Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1902 — A LIE NAILED. [ARTICLE]

A LIE NAILED.

Through the Wheatfield Telephone, “Honest Abe” announces his candidacy for renomination for county commissioner to succeed himself from the north end. The Telephone also takes it upon itself to slur the editor of The Democrat for having criticised some of Abe’s acts as commissioner—where he has been the w’hole “push.” It says, though, “if there is another republican officeholder in the county, past or present, whG has not been subjected to the same treatment, will he please stand up and be counted?” The Democrat does not care to enter into any extended controversy with the Telephone, but we desire to Say right here that when he makes such an insinuation as the above he is a prevaricator with a big L, and he knows it. The Democrat has criticised Mr. Halleck, and he has deserved much more than he got. His unsavory record in the completion of the court house, the Keener gravel roads, the railroad elections; his getting the county involved in innumerable expensive lawsuits, his “tax investigation” and numerous other transactions have deserved the censure of every honest man in the county. We have also criticised his colleagues to some extent, more especially Mr. Dowell. Mr. Waymire has generally been considered by people who know him, as a well meaning man, but he has been in bad company, company in which he cut very little ice, to use a slang phrase. Dowell—well, every man who has followed his public career for the past few years and knows of his connection- with the Halligan cattle case—commonly called the Halligan cattle stealing case—knows what Dowell is. We have also criticised a few other past office holders, and if the time ever comes when an honest investigation is made of their public acts, it will be found that a worse set of scalawags never preyed upon the people than they. But let us see about the present office-holders. The Democrat has never said one word against the public acts of the county treasurer, recorder, sheriff, surveyor, auditor, county superintendent, or coroner which narrows down our “ill treatment” of them to a very small number indeed.

We did say that the present county superintendent was the most expensive official that ever held that office, and showed by the official reports that only three counties of the 92 in the state showed a more expensive one. We still contend that this was true Hnd have republican state officials’ reports to prove it. We did say that after Recorder Porter’s seeking the nomination for re-election, knowing full well what the duties of the office and the salary was, it was not treating the people of the county ri gh to immediately go before the legislature and ask for (and it was granted) an increase of salary of $(>00 per year. We still think as we did then. We have said—and still think so—that it is not right for the sheriff to turn the sheriff’s residence (which is owned, heated, lighted and kept in repair by the county) into a rooming house for the private gain of the sheriff. But this has been the custom here (or years and one sheriff, we understand, run a boarding house while he held the office and the expense of “boarding prisoners” during his reign was quite heavy on the taxpayers of the county. While we have not heretofore said so, we think the interest of the taxpayers would have been better subserved had W. C. Babcock gone into the Auditor's office himself instead of leaving it in the hands of the same old crowd under whose reign all the various extravagant expenses of the county have grown up. This office needed a thorough cleansing, and it should have it as soon as possible. It is a most important office to the taxpayers. Now, if there are any other of the present officers who have been “abused” by The Democrat we would like to have them “stand up and be counted.”