Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1900 — HE DIDN'T PRINT 'EM. [ARTICLE]

HE DIDN'T PRINT 'EM.

The “Padded Legal" Gentleman of the Apologist Is Again Attacked by the Green-Eyed Monster. Regarding The Democrat’s charge for public printing, which the “official organ” devoted two columns of valuable (?) space to “exposing,” we have no apologies to offer. Our bills have been just, legal and what the law fixes them at in all instances. The organ’s wail about our overcharging on some health notices is without foundation. This charge of the Apologist man, however, is one that no man should make against another without being sure of his ground. If we did knowingly present a claim for and were paid more than the legal rate, according to the established rule of all printers for figuring legal notices, then we are liable to criminal prosecution fpr so doing. If we did not charge only the rates fixed by law then the Apologist editor is guilty of libel, and the courts will decide which was right. In this connection we wish to say that the notices of which he complains were published all over the state and the universal charge was the same as our own. They were also published here by the Rensselaer Journal, and its price was the same as our own. This fact is not referred to at all in the Apologist’s tirade, which clearly shows the personal animos of the whole article and the desire to mislead, as usual.

Two affidavits charging Marshall with criminai libel in making the publication above referred to, one for its publication in the Daily and on for the Semi-Weekly Republican, were filed Tuesday and he was arrested and placed under bond for his appearance in court when the case is called. It will come up at the February _term of the Jasper circuit court. ’Now, es to the matter of printing of the ballots for the late election. As every voter in Jasper county knows, there were never before any such local tickets voted as those of this year, and we had no criterion of former charges to go by. We desired to make our bill reasonable in every way, and wanted to find out what was being charged elsewhere. Theiefore, before filing our claim for this we telephoned to the Newton County Enterprise at Kentland, which has always printed the hallots for each election since the going into effect of the Australian ballot system. fWe personally knew that the Enterprise had always been very reasonable in its charges for such work and we desire to be the same here, thus our object in getting their rates.' The rates charged by us were the same as those made by the Enterprise, ex = cept that we made the charge on township ballots 70 cents per 100 instead of 80 cents, the Enterprise charges, which made our bill about $lO less (ban it would have been at the latter rate. We considered the Enterprise’s prices reasonable and based our figures for the work on their charges for tho 6ame class of work.

The Apologist says that in 1898 it printed counly and township ballots similar in all respects to those we printed and charged $3 50 per thousand for them. Every voter in the county knows this to be a bare-faced lie. In 1898 the county tieket contained only 11 names in length; this year it had 16 names. Then only the democratic and republican tickets were represented;this year tho prohibition ticket was added. Therefore the county ticket this year was one-third longer and one-third wider than two years ago. Then the township ticket was so insignificant that a copy of the printed tickets was not even placed in the Election Record in the clerk’s office, and every voter knows only a very few minor township offices were voted for, while in some townships there was no nominations made nor no ticket voted. This year, owing to a full township ticket being elected with the advisory boards, road supervisors, etc., the tickets were exceedingly long. Carpenter tp., was 20 names

long, while others were close to this. In Marion the library tax was also tacked onto the bottom of the regular township ticket. The idea of saying it was worth no more to do the printing this year than it was two years ago is obsorbed, as every intelligent man knows. In addition to all this, on the county tickets four changes were required this year where heretofore they have been run without change. There were also 8.500 constitutional amendment ballots this year, something that were not printed two years ago. Regarding the number of county, township, constitutional „ amendment and sample ballots printed and charged for, we wish to say that it was precisely in accordance with the orders given by the election commissioners, and to publicly brand the Apologist man a liar when he states otherwise. There were 240 sample ballots printed and charged for of each set, 12 to the precinct, which was as plainly set fourth in the bill filed as figures could make them, and there was no excuse whatever for his wilful and malicious statements to the contrary. The county ballots were not charged for at “a little more than $5.30 per thousand,” as lie states, but at 50 cents per 100, which according to our system of figuring is at the rate of $5 per thousand. And so we might go on, showing the utter falsity of statement after statement, but space forbids, and we will close by giving a few charges made by others for this class of work: Benton county-11 townships. 19 precinct* —about the same nuirl*>f of voters :is here, $244.05. Newton county, 10 township*. 10 precincts, the same prices made by us except as to township ballots, which were 10 cents per 100 higher than our’s. In 1898 the Apologist printe;! the t cket* used in this county and charged and was allowed $72-forUuajob! We show above the difference in the labor and material tins year over that of two years ago. Last spring the Rensselaer Journal printeil the ballots for the city election. These ballots were only two tickets wide and ti names to the ticket. They required a change <>f two names for each ward. Eleven hundred hallots were printed for the three wards for which theJournal charged $9, over 80 cents a hundred. It also printed 12 sample ballots for each \var,l and charged $1 for each set or $5 for the 30. We charged 70 cents per hundred for the long township ballots requiring thirteen changes, and 50 cents per hundred for tire lag county ballots requiring four changes, and printed 00 big county sample ballots for each councilmanic district for which we charged SI, or $4 for the 240. Ye gods! what a robber we are! V- " Funeral cards at The Democrat office.