Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1914 — R. R. PROMOTER WANTS $50,000 [ARTICLE]

R. R. PROMOTER WANTS $50,000

Addison N. Love Sues for Above Amout in U. S. District Court DEFENDANTS PROMINENT MEN Of Carpenter and Jordan Tow-slips, While Plaintiff is Treasurer of N. W. I. Traction Company. Addison N. Love, treasurer of the Northwestern Indiana Traction Co., which is seeking subsidies in Carpenter and Jordan townships, and does not seem to want to give up securing a good slice of the taxpayers’ money in those townships, has filed suit in the federal court at Indianapolis against John Hudson, John Wilson, Peter Geib, S. G. Hand, Warner T. Elmore, O. L. Brown, A. P. Rainier, Charles A. »velsh, James Bullis, Frank Fenwick, George Sage and James Kennedy, all prominent Carpenter and Jordan township people, for $50,000 damages for slander, alleging that the defendants have made false and defamatory statements regarding the financial ability of the said company or its promoters to build the proposed traction line. The complaint was filed, or the summons'issued, rather, on May 2, and the defendants have been served with notice by a deputy U. S. marshal to appear before Judge Anderson, of the Federal court at Indianapolis, 15 days after service. Monday’s Indianapolis News had the following mention of the matter:

Addison N. Love, a stockholder in the Indiana Northwestern Traction Company, has filed suit in the United States district court asking $50,000 for slanderous assertions alleged to have been made against the traction company and its officers by John Hudson, John Wilson, Peter Geib, S. G. Hand, Warner T'. Elmore, O. L. Brown, James Bullis, Frank Fenwick, George Sage and James Kennedy, against whom the suit is directed. The complaint alleges that the reputation of the traction company has been damaged by assertions of the defendants that it is an irresponsible corporation and is not able and does not intend to build a road through Carpenter and Jordan townships and that its officers are irresponsible men and •ve no financial standing. The defendants are residents of Jasper county. S. G. Hand, one of the defendants, is presiednt of the State bank at Remington; Charles A. Welsh, is the county commissioner from the third district and resides in the west part of Carpenter tp.; A. P. Rainier is a practicing physician of Remington and the democratic candidate for coroner: Warner T. Elmore is a retired farmer residing in Remington; the other defendants are prominent farmers of both Carpenter and Jordan townships, who have been active in their opposition to the proposed third election in their townships to vote a subsidy for the road, but so far a? The Democrat has been able to learn, deny having made any statements derogatory to the financial standing of the company or any of its promoters.

To most people the action is viewed as very unwise on the part of Mr. Love, if his company has any intention of building a road through here'or wishes to secure subsidies, as several, who favored the proposition are now said to have changed front because of the persistency of i the company in calling so many elections and the attempt, as they view it, to force a tax on the people; when they have repeatedly said that they would not stand for it. Thank God it is not yet a crime t® oppose the taking of money from one’s pocket, whether it be by taxation or the old-fashioned stand and delivery policy, and if the defendants in this case are no more guilty than those interviewed have said they were, it is not very probable that Mr. Love will get his $50,000 very quick or that Judge Anderson will send the defendants all to the federal prison at Ft. Leavenworth. So far as The Democrat knows, President Roberts and his cohorts have paid all the bills they have contracted here, and they may be worth many millions of dollars or not worth one penny. They have, so far as we ’know here, acted very nieely, and we have heard not one

word said against them in a financial way by the many people we have talk to who were opposed to the voting of a subsidy for the benefit of the road. Mr. Roberts, we are told, denies any responsibility for the action filed and says he knew nothing of it until it tame out in the papers.