Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1902 — REPUBLICAN COUNTY TICKET ELECTED [ARTICLE]

REPUBLICAN COUNTY TICKET ELECTED

Enough Democrats (?) Vote With Republicans to Carry the Entire Local Republican Ticket Through.

The election last Tuesday so far as this county is concerned, was a disappointment to those men of all parties who had hoped to defeat some of the more notorious candidates on the local republican ticket. In this very laudable undertaking, however, they were handicapped by the bummer element and certain saloon keepers who wanted to see “their men” win, and the fact that there are many republicans who are so politically hide-bound that they had rather vote for the worst vagabond in the county if-he was branded “republican,” than to vote for an honest man who was a democrat. Not all were so blind to their own interests, though, and had it not been for the above element of both parties, the men whom no self-respocting man could conscientiously support would have been gloriously defeated, as they deserved.

That the republicans generally did not endorse the placing of such men as Halleck and Nichols on their ticket was evidenced by the fact that Nichols own township, where he is best known, gave a republican majority of on the state ticket a majority of 16 against him. As a prominent farmer from that township remarked Wednesday, it was the people who didn’t know him who elected him. Most of the township tickets were also carried by the republicans. Congressman Crumpacker is reelected of course, but Capt. Guthrie ran ahead of his ticket all through the district. The element that defeated the local democratic ticket is the worst thing that good men of both parties httve to contend with in their efforts for clean politics. Chairman Honan and Secretary Baughman did all in their power to carry the democratic banner to victory, ably assisted by their host of lieutenants in the person of the precinct chairman, and gave their time and work gratutiously. But unlimited funds in the hands of the unscrupulous politicians on the opposing side carried.pver the floater element iu the democratic ranks and the “fluence” of the saloon was manifest everywhere, but more particularly in this city where some of them have waxed fat and powerful at the expense of other lines of legitimate business

which should have had much of the money spent for booze. Wildasin, democrat, was reelected sheriff in Newton county by 18 majority. The rest of the republican county ticket was elected, but by very small majority.