Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 November 1906 — GRAVES' RECORD. [ARTICLE]

GRAVES' RECORD.

What Anti-Saloon League of Remington Says. VOTERS URGED TO DEFEAT HIM. A Morocco Citizen Also Discusses His “Record” As a Prosecutor, and Asks Some Pertinent Questions. The following statement from Mr. J. M. Ott, President of the Anti-Saloon League of Remington, shows how R. 0. Graves, prosecuting attorney of this judicial circuit and a candidate —on his record —for re-election, has “enforced’ 7 the criminal laws at Remington. Mr. Ott is a republican and a prominent citizen of that town, who is well known nearly all over Jasper county. He was unanimously authorized by the league, at a meeting held for the purpose of discussing Mr. Graves’ actions, to sign the statement following, which is backed up by an affidavit from the League’s local attorney, who was assisting in the inquiry referred to: Editor Democrat: Permit us, through your valuable paper, to inform the temperance people of Jasper and Newton counties of the treatment meeted out to the Anti-Saloon League of Remington, Indiana, by Robert O. Graves, prosecuting attorney of said counties.

Ever since Mr. Graves has held the office the temperance League here has made many and repeated efforts to have him come here and hold courts of inquiry and to prosecute violations of the criminal laws detrimental to good society. We have gone to the trouble and expense of sending committees to wait upon him to try to induce him to come and make proper investigations of the breaches of the law. Not until after nearly two years coaxing and after we had agreed to furnish him legal help did he consent to come at all. Finally in July of this year after sending a committee of two to wait upon him we succeeded in getting him to come and start a court of inquiry. After working a day and a half and examining about one half of the witnesses whose names were furnished him, he then left us and promised to return at a fixed tiuje to complete his work. At this examination we had present a member of our League and an assistant attorney to note the evidence and to determine its sufficiency to convict. He failed to return at the time fixed to continue bis work but after more coaxing we got him to return and file five oases against one of our liquor dealers who plead guilty to such charges and was fined on each. After disposing of the five cases he agreed with us and the court to stay the next day and examine the 30 other witnesses and file the cases made by the first witnesses which evidence was probably suf-

ficient to convict for about ten public drunks; two cases for selling or giving to a minor six years old; a bastardy case; a supposed case of rape and a larceny case beside the evidence against the dealers in liquors. On the morning after disposing of the five cases and before the court convened for the purpose of examining the thirty other witnesses he, without any known excuse, left town and refused to stay and carry out his agreement with the court and the League. Since that time numerous efforts have been made to induce him to' return and file

the cases and finish up the work of examining the other witnesses, but up to the present time he has failed to keep his word or to comply with the wishes of the League. He has wholly failed refused to make investigations and to heed our requests and entreaties and has ignored every call we have made on him 'to look after the duties of his office. We therefore earnestly entreat all temperance workers and law abiding citizens of this district to join with us in the coming election to elect a man to the office

who will, in a measure at least, attend to the duties of the office. Respectfully submitted, Remington Anti-Saloon League. By John M. Ott, President. THE STATE OP INDIANA, ) County of Jasper. ( Jasper Guy, being first duly sworn, upon his oath, says that in July, 1906, he was employed by the Anti-Saloon League of Remington, Indiana, to assist Prosecutor Graves in holding a eourt of inquiry at Remington, and to assist him in the prosecution of any cases made by the evidence obtained at such inquiry. That said Graves held a court of inquiry for a day and a half, and that about thirty a itnesses were examined, which was about one-half the number of witnesses whose names were furnished by said League. That after examining said witnesses said Graves went home to prepare the necessary affidavits to file in the cases warranted by the evidence. That on the afternoon of July 24th said Graves returned and filed five cases against a party for violation of the liquor law. That said party plead guilty to said five charges aad was fined on each. That on the evening of that day the court, said prosecutor and this affiant arranged to continue the court of inquiry on the next day, and were to examine the thirty other witnesses if possible. That on the morning following, affiant met said prosecutor and talked with him for about an hour, making plans for the examination of said witnesses. That while thus planning, a certain person called the prosecutor from affiant’s presence for a few minutes, and when he returned he declared his intention of going home at onee and not continuing the work any further, and no persuasion would induce him to stay and carry out the work contemplated. That said prosecutor left town on first train, and has since failed tb return to complete his work. That affiant has, at the request of the Anti-Saloon League, made several efforts to have said prosecutor return, but so far his efforts in their behalf has been fruitless. That from affiant’s experience as prosecutor, he believes that the evidence taken at the court of inquiry was sufficient to convict a number of persons for violations of the liquor laws and other offenses against the State. JASPER GUY.

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 9th day of Oct., 1906. Iba W. YiomaN, [seal] Notary Public. My commission expires July 19,1907. A “TESTIMONIAL” FROM MOROCCO. The Kentland Enterprise last week had a very spicy article in behalf of R. O. Graves, candidate for Prosecuting Attorney. The Enterprise says Graves is a candidate for re-election and “stands on his record.” The writer suggests that those interested spend a little time and examine bis record as shown by the court records.

See if the records show that Graves has convicted 10 per cent of the cases bronght; see if in this ten per cent he did not have assistance; see if one-half the cases filed have come to trial. It would be a splendid idea for the voters to examine Graves' record. Look into his moral record and see if he has been a soldier of the Cross as well as a soldier in Cuba, which the Enterprise mentions. As to his preparation, see how long he spent studying law; see how long he has owned any library, even the statutes of the state; investi* gate his ability*from these facts and determine if you want to oast your vote for him as Prosecuting Attorney for another term. Go out through the townships where he is well known and find out for yourself if the Enterprise is correct. Find out who prosecuted the McCoy cases, and who always prosecutes his cases. Let Graves ’stand on bis record.” That is the proper thing to do. If, after investigation, you find his record clean in every particular, as the Enterprise suggests, vote for him. If not, cast your vote for Geo. E. Hershman, candidate from Jasper county. Respectfully Submitted A Citizen of Morocco.

TIME FOR A CHANGE. The people of Jasper county have been long suffering, and when the ootre of ringsters at the county seat, who live off the taxpayers, smite them on one cheek they have smilingly turned the other and eaid: “Do it again.” * And it baa been done again and again to them. For eight years this paper has been telling of the impositions that have been practiced on the taxpayers of Jasper county; has told time and again juet what would happen as soon as the election was over if the same old crowd of ring politicians were returned to office, and it proved just as we stated it would. Last campaign this paper stated that in the event of a re-election of the then “acting” county treasurer, the shortage occasioned by the failure of the McCoy bank would try to be saddled onto the taxpayers. And the effort was made to do that very thing, and it was eventually put on the other depositors of this rotten political bank through a compromise by the same trustee who made the very misleading if not false affidavit in the closing days of the campaign relative to the security the McCoys had for the indebtedness of said treasurer to said bank.

Everyone who read the unbiased reports of W. H. Blodgett of the McCoy trial at Monticello must have been impressed with the truth of all the statements made in this paper regarding the “political banking” of the McCoys, and have seen what dupes the people of the county were to follow their political leadership. A few years ago a petition signed by more than 1,000 taxpayers of Jasper county asked for an expert examination of the county records, but the president of the board of county commissioners held that the contract with tax-ferret Workman covered an investigation of the county records also, and thus staved off an investigation that was needed then and is badly needed now.

Workman never made any examination of the county officers, but after bleeding all the widows and oi phans and others who would bleed, “postponed” further investigation indefinitely and has not set foot in Jasper county for two or three yw or more. There are two ex-county treasurers, we are reliably informed, who have said privately that they thought Jasper county was oicing them; but were afraid to ask for an expert accounting for fear it would turn out they were owing the county! Jasper county is one of the few counties in Indiana that has had no examination of its public offices for the past quarter of a century or more, if ever, and when ex-offi-cials make the statements attrib-

uted to them as above—and they were generally conceded to be careful officers, too —God knows it is time the people voted for a change to learn just how matters do stand anyway. And no investigation will ever be made so long as a republican county council and republican board of commissioners stand in the way, bear that in mind.

The man who staved off the investigation six or eight years ago—and whom hundreds of the better class of republicans have repeatedly repudiated by their votes —today has a greater grip than ever on the county, for in getting himself appointed county attorney and republican county chairman he is in a position to throttle every attempt by the more well-disposed members of his party to pry into county matters, and wields a greater influence in the “court house ring” than ever before. Remember, when you go to the polls next Tuesday that the public treasury of your county has been “farmed out” during the past two terms, that no one knows anything about the condition of that treasury except the “landlords”—not the taxpayers of the county, but the fellows who have been running the place for the money there was in it —and then vote for a thorough airing of the place by the election of a democratic county council and a democratic board of county commissioners.