Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1899 — Baby George. [ARTICLE]

Baby George.

People who are systematically lobbing the tax-payers never like gfo be interfered with. The latest report from the seat of war —in the Philippines—is ♦stat Agninaldo’s representatives ?'«re on the way to Manila to sue for peace. This is an old story in . a new garb, but perhaps there may | be some truth in it this time. The Supreme court has decided I that the telephone companies have >no right to cut limbs off shade ' trees in front of dwelling houses. I and that the owner of the proper|ty has a right to ownership in them which cannot be interferred £ with. [ Albert F. Wilcox, a saloon keeper of Hebron, Porter county, has filed in the supreme court a suit j to test that feature of the Nichol- | son law which makes a remon- | strance against granting a license ' loan applicant effective for two years after it is filed. The allowance for publishing the last delinquent tax list shows that an overcharge of $22.55 was made. We refuse to believe that i one of such unimpeachable character has purposely overcharged the county to this amount, and it is therefore a “mistake” on the part of the angel of Washington street. Typographical Union No. 1, of Indianapolis, held its annual election. Wednesday from 12 m., to 7 pt m., and 300 votes were cast. The voting was conducted on the Turner voting machine, the multiple sytem being used. The test was entirely successful, the vote ■ being announced in fourteen urinates after the polls were closed. The total cost of gravel road repairs in Benton county last year, with 150 miles, was $9,268.42; White, with 100 miles, $5,290.11; Carroll, with 114 miles, $4,116.24; Tippecanoe with 273 miles, $21,230.12; Wells, with 234 miles, $11,517.48; Hancock, (where all those indictments were returned) with 135 miles, $7,279.20; but in JASPER. WITH 23 MILES, IT WAS H 724.99? ’ Poor Baby Marshall! After years of abusing everyone who provoked his peeVish temper—even preachers of the gospel have f not escaped his abuse and venom—be has fallen to bellowing like a scared calf because he has been paid in his own coin, and in such away that it was unanswerable. A copious application of the . county nursing bottle will have a more soothing effect than anything else. In the past one application of this balm-of-gilead has given him more relief than a whole box of Early Risers. | A dispatch from Clarion. Grant B*nty, says that during the camKaign of 1898 the Marion Leader Frank M. Chase, Isaac ..Carter and Joseph Lugas, who f..WWe then county commissioners, Ipith collecting fees to which they I .were not entitled. The charge caused a profound sensation at lime and has been repeated citizens until Judge | Ptahas of the circuit court, found advisable to appoint a committee to investigate the affairs in the commissioners' office. The comBmtee selected is composed of ptfevid Searles, republican; BurtBoley, democrat, and Alva Wublican. The commit- » report to the judge fternoon after several i. The committee base has collected il--2ste5 tef ’ ,1 ’ 792 ' 35 ’

Just as Contractor Defrees was ready to begin paving Main street a decision of the federal court knocked the Barret law, under which the work was to be done, into a cocked hat, and the paving deal is off for the present.—Starke County Democrat. X The penalty on conviction for libel is from $5 to SI,OOO fine, to tfhich may be added from ten days to six months in the county jail. The penalty for presenting a false or fradulent claim is imprisonment in the state’s prison for not less than two years nor more than fourteen years, with a fine of not less than $lO nor more than SI,OOO. Under the new reform laws those grocers, clothiers and other dealers who supply the county with goods will have to bid for the sale' of their merchandise. Heretofore some merchants have sold according to their personal influence with the county appointees and commissioners. But all this is over now. Under the new laws the, commissioners will advertise for bids for all that the county will need and bids will be asked for. The best bidder sells the goods and it makes no difference what his politics may be or whether he has any politics. The campaign fund collector of the Bafhacle is in high glee over the indictment of the editor of The Democrat and John H. Jessen for alleged libel of the ange) of the Apologist. They are designated as a pair of “posies.” The Barnacle campaign fund collector possesses one characteristic of the “posy,” and that is the scent. Howbeit, this scent is the same that accompanies the male of the genus bovine in the month of June. A plentiful supply of this samp material is no doubt to be found on his back and scattered promiscuously among his hirsute appendage, as it is no uncommon thing to see one hold his nose or turn his back when coming in close proximity to the campaign fund collector.

A hot time is in progress over in Jasper county between the republican ring which has the tax-pay-ers by the throat, and Editor Babcock, of The Jasper County Democrat. Editor Babcock wields a caustic pen and has flayed the ring without fear and the ring and its allies have in consequence made every effort to break down his paper and drive him out of tfie county. He was indicted by the January grand jury for criminal libel on the county auditor, but the judge quashed the indictment. Now the editor of the Rensselaer Republican, the ring organ, has taken up the fight and Editor Babcock is again being prosecuted for criminal libel. Corrupt political rings hate a newspaper they cannot control.—Wabash Star.

The mid-summer meeting of the Indiana democratic editorial association was held at Madison on Thursday and Friday of this week. Mayor Harrison of Chicago, spoke Thursday night and among other things said that personally the Chicago platform just suited him, and that he believed the democrats could do no better than adopt the Chicago platform of ’96. He denounced the trusts and said that in addition to the Chicago platform a clause should be inserted concerning the forming of laws to prevent the forming of trusts. Judge Tarvin, president of the Ohio Valley -bi-mettallic league, also addressed the meeting and said the Chicago platform without a word or comma omitted, he believed, would be a winner in 1900. He spoke against imperialism and trusts, and wants W. J. Bryan for the democratic standard bearer in 1900.

Here are a few of the endearing terms Baby George used to use in referring to the managers of the Pilot a few years ago: “Guerrillas,” “Dirty Six,” “Corporation of selfconvicted liars,” “Dastardly villianous meddlers,” “Midnight assassins of character,” etc., and still we find on investigating the management of the Pilot that it was composed of the very best men in Jasper county —such men as Luther L. Ponsler, Marion I. Adams, J. A. McFarland, Lucius Strong, David B. Nowels, Lee E. Glazebrook, David EL Yeoman, Frank Welsh, Wm. Washburn, and others of equally good character and repute. What does the reader think of a man who would use the above terms toward men of such .impeachable character as above noted, suing a a contemporary for libel because he had published a communication from one of the victims of his abuse in which the correspondent called Baby George a “jasax?”

The allowance to G. E. Marshall for publishing the last Treasurer’s notice of tax levy, after allowing all the “padding” contained in said notice and figuring it as if it were one solid block, shows an overcharge of about $lO. Take out the “padding” and the overcharge is about $25. Is this another “mistake?” The case of Gifford against N. A. Myers was settled in court Friday in short order. After the evidence was in the jury was instructed to find for the defendant. A similiar suit by Mr. Gifford against J. R. Guild was continued, and still another, against J. H. Prewett, was dismissed at plaintiff’s cost. Mr. Gifford brought the suits against grain men to recover from them the value of stuff alleged to have been grown on his big ranch and to belong to him but which was sold by his tenants to the grain men.—Pulaski County Democrat.

r A few years ago one of Baby George’s bills for publishing a street improvement notice, or something of a similiar character, was “cut” several dollars by the Rensselaer Town Board, Bro. Clark of the Journal, was then local editor of the Pilot —another opposition paper which Baby George tried to root out so long as it opposed the ring—and in his writeup of the Board’s proceedings Clark mentioned the fact of this bill having been cut down. Then Baby George was “hot,” and in a lengthy article he belabored Bro. Clark and the Pilot people, the Town Board and perhaps many more. The very idea that Baby George, the “decent” editor of a “decent” newspaper, the republican ring organ of Jasper county, could make an overcharge in a bill for public printing was prepostersus, and an outrage. And to think that Clark, a man whom he had taken in—in more senses than one —and nurtured to his bosom — at a very meager salary—would insinuate anything so vile of so angelic a man! Terrible, preposterous, outrageous, etc. To this pathetic wail of offended dignity, however, Bro. Clark did not succumb. He evidently knew his ground, and came back at Baby George in a column and a half article in which he mentioned a number of things not at all complimentary to the honesty of the Apolsgist editor, from which we copy the following:

“This old man” Marshall's reference to those happy days when we were hisapprentice in his print shop brings back incidents to our minds which may have a bearing on his great honesty towards his advertisers. Well do we remember on a press day after hours of hard work at his old hand press, and when only about a dozen of the blank sheets remained, that he would say: “‘Clarkey,’ take off one of the forms and put in that two columns of patent medicine cuts.” Inwardly cursing, we wonld obey, and thus be the innocent cause of cheating his foreign advertisers. Enough papers would be printedto send each advertiser a_popy, as required in the contract, to show them that their advertising was inserted each week, and that was all. The advertiser would pay for work which was never done and would be none the wiser. This was a weekly occurence for a time, as the writer is willing to make affidavit. At other times the dates would be changed on the same issue for four or five weeks ahead. Thus the same paper would bear five different dates. Enough would be run off to supply the advertisers, and each week the number with the current date would be sent them. This was an improvement over the former method, as it saved time and trouble. This is the kind of a man who feels himself so badly abused at our hint at an overcharge on his part. Bro. Marshall, there is time yet to reform and be an honest man. Be honest in your business dealings, do not try to tear down your rival in business, and above all. do not be afraid of honest competition. Try this once, and see if your conscience will not bother you less. In the next issue of the Apologist Baby George practically admitted the truth of the above charge, as will be remembered, and from the Pilot of one week later we copy Bro. Clark’s comment on the same as follows: The wtatby ass of the rag sheet is still badly afflicted with a sour stomach this week and after taking up two and a half columns admitting the ttuth of what we said last week calls us a liar. Our exposure of bis attempted steal from the town sets heavy on his stomach. According to Marshall’s logic he is justified in stealing from a firm which has got the best of him in a contract. An open copfession is good fbr the soul, Bro. Marshall. But while we are on the subject allow us to ask you if you never treated any of your cash paying advertisers in the way we stated. We are willing to make affidavit that you t}ave, and your lying wiH not clear you of the charge In the eyes of the people. And to think that this “decent” editor of a “decent” newspaper would now become so offended at being classed with those long-ear-ed, melodious-voiced animals of the quadruped species!