Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1912 — DEMOCRATIC MOOSERS BUNCOED [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEMOCRATIC MOOSERS BUNCOED

Republican Progressives Voted Republican County Ticket Instead of That of Their Own Party. Now that the election is over and affairs have settled down to their normal condition a few calm reflections on the Vote in Jasper county is in order. It is very plain to anyone who examines the tabulated vote printed elsewhere in The Democrat, that the republican moosers did not play fair with the democrats whom they had induced to come over to their standard, and while the democrat moosers voted their county moose ticket, the republican moosers voted the republican county ticket and thus caused the defeat of most of the democratic county ticket. It is also evident that more democrats went over to the moosers in the county than had been expected. The moose vote on president was 694, but Bowers for congress received but 402, while on the county ticket proper Roadifer for commissioner in the south district was high man and he only received 304 votes, or 390 votes less than the moose strength as shown on the national ticket. That most of the moose strength went to tlie republican county ticket is evidenced by a study of the tabulated vote.

It is hoped that a study of these figures will be made by those democrats who were induced to go over to the moosers and that ’fjtfey will see how they were buncoed. It ought to be an object lesson to them that they will not soon forget. The general impression now is that an understanding existed between the republicans and republican! moosers by which the republican moosers were to support the republican countiy ticket and weaken the democratic local ticket by getting the democrat moosers to vote their new party ticket. ’ If so, it worked very nicely as the figures show, but it is hoped the democrats of wavering tendencies will not be so easy next time. Hoover’s plurality of 597 surprised even his most sanguine friends. C. A. Tuteur, candidate for prosecutor, also made a good race, and carried his own county by 101, but lost by 236. Welsh for commissioner won out by only 64 over his democratic opponent, A. H. Dickinson. Mr. Welsh will go into office Jan. 1, 1913. The defeat of C. F. Stackhouse for commissioner was not entirely unexpected, there being some local dissatisfaction over appointments, but it was hoped that: he would pull

through, as he has made a good economincal public official. S. D. Clark made a splendid race for recorder and came to the Marion township line with a plurality of 56 votes. Rensselaer’s vote, however, overcame this majority and his opponent received a plurality of 161 in Marion tp., giving him a net plurality in the county of 105. Groendyke’s effort to defeat Mr. McCormick for state senator had little effect. He only got 22 votes in Jasper county and not a one of these came from Keener tp., which is practically settled up with Hollanders, his countrymen. It was the first time in the history of Jasper when the democrats carried the county on the national and state ticket. The plurality on the (national ticket was 54 and 91 on the state ticket. There were quite a few ballots spoiled or but partly voted. Several marked the first name on their ballot and of course that counted for the one candidate only. Others marked within the circle and also the square at the left of the names of those they wanted to vote for. It is really astonishing the number of voters there are who don’t as yet know how to mark their ballot.

Devere Yeoman, considering the short time ne had spenc from his employment with an engineering and contracting firm, made a splendid race and won out over his republican opponent for surveyor by 29 And this was on a straight vote, no bull moose candidates being in the race. Devere returned to South Bend Wednesday, where his employers are finishing up a big sewer contract. He will resign his position in a few veeks and return home is enter upen the duties of h<s office Jan. 1, 1913. Mr. Yeoman is unusually well qualified for the position to which he is elected and should prove a competent and popular surveyor.

One nice thing about this election so far, we have heard no complaints of illegal voting, thanks to the registration law. There was quite a falling off of the vote over that of four years ago, when there were 3,486 votes cast, not including the few socialist votes. The total vote this election was but 3,283, exclusive of the 14 votes cast by socialists, a falling off of 203. Perhaps some of this decrease is attributable to the new rdgistratioini law, but of those registered but 165 failed to come out and vote. Really there were fewer than this, as the figures 165 does not take into account the ballots not counted at all, of which there were quite a number the county over.

’■ Puntelle, the electric railroad magnate, who, by the way, was an ardent bull mooser and was quite prominent election night in figuring out how Teddy was going to win despite the returns being brought in at the court house, paused in his figuring long enough at one stage of the proceedings to announce that the railroad subsidy had been carried in Carpenter township. But evidently Gene had not heard from West Carpenter, which gave a majority of 60 against the proposition, although the east precinct had given a majority of one and the south precinct three in favor of the plan of taking money out of the pockets of the taxpayers. Jordan sat down more noticably still on the subsidy

giving 125 votes against to 37 for, or almost 4 to 1 against the proposition. Newton county went 73 democratic on, the national ticket and the entire democratic ticket was elected by pluralities of 121 for Rich for treasurer to 4 for Barker for commissioner, except Hamilton, republican, was elected surveyor by 14 plurality. The moosers had about 10,000 more votes in Indiana than the republicans, which relegates the g. o. p. to third place ow the ballot in the next election and gives the moosers the places on election boards now held by republicans—judge, clerk and sheriff. White county cast 822 bull moose votes, but gave Wilson a plurality of 446 and Ralston a plurality of 4 06. The entire democratic county ticket was elected there. Tippecanoe county, normally republican by 1,500, gave Wilson a plurality of 1436, and elected two democrats to the legislature, the sheriff, surveyor and two commissioners. Shake, Bro. Isherwood. Roosevelt carried Lake county by 473, and Wilson ran 30 behind Taft. The democrats got the auditor only. Frank Maloy of Lowell, formerly of Rensselaer, bull moose candidate for sheriff, received 3,945 votes; Gill, democrat, 5,024; and Henry Whitaker, republican, formerly of Wheatfield, 5,962. The bull moose vote in county for president was 5,659. That the stately elephant is crowded to the third place by the bull moose and must occupy the column on the election ballot formerly held by the prohibitionists is a bitter pill to the stand-pat republicans, some of whom don’t like to be in third place on account of the dry tendencies of the former occupants of that position. The bull moosers have indeed humiliated the arrogant old republican party and sent it to an ignominous grave, where it has so often tried to send the now triumphant party of the people—<the democratic party.

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