Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1900 — Oh, Consistency, Thou Art Indeed a Most Rare Jewel. [ARTICLE]

Oh, Consistency, Thou Art Indeed a Most Rare Jewel.

Referring recently to The Democrat’s charge for printing ballots, that consistent gentlemen who presides over the destinies of the Apologist said, in speaking of the constitutional amendment ballots: t “Thesv ballots were small and very easy to print, and any competent printer could set up the form and print the whole 8,500 in one day, including the ‘counting and packing,' and make big money out of the job for $lO, or even SB.” Now here is where the Apologist man’s consistency comes in. For the late railroad election in Barkley tp., he alleges to have printed 800 ballots. The only printing on those ballots as every voter knows was “For the Railroad Appropriation”’ “Against the Railroad Appropriation,” or just the same as the black-faced type on the amendment ballots printed by us for the late county election. But on the latter the whole of each amendment was also printed, making a ballot several times as large as the postage stamp railroad appropriation ballot. For these 800 ballots he charged and was paid $3. For the railroad election held last july in Barkley, Marion, Jordan and Carpenter townships (same ballots precisely,) he filed the following claim: 3000 ballots at $2.50 per 1000 $7.50 250 card sample ba110t5............ ........ 2.00 150 large instruction cards . : :T;777rrr. .: ' 12.00 The above claim is No. 8430, and it was allowed in full—nary ’a cut —at the August term of commissioners’ court, Ist day. There are but 10 precincts in the townships holding the above elections, and 12 sample ballots aro all that are required to each precinct, yet this honest old gentleman printed, charged and was paid for 250, — 10 more than we printed for the entire county. The “large instruction cards” had about the same amount of printing oil them as an ordinary sale bill and he will run all over the county to get a job of 150 sale bills at $3, yet lie charged and was paid 8 cents each or §l2 for these “instruction cards!” Then, why in the name of General Jackson did he print 150 of them for which was 40 more than were required. * We made the price §2 per thousand for the amendment ballots (50 cents per thousand less than his price for the postagestamp railroad election ballots) and §2 for the 240 samples of same, and we got out no sale bill instruction cards at §9 more than they were worth, either. What “big money” Marshall must have made out of the Gifford railroad election printing!