Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1898 — DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEETING. [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEETING.

The Democratic County Committee will meet at J. . Douthit s law office, in Rensselaer, on Saturday, December 10, 1898, at 2 o’clock p. m., for the transaction of important business. All democratic candidates at last election for county office requested to be present. D. W. Shields, Chm’n. J. Walters, Sec’y. “Honest Abe's” court and the U. S. Congress both convene next Monday. Reed has been Czar of the House once too often, now. A new speaker should be selected.— Fowler Leader (Rep.) We trust that the effort to bring about reform in county anil township government in the next legislature will prove suceesful. There is need for plenty of such legislation. —Valparaiso Messenger. The agitation now being made for reform in county and township government is due to the exposures of rottenness made by the democratic papers of the state during the past few months, and they should be given the proper credit. Fort Wayne Gazette: As a result of a careful enumeration, conducted by Bishop Rademaker's clergy, it is shown that in the city of Ft. Wayne 10,000 souls are accounted for in the six Catholic churches and twp chapels in thnt city. The census has been going on several weeks.

While here Prof. Boone, the hipnotist and mind render, could have done this county an inestimable favor by getting the statistician (30 years in office) to thinking hard of the “unwritten” countyrecords of Jnsper county, and then made public the “thinks” thereof, What a revelation would have been made!

We would ask the tax payers of Jasi>er county if, in the event of - legislation being enacted for their relief, any degree of credit is due I the three republican papers of Rensselaer, which have continually shouted that everything was “rosy” here in Jasper, notwithstanding the fact that our county is right up among the highest taxed counties in the state? The United States of Cent ral America has busted after a brief and uneventful career. These people are of the same bone nnd blood as those who inhabit Cuba and and Puerto Rico. Absolutely unfitted by nature to govern themselves as are the people Uncle Sam has or proposes to take charge of. They have been and are in continued rebellion. We can expect nothing else from*, our wards. The decision of the supreme court that a road supervisor who neglects or refuses to keep the roads in'his district in good condition can be prosecuted by any tax payer of his district and Compelled to make every road under his supervision a good and at all times a passable road, ought to be enforced in every supervisor’s district in Indiana. The people pay taxes for good roads and are entitled to them. So let them read the riot act to their supervisors and they will get good roads.

We are sorry to note that our friend Clark, of the Journal, still persists in saying naughty things about people, which he is later compelled to “retract.” The Journal’s reference to Miss J. Pearl Rodgers a couple of weeks ago was a “mistake,” and the Journal “is now convinced” that the business matter referred to was the result of a “misunderstanding,” etc.

We wish to say emphatically that The Democrat’s charges during the late campaign, of corruption and mismanagement in the administration of county affairs were not solely for political effect, as some republicans perhaps inferrod. Every charge was true in every particular, and we shall continue to make war upon all future rottenness unearthed, as we have done in the past. The Held is very fertile.

That excellent democratic journal, the Rechester Sentinel, says: Our advice to the democratic state committee is to spend less money for speakers in 1900 and more for democratic newspapers than was done this year and two years ago. First, educate your voters by the kind of literature they like to rend; second, be sure they know how to vote the complex Australian ballot so it will be counted; and third, organize the vote so it will turn out to the polls. Without these three precautions republican money will defeat us at the election every time.

According to the returns made to the auditor of state by county auditors the values in the state are ... - as follows: Value of land, $453,106,683; value of improvements on lands, $89,184,578; values of lots, $151,351,801; improvements on lots $167,364,133; value of personals, $289,364,483. This is according to 1897 a decrease in lands of $321,050 and increase of $4,964,967 in improvements, an increase of $133,581,000 is shown in lots, an increase of $4,471,744 in improvements on lots and an increase of $10,739,500 in personals. A total increase of $20,309,792 is shown.

Time was when the plain people had confidence in public officials, they believed that public servants would do the right thing if elected to public office. And this same sentiment would still prevail had not the men elected to office so wantonly betrayed the trust placed in them. Our own county furnishes many painful and disgusting examples in point. 11l the not far distant past, officers mildly suggested that fees not clearly legal In? allowed, that they might eke out an existence. They now impudently demand that they shall be allowed to fatten at the public crib. At the last extra session of Abe Halleck, about SIOO was allowed in direct and flagrant violation of law. The services for which the taxpayers of Jasper county were robbed of this amount were included in the salary attached to these offices, and the officers were entitled to no other compensation whatever.

Indianapolis Nows: “A state officer has made the announcement that there is in the hands of county officers in Indiana more than $1,000,000 in fees that should be turned into the treasuries, and that this failure to comply with the fee and salary law, applies to nearly every county in the state. The law is not enforced, and his suggestion is that the law should be changed, so that the county officers can be under inspection of a state officer, who will have the power to collect the fees due the state. A senator, who is familiar with the subject, says there will be considerable legislation on the subject of county officers, and a bill will be passed that will compel the county officers to turn over to the treasury the fees they collect. It is also stated that there is in the hands of the township trustees of the state over $500,000 which should be in the pockets of the taxpayers, and that laws to remedy this, will also be passed. Subscribe for The Democrat.

Last spring a notice of graduation was published in the different papers of Rensselaer. Three of these papers received for svTch publication $1.75 each, we believe, while the editor of an alleged democratic (?) sheet; was allowed $8.25 for the same service. This alleged democratic editor defended the unlawful acts of ebunty officials to the best of his limited ability during the campaign, and shouted that everything was “lovely” in the management of county affairs in Jasper county, and, as usual, dropped in his ballot in the same old way. Is this not true, Bro. Marshall, or does the record mean something different from what it plainly says? We refer you to page 95 of Commissioners’ Record 11, for proof of the above assertion.