Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1909 — TO HOLD COUNTY OPTION ELECTION [ARTICLE]

TO HOLD COUNTY OPTION ELECTION

Petitions Now Being Circulated ' In Jasper County. AN ORGANIZATION PERFECTED And It Is the Intention to Hare the Petition Ready to File Next Week So That Action Can Be Taken By the County Commissioners At the April Meeting—League Se- —- lects County and Township Officers. nL . t r The meeting held here Saturday to discuss the advisability of petitioning for a county option election was fairly well attended, representatives being present from Carpenter, Marion, Union, Kankakee and Keener townships. The meeting was held in the east court room at 1 p. m., and S. C. Irwin and Rev. G. H. Clarke made chairman and secretary, respectively. X The question of the Advisability of calling a county option election was taken up and the sentiment was unanimous in favor thereof, and it was decided to circulate the petitions at once and get them ready for filing for the April meeting of the county commissioners. A letter was read frm Mr. Hicks of the AntiSaloon League in which suggestions for the campaign * were made, and, if thought necessary, he stated that he could be here to attend a meeting of the workers and the public generally next Friday. It was decided to have him come, and the meeting was ordered for 11 a. m., next Friday. '

A permanent county organization was effected by the election of S. C. Irwin, Chairman;, J. K. Davis, Vice Chairman; Rev. G. H. Clarke, Secretary; J. P. Hammond, Treasurer. Township chairmen; Barkley, W. N. Jordan; Carpenter, Rev. Crowder; Hanging Grove, Joseph Stewart; Jordan, C. E. Sage; Marion, W. S. Day; Milroy, Geo. L. Parks; Newton, John Rush; Gillam, James Stevens; Keener, Wm. H. Tyler; Wheatfleld, J. M. Helmick; Kankakee, P. W. Fisher; Walker, H. P. Brown; Union, John I. Gwin. ’ The appointees, for most part, were not present at the meeting, but it was thought they would accept. Each township chairman is to appoint two precinct chairmen, one from each leading party, to assist in the work. Blank petitions were handed out' to those in attendance and the work of getting signatures is now being done in various sections of the county, and as | fast as filled they were directed to be sent in to the county secretary. The intention is to have the election held in April, and it takes 20 per cent of the voting strength of the county to call the election. Therefore some 725 legal signatures must be secured to the petitions.