Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Why don’t our three republican contemporaries tell their readers something about that stationery deal of last year? William J. Bryan seems to be a pretty lively political corpse yet, a fact which the republicans are beginning to realize. County superintendents elected next June will hold their office for four years. This fact should not be forgotten when selecting a successor to Supt. Hamilton. The work of “assimilation” goes merrilly on in the Philippines. Several hundred of the nations have succumbed to Mac’s assimilating scheme this week. By the way, have you noticed in any other paper in Rensselaer anything about Heinzman Bros, claim of $2,500 damages filed against the county, and which the commissioners dismissed Ik If you want ALL the county news read The Democrat. County property must hereafter be sold at public sale to the highest bidder, after having been duly advertised. This law applies to stock at county farms, as well as other county property, a fact it will be well for “Honest Abe” and his coherts to note. Don’t let the guilty owner of a worthless dog escape, especially if he’s poor. But proceed cautiously and prostrate thyself upon thy belly when dealing with wealthy corporations. Consistency is a most rare jewel in Jasper county under the present regime. We are sorry to note that Bro. Marshall makes no effort to apoloogize for the naughty things said* by him about The Democrat last campaign, although recent events have proved that every statement made by The Democrat at that time was true as gospel, and that the Republican was the sheet which was “mistaken.”

And now Rensselaer proposes to act on the advice of her city attorney and saddle on the taxpayers of the county the expense of feeding her hobo visitors by arresting them as vagrants and having them committed to jail. Is this justice to other towns in the county, which pay their own bills for feeding tramps? Is it justice to the country taxpayer? Bro. Marshall has “seen a great light” in the Jasper County Telephone matter. The “light” is said to have developed as the result of a “conference” held in the office of a prominent stockholder some days ago in which Bro. Marshall occupied about the sajne position as did another gentleman at a “conference” held here a few years ago, at which Bro Marshall was one of the party of jokers. The Democrat is informed that the Jasper County Telephone Co., is to be placed on the tax duplicate, for several thousand dollars, as a result of The Democrat’s exposure, and the assessment will carry two years of back taxes withit. Now let “Honest Abe’s” lines be put on for the years ’96-7, and the Standard Oil Co., for the time they have maintained a depot here. The latter evidently wish to pay taxes here, and know they should pay, or they would not have written for the amount of —• for 1«8.

Henry Seegrist, recorder of Starke county, will turn into the county no more fees collected through his office. The fee and salary low enacted in 1895 placed the salary of the recorder of Starke county at S7OO per year. All over that sum which Mr. Seegrist has collected as fees he has turned into the county funds. But now he declares he will keep every dollar he collects as fees until the courts decide that he shall give up the excess collected. —Rensselaer Republican. If the above is true, Henry Seegrist, recorder of Starke county, should be taken out to the woods by the good people of his county and given a liberal dose of hickory stripes; then he should be arrested for embezzlement and sent the penitentiary without delay. The legislature fixed the salaries of county officers throughout the state and the supreme court has upheld the law. Every man who accepts office takes it with all its burdens and the compensation fixed by law. IT either are distasteful he can resign, but it ill becomes any honest official to defy the law of the land and fix his own compensation. The little or no notice taken of just such brazen. flagrant and wilful violations of law as the above is the sole reason for the notion entertained by too many public officials that all money they may come into possession of is theirs to keep and use as they may see fit.

The Barnacle “editor” says that he never collected any campaign funds. The memory of the Barnacle “editor” always was a little defective on financial matters, and he evidently has forgotten about the $25 Hon. Thos. J. Wood of Lake county entrusted to the Barnacle “editor” to deliver to the democratic central committee of this county as hiscampaign assessment for campaign purposes in 1884, when Mr. Wood was a candidate for congress, and which never got any further than the pocket of the Barnacle “editor.” The Barnacle “editor” has also forgotten about the county chairman notifying the county candidates four years ago of what their assessment was for the legitimate expenses of the campaign, and asking them to hand in same, only to find that the Barnacle “editor” had forestalled him and assessed the candidates, collected the “assessments” and “put it where it would do the most good”—to the Barnacle “editor.” The Barnacle “editor” has also forgotten how he attempted the same thing two years ago, and did succeed in “collecting” $3 from one candidate who had not been warned against paying the Barnacle “editor” anything. So we might go on and on, showing the peculiar ability of the Barnacle “editor” for collecting campaign funds, while h’s name was carried on the pay roll of the republican central committee’s superanuated list, and the Barnacle “editor” was obeying the biblical injunction, of the republicans, to “spoil” the Egyptians (democrats). The above, however, should be sufficient recommendation to secure for the Barnacle “editor” the position of “treasurer” of the new democratic (?) county central committee,composed exclusively of republicans, which the Barnacle “editor” proposes to form.

(From our regular correspondent.) According to War Department officials, Gen. Gomez will not receive a dollar of the $3,000,000 about to be destributed, entirely on his say so, among Cuban soldiers, by this government. , This statement has caused everybody to wish to know where Gomez got the money to pay for his present extravagant mode of living, in Havana. It is known that previous to his beginning the negotiations with R. B. Porter, who acted as Mr. McKinley’s personal representative, which resulted in the agreement to pay $3,000,000 for the disbandment of the Cuban army, Gomez had no money, and that ever since he has apparently had plenty. Did Porter make an individual payment to Gomez? If so, how much, and from what fund was it derived? These are some of the questions suggested by the

situation and asked on every hand. Congress did not appropriate a cent to pay Cuban soldiers, but there was an item added to the Sundry Civil Bill by the last Congress, appropriating $3,000,000 as an emergency fund, to be expended at the discretion of the president. That is the money that will be used, but if the claim that Gomez has got none of it and will ?;et none of it, be true, the source rom which Gomez extracted the wealth to pay his present enormous expenses is left in mystery. But it will be solved. The acting Secretary of war says that the administration intends to make Cuba repay from its revenues, this money.

Senator Thurston, of Nebraska, isn’t one of those wild republicans who regard the Presidential election of next year, as already settled. In an interview, Mr. Thurston said: “The Presidential battle next year promises to be lively and exciting. McKinley will probably be renominated and I presume that Bryan will head the democratic ticket. I believe that the republicans will win if we stand together and work hard, but our democratic friends will undoubtedly put up a stiff fight. We must not indulge ourselves with the delusion that we are going to have a walk-over.

Secretary Alger dosen’t appear to care any more about being consistent than he did about the welfare of the soldiers during the war. Several days before Congress adjourned, Alger announced that the junket he had intended to conduct to Cuba and Porto Rico was off, because his official duties would prevent his leaving Washington. Of course, it was well known that Alger abandoned the intended junket because he failed to get a sufficient number of democratic Senator’s and Representatives to accompany him. But for consistency’s sake, it was supposed that Alger would remain on duty and make a bluff of being busy. Not he. He left immediately after Mr. McKinley did, for a trip to New England, which was extended to Canada, and this week he is going to start for Cuba and Porto Rico, but he won’t take any congressmen with him. He says he is going to pay the expenses of himself and the two men who will accompany him, but it would require the vouchers for the payments to convince the public.

* * * If any proof were needed that Mr. McKinley isn’t in the South solely for rest and recreation, it is furnished by the fact that he will, during the present week, meet Czar Reed in person on Jekyl Island, where Mr. McKinley will be the guest Jof ex-Secretary Bliss, and Mr. Reed will be the guest of a rich Wall street banker, both at the same club house. It is stated by Mr. Reed’s friends that the meeting is his idea, and that he intends to compel an immediate show down on the part of Mr. McKinley that will make the position of the administration on the Speakership of the next House, perfectly clear. The queer part of the whole business is that two men who have spent the whole winter within a stone’s throw of each other, in Washington, should find it necessary to meet in the Spring, on an island off the coast of South Carolina, in order to come to an understanding.

* * * Private news from the Philippines indicates that the administration is again juggling with the public in regard to the situation. While no official dispatches have been quoted, officials have talked so as to leave the impression that the reports of Gen. Otis, since the victories of the past week have been to the effect that Aguinaldo’s army is about ready to ask for terms and that a general collapse of the rebellion may be looked for at any time. Owing to the strict censorship, no private telegrams dealing with the conditions existing, can be sent from Manila direct, but some have been sent to Hong Kong by boat and cabled from there, which do not take so rosy a view of the situation. According to these, the war is a long ways from being over, and the only effect that will follow thrashing Aguinaldo’s army, which our troops do every time they come into contact with any portion of it, will be to transfer the fighting ground to the hills and bushes, where it will be difficult for our men to get at them except when they choose to be got at, and possibly to other islands of the group. There is a nightly panic in Manila and most of the white women and children have been eent •way for fear of a native uprising. Time Will tell which is correct, the of-< ficial or the private view of the tituation. The Oregon has arrived in Manila Bay.