Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1898 — MORE DECEPTION. [ARTICLE]

MORE DECEPTION.

The room of a democrat in precinct No. 4. Marion tp., is worth $4.25 for rent, fuel, etc., for the purpose of holding an election. The room of a republican in precinct No. 2, same township, is worth $8.25 for fuel, rent, lights, etc., according to allowances made by "Honest Abe.”—Jasper County Democrat. What possible purpose the Democrat expects to accomplish bv publishing such slanderous faxes as the above, is past human comprehension. The truth of the matter is simply that Michael Eger, the Democrat who rents the election room in precinct No. 4 received $6 rent for the room, while, Thomas Thompson, who is the republican who rents the room for the same purpose in precinct No. 2, received only $4 for the rent of his room. Thus instead of the republican receiving twice as much for the room as did the democrat, the democrat owner actually received 50 per cent more than did the republican owner.

Mr. Thompson, who rented the room in No. 2 was also inspector in precinct No. 4. As inspector he received the same pay as all other trustees and inspectors did. Like all other inspectors he also received pay for attenting the county canvassing board; and also like all other inspectors in townships of more than one precinct, he received one day’s pay for attending the township canvassing board. He filed a bill for $6 for rent of the room and for fuel and lights for the same, and in the same hill he put in two days’ service on the canvassing boards. The commissioners cut his rent down to $4. Mr. Eger's bill for rent, fuel and lights was $6. The commissioners intended at first to cut his to $4 too, but they learned on enquiring that Mr. Eger had, at a former election been promised $5, and as he had also cleaned the room after the election, they allowed him the full $6 he asked for. —Rensselaer Republican. And we fail to see why a mail will make such false statements as those quoted from the Republican and which are so easily proven false by a little investigation. Our figures as published last week were taken directly from the docket of the commissioners, and were secured in the presence of as reliable a citizen as will be found in Jasper county, who with the writer, will make affidavit that the statement as published in The Democrat was absolutely true.

The docket of the commissioners, it will be noted, is a record of their deliberations and allowances and is written in lead pencil by the board itself. From this docket the auditor writes up the minutes of their meetings in a book called the “commissioners’ record,” and he nor no other person has any right to change any order or allowance in any way different than shown on this docket. The allowance to Mr. Thompson for rent of room (the county clerk’s old office) fuel, lights, etc., was entered in the hand-writing of “Honest Abe” at $8.25, while the bill of Mr. Eger for rent and fuel was entered as allowed at $4.25, a cut of $2 from the bill filed. Our figures were obtained on Wednesday of last week, and on Friday morning at 11 o’clock, AFTER ADJOURAMENT of tae commissioners, the record on the docket remained as first recorded, but oil examining the docket Tuesday morning of this week, we found that the “4” had BEEN ERASED IN MR. EGER’S ALLOWANCE AND A “fi” SUBSTITUTED in its stead. Mr. Thompson’*" allowance remained at $8.25. Now, who and by what authority changed these figures? The, commission-

ers had not been in session at any time during which this change was made and whoever made the change in the record must have done so on his own responsibility, a most unwarranted and unlawful act Now read the third and fourth paragraphs of the Republican’s article carefully. “He received the same pay as other inspectors did and one day’s pay for attending the township canvassing board.” This pay was $8.25, was allowed’ and no other member of the canvassing board was allowed anything more than this $8.25 as shown from the records. Why, if he did, as the Republican claims, (although the record shows nothing of the kind) file a bill in connection with his rent bill for two days service on the canvassing board, was this bill allowed, when he had already received pay in the former bill for such service? The facts in the case seem to be simply this: It was thought that the matter would never reach the public ear, and as Mr. Thompson was a good republican and had served on the election board at every election held in the county from time immemorial (except when a candidate for recorder, for which office he was defeated) the use of his room was worth, in “Honest Abe’s” opinion, $4 more than the room of a democrat used for the same purpose. After The Democrat got hold of the facts some one, to smooth matters over, changed the figures on the docket and the democrat got $6.25 instead of $4, while Mr. Thompson’s bill was still allowed to stand at $8.25, and so stands at this writing, (Tuesday), although we are informed that Mr. Thompson has stated that he got but $6.25, the same as Mr. Eger, for room rent, fuel, etc.

We wish further to state in connection with the Republican’s article that we have proved conclusively time and again that the Republican was an untruthful arid unprincipled sheet, and not a solitary statement of The Democrat’s in regard to county management has or can be successfully disputed. Our information is gleaned from the county records themselves and are true in every particular as appears on the record. We have not nor shall we ever make any statement which we cannot easily prove to the satisfaction of any and all persons, and we invite the fullest investigation of our assertions by any taxpayer or committe of taxpayers.