper county who thinks that corner stone was really worth the amount paid for it, we wish to say that we will furnish one or a hundred exactly the same size and design, and same kind of stone, for SIOO each. Or we will furnish them of best dark Quincy granite for S2OO each.) Next, was it necessary to change the kind of slate for the roof from No 1. Bangor Union to No. 1 Brownsville, and pay s2,loodifferenoe? (We have talked with several elate dealers recently and they inform us that there is not fifty

cents per "square difference in the price of the two slates.) Then we‘ find $8,200 difference was paid for marble wainscoting; $3,000 extra for fire-proofing; $1,150 for fire-proof vault doors and shutters. Would the building have been complete according to contract without these two latter items? Was it necessary to change the kind of plastering at an Expense of $2,362? Was it necessary or did it show good business sense to pay $2,300 for a clock when one tnat would have answered every purpose, looked just as well and kept equally as good time could have been had for one-fourth that sum? Would not $3 spent for thermometers answered every purpose and so far as appearances is concerned looked as well as the temperature regulating system which cost over $1,100? Did the present or future needs of Jasper county demand that over S4OO be paid for the three pieces of gas pipe which constitute the 50-foot flag pole? Did the present or future of the county demand that about $3,000 be paid for electric fixtures and extra work of wiring, when same is very seldom used? Also, if the new court house was constructed for the present and future demands of the county, why in the name of common sense was there no room provided which is even now large enough to hold a county institute? In view of the already heavy tax burdens of the people of our county, would not a more modest structure have answered every purpose? And if the old court house had become so dilapidated and unsafe for occupancy, owing to the bad (?) condition of the walls, why was it necessary in pulling it down to blow it to pieces with dynamite before the walls could be torn away? Lastly, as we shall show daring the next few weeks, equally as commodious and attractive court houses —perhaps not quite so palatial and luxurious within, but very

nicely finished and furnished—have been built by other counties at about one-half the cost of our own. This being true, will the Republican still contend that the present and future demands of the people qf Jasper county required that we build so expensive a structure?

We might go on and take up each item separately showing the reckless waste of money and extravagance of the commissioners in the erecting and finishing of this building, but the above is sufficient to show their utter disregard for expenses. No more reckless and wasteful expenditure of the people’s money ever occurred in the state.

The Journal in substance says all the reports of mistreatment of soldiers in camp and in the field are blank lies, gotten up for campaign purposes Perhaps it would be a good idea for the Journal man to interview some of the returned soldier boys before coming out quite so severe on them. They are not all democrats, and therefore cannot all be accomplished liars, as the Journal believes.

Colonel Teddy Roosevelt has prepared a review of the campaign in Cuba, which has been read to his officers and received their approval. It will be published as soon as the Colonel and his men have become private citizens again. The review is comprehensive- and includes an expose of the mismanagement of the Commissary and Quartermaster’s Departments and other branches of the service. It ia said by his friends that Colonel Rooeevelt handled his subject without gloves, and that the review will be, in the language of his subordinates, “a red-hot roast of those who are responsible for the mismanagement of the campaign.” _