Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 56, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1910 — Page 1 Advertisements Column 3 [ADVERTISEMENT]

A FEW MORE QUESTIONS FOR THE RENSSELAER REPUBLICAN 1. Why did the County Commissioners in the examination of the county records eighteen months ago turn down the bid of $1,700 of John W. Coons of Indianapolis who filed gilt-edged recommendations from state and ex-state officials and high standing business men of the capital city, and award the contract to W, E. Heal—a straw bidder, apparently of the J. B. Workman who conducted the notorious investigation of the taxpayers here several years ago, known as the tax-ferret S2OO more than Coons’ bid? (As Workman came here and conducted the investigation we have a right to presume that the Heal bid was really Workman’s, although “J. B. Workman & Co.” bid $2,000, the full amount of the appropriation made for the “Investigation.”) / 2. Of the $1,725.44 found to be due Jasper county from past and present county officials, how much has been paid back into the county treasury? Has a dollar been paid? If-so, by whom and when? 3. -Have the county commissioners or county attorney ever made any effort whatever to collect back this $1,725.44 shown by the report of the investigation to be due the county? If so, when and where can the record of such transaction be found? 4. If this amount is actually due from the men mentioned in this report, why have not the county commissioners ordered that it be paid back and why has thecounty attorney made no move to recover it? / 5. The examination was made almost a year and a half ago and the report filed. Why has not been taken in the matter?

so or not, but the change was certainly not for the best and made a great difference in the expense of the work tp the contractors. If cut off below ground it would have taken considerable excavating about each pile to make room for the saw and men to work in cutting them off; it would also have been necessitated the digging of a small trench for the stringers to place the tops of them about level with the ground readv for the plankjug. In its reply to The Democrat’s report of this work the Remibli ■ can of Oct. 18, in calling The Democrat all sorts of liars and saying that our “false” report was simply for political effect, said: ♦ * “the engineer found it advisable to authorize one oj two minor changes in the specifications with the belief that it was for the best results. The changes did, not cheapen' the work nor favor the contractor ” In its issue of Oct. 21, however, it says the engineer did not authorize any changes in the specifications! What are we to believe from stich contradictory statements? Is this another such case as the Milroy tp., bridge, where the contractor says he was given permission to change the specifications ..and the county commissioners say they did not give such authority? But the taxpayers were honswaggled on the Milroy bridge over S4OO and, it seems, more than double that >on the late Burk bridge improvement. That is, the work is not up to specifications by any means ami cost three times as much as it should. It was just such things as this that Wallace Marshall of the Lafayette Bridge Co., was kicking about—favored contractors, it seemed, did not have to comply with the specifications for public work, while those not so favored must bid on the worE”with the expectation of having to 'comply strictly with the written plans and specifications.

NOTICE. Although I have hot been active in the fancy egg business'the past year, because 1 have not been able to pay the fancy prices. I am now engaged in the active poultry business and as I am shipping to the eastern markets 1 believe that all who will figure on a business basis will find my market for good sandy poutry even better than Chicago, if you will take the time to weigh your goods before shipping and count off the freight and commission. When you have some good goods to sell in the poultry line call on me and get prices before shipping or selling elsewhere. B. S. FENDIG. High cost of living should not from buying Hart, Schaffner & Marx clothes. They cost less, in the end, because they give more satisfaction.- The G. E. Murray Co. sells them.