Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1899 — Democratic Centrol Committe Meeting. [ARTICLE]

Democratic Centrol Committe Meeting.

A netting of the Jasper County Dmontkr Central Committee will be held at the law office of James W. Dmithit, in Rensselaer, Ind., SirriDAi. FmuAM, 25,1899, at 2p. m. As full an attendance as possible is desired. S. S. Bates, Chm’n. J. Walters, See. Republican control of affairs, national or local, means extravagance, and the people are learning this expensive lesson.

Will some one kindly tell us why that sl,tD© “-temporary loan” was reported to the Bureau of Statistics for 1898. hut was ““omitted” in the D<l report? Representative Knotts says that he was offered $5,600 to kill the the Hammond harbor bill, and he SPCRXED it. Who made this attempt to bribe Mr. Knotts? Let his name be produced that it may he embalmed in scorn. —Indianapolis Sentinel. They are becoming quite hightoned hp in the ““democratic (?) county of Starke.” The republican commissioners met in special session the other day and contracted foe a carload of smokeless coni for- the new court house. Here's an idea, Abe. There are one hundred and fifty mite«of free gravel rends in Benton county and the cost for repairs for the year ending Jane Ist 1898, was or near SB2 a mile. —Oxford Tribune. Pshaw, that's nothing. Jasper county has only 23 miles and leva tax of over 18,000 per year for repairs, or about $lB2 per mile. Next? A bill providing fixed salaries for county commissioners seems likely to become a law. In Jasper county the salary is $225 -per year; in Benton county, $200; in Pulaski, 2a. The Republican marvels at these seeming inequalities. “‘Why should it he higher in Pulaski with a smaller county, and less work, than in Jasper county is hard to see." Like the man who was examining the posterior portion of the elephant, the Republican man should ~use a longer ladder.”

The- example of the Shelby county ffaurmroers ' in organizing a taxpayer?' league, non-partisan in character, is one that may well be fwllowetl elsewhere. Things hare reached a pass in many counties where there is no hope for obsemuißee of the law by officials unless the people tLisist upon it, and that cannot be done without organization. It would be an excellent thing to hare such an organization in Jasper county. The public interests demand it.

It knot true, as the political ringstns would hare you believe, that the agitation foe reform in nUrial management of Jasper county is for political purposes. It is the voice of the people, the heat not of all parties of the entire county, the solid, substantial extrema, the taxpayers, the men who furnish the revenues of the county for all purposes. These are the people who want to see reform and a scaling down of useless expenditures. The few who favor a rv—tin—lira of the present extravagance are thoee who expect to financially profit fay these “deals” or who arey have been promised rake-ofis, or bees paid to help defend every atealthat comes to pob-

Referring to the “war of humanity,” the New York Evening Poet says: “A charitable boa constrictor, moved to compassion by the plaintive outcries of a succulent goat, interfered to rescue him from the bloodthirsty tiger. The tiger, being of haughty and ancient lineage, resisted fiercely, although, by reason of the infirmities of extreme old age, his teeth and claws could inflict little damage. During the struggle the goat was filled with gratitude. Afterward the boa constrictor was filled with goat.”

We notice in the last official report of the Indiana Bureau of Statistics that Jasper county’s now notorious $4,000 “temporary loan” is reported as an outstanding debt of the county, although it was not mentioned in the annual report as published to the taxpayers here. It is also observed that this “temporary loan” was not reported to the Bureau for ’97, although the loan was made in June, ’96. The net debt of our county as given in the 1898 report is $157,114.67 which includes the $152,500 court house bonds. The per capita debt, based on a population of 16,492 —which is about 2,000 too high—is a little over $9.52. Only two counties in the state —Hancock and Rush—have n larger per capita debt than this, while in cost of county administration (county officers) but one of the ninety-two counties is more expensive than Jasper, which is a little more than 79 cents per capita. Our county superintendent and county institutes cost us $1,680.96, an amount equaled by but one county in the state —St, Joseph, which has five times our population ... where the cost was $1,665.77, or about $35 more than our own. The taxpayers will, no doubt, feel gratified to learn that Jasper is taking no backward step, but continues to gain headway as the most expensive governed county in the state?

It will be remembered that last spring, when it became evident that some immensely good “pork” was to be distributed in Cuba and Porto Rico, some of our best, and most honored and prominent citizens became very patriotic, began to boil over with indignation —against the inhuman Spaniards —and an undying desire for “pork.” Senator Redfield Proctor of Vermont, Secretary of War under Harrison, was commissioned by Mr. Wm. McKinley, President de jure, to go down to Cuba and see for himself and the Major the exact state of affairs. “Reddy” went down —the President furnishing him money for expenses —and took a look at the Cubans, and, incidentally, after a few franchises of great value. The Cubans showed him the worst specimens of starved Cubans imaginable and a few grand bargains. They couldn’t have been more considerate. They sold him quite a number of “options” dirt cheap and “Reddy” felt “bully” about the franchises, but horrorstricken at the sight of the starving Cubans. He came home chock full of patriotism—and “options.” The Major was seen and told of the terrible suffering in Cuba and of the snaps—well—er —it isn’t written in the record whether the Major was informed about the “options” or not, but from subsequent revelation, it would seem that he was, as the Major’s right-hand men, Mark Hanna, and Steve Elkins took large slices of the “pork.” But it turns out that "Reddy,” Mark and Steve have been buncoed. The parties selling them the “options” had nothing to sell, and now Proctor is putting in his time traveling about from city to city whining for his money like a country jake after sitting a half hour in a game of brace poker. Proctor’s fierce patriotism prior to the beginning of the war is now explained, and we might add that the patriotism of a great many statesman, local and national, would cool amazingly if their howls for the old flag should cease to be accompanied by an appropriation.