Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 March 1910 — RUT WHY ASSAIL MR. MARSHALL? [ARTICLE]

RUT WHY ASSAIL MR. MARSHALL?

No Contractor Who Wanted to Be Honest Could Meet Such Competition As That of the Winamac Bridge Co.

Wallace Marshall, head of the Lafayette Bridge Co., has been fiercely assailed in certain quarters here because of his exposuie of the bridge stealing graft that was going on in this countv. The Democrat has refused from the start, after having a talk with Mr. Marshall, who was sure of his ground, to join this hue and cry of the politicians who run the business affairs of Jasper county. Mr. Marshall told the writer before he made the charges, that his company wanted to do business,. and an honest business, but if it was compelled to meet such opposition as it had here it would have to go out of business. He had sent men here time after time, at considerable expense, to bid on bridge contracts during the past few years, but in every instance he had been underbid by the Winamac Co.

Mr. Marshall’s investigation of the Milroy township bridge disclosed how this could be done, and he was naturally warm about it. Who wouldn’t be? But for his looking into the matter and making it public >these steals would still be going on. If his own company’s skirts were as dirty as the politicians here intimate very broadly, it is scarcely probable that he would have made these charges against a business rival, for the latter would retaliate if it had any grounds.

But, no matter what they say about Mr. Marshall and no matter what he is or has been, the fact remains that no effort at all was made by the defense to impeach his testimony, and it may be assured that if his measurements were incorrect the defense would have attempted to so show.

In The Democrat's humble opinion the taxpayers of Jasper county owe a vote of thanks to Wallace Marshall for exposing the steal that was. going on for no one knows how long nor for what period it would have continued but for him, and with all proper sympathy for My. Bader, his family and friends, yet unbiased investigations show that his company has been guilty of a sytem of graft in this county—and perhaps others—that ought to send every member thereof who had guilty knowledge of what was going on to the penitentiary along with their superintendent and general manager.