Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1899 — Page 4 Advertisements Column 2 [ADVERTISEMENT]

In the official publication of commissioner*’ allowance*, as made last week, why was the $95.75 to W. B. Burford for his 1608.25 book and stationery bill omitted from the list? The cost of county superintendent and county institutes in Jasper county for the past few years, as shown by official reports is as follows: 1886 ( 1,212 00 1896 1,255 00 1897 1.281 00 1808 1,680 96 We have not the figures for 1899, but the estimate for 1900 is 11,683,35. Of course President McKinley cannot afford to appear otherwise than optimistic. This is his war, in which he embarked without consulting Congress or the people. He insisted through his agents at Paris upon acquiring this territory regardless of any desires of the inhabitants, and refused to conclude peace with Spain unless these people were handed over to him as chattels.

Hon. John R. McLean, editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, will lead the democratic hosts to victory in the gubernatorial campaign in Ohio. Mr. McLean was nominated on the first ballot. The platform adopted by the convention reaffirms allegiance to the entire Chicago platform, and especially the financial plank, condemns trusts and imperialism, etc. Keep your eye on Ohio in the present campaign.

For the fiscal year ending May 31, 1890, only nine years ago, as shown by the auditor’s report, the ordinary county expenditures, that is expenditures from county revenue, wereonly $21,338.38. Since that time Jasper county has gained no more territory and only some 4,000 to 5,000 in population, yet so “blooded” have her county officers become that they estimate the ordinary expenses for next year at over $61,600.00, almost three times the amount required in 1890!

It is often asked what the democrats would do with the trusts if they had the power. In the words of the Nebraska platform “We demand the enforcement of the present Federal law, the enactment of such new legislation as may be necessary, and a constitutional amendment, if the present constitution is construed to protect trusts, to the end that the monopoly of industry by private corporations may be prevented.” This clear-cut declaration is in refreshing contrast to the Republican meaningless platitudes.

The Goodland Journal (republican) referring to the county expenditures estimate in Newton county, says $31,605.50 is a good deal of money to run a county the size of Newton. Great Jehosephat! the Journal should scan tlie estimates of Jasper county’s blooded court house aristocracy! With a county only about one-fourth larger in area and population than Newton, our fellows want $61,600.00, or twice as much as Newton county. Send your county officers over here, Bro. Kitt, and our “boys,” will teach them a few tricks on spending money for the taxpayers that they never dreamed of.

How careless they are up in Marion county! They lose the books from the county offices. Two officials, one a gold bug, the other a republican, were found to be several dollars short in fees collected for the county. Stirling R. Holt, the gold bug, owes Marion county, according to the experts, $4,632.01, and Mr. Schmidt, the republican, according to the same authority, has allowed $13,280.29 to stick to his fingers, when that sum should have been safely landed in the general fund of the county treasury. The worst feature of the whole business is, that several of the books are missing and there may be many thousands more covered up in this way.— Greensburg New Era.

Judge Beeman received a number of photographs Tuesday from John W. Fish, construction commissioner of the big Monon' ditch, showing the progress of the work in making the excavation for a mile and a quarter in solid stone. The channel through the rock is some thirty feet wide and varies from ten to twenty feet in depth. It is an enormous undertaking aiid it was freely predicted that it would never be accomplished. Several years were spent in trying to establish the ditch before it was finally done by Judge Beeman, and he appears to have selected exactly the right man to Sush it to completion. The work i necessarily slow, however.— Starke County Democrat.