Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1914 — Admits Having Paid Back Money, But Says ’Twas Voluntary. [ARTICLE]

Admits Having Paid Back Money, But Says ’Twas Voluntary.

The Republican again consumes much of its “valuable space” in explaining a matter connected with its late subscription voting contest, but its explanation is considerably different from the way current report has it and also from the story told by the McCurtain's to many different people, both in Rensselaer and at Pair, where they reside. According to the Republican its return of $136.50 to the McCurtains was wholly yoluntary and was out of the bigness of its heart, rather than there being any compulsion about it. Now current rumor has it that there were other contestants besides the McCurtains who, at least, asked for some of their money back, and they say r that the published report ot the votes cast by the contestants during the contest was juggled in the office of the Republican. That is, in order to make the other candidates believe that they stood some show of winning a “prize,” not nearly the correct vote cast was published along from day to day. Of course the Republican could not prevent contestants from holding back votes, but it had no right to juggle the votes already cast, as it is alleged, was done. But the poor little meazley, dwarfed, picayunish jealous souls of the Republican editors who took on such a spasm of anguish over the success of a similiar contest conducted by The Democrat a few years ago, wanted to get every nickel out of it possible. It is also amusing to note their remarks regarding "The Democrat’s dwindling subscription list,” which “suffered so greatly” by their recent contest. As a matter of fact, during the short period their contest was on The Democrat lost precisely two subscribers whom it thought had perhaps been induced to help out some contestant by taking the Republican, and TWENTY-SIX new paid-in-advance subscribers were added to our list 'during the same time. As this was what is usually considered a dull season for voluntary new subscriptions, and no special effort whatever was made by’ The Democrat to secure them, this was not a bad showing by any means, and if the Republican imagines for a moment that The Democrat’s list is dwindling, it certainly has another think coming. According to the sworn statement of the Republican, which is required to be made every six months, and which appears in its issue of Oct. 2, the average number of copies of each issue of the semiweekly Republican sold or distributed through the mails or otherwise, for the six months proceeding the said statement, was but 500 copies, less than one-fourth the number put out by The Democrat to regular subscribers during the same period.

Now the fact that this statement is testified to under oath before a notary public, as the statement shows. The Democrat will not attempt to say that the circulation of the Republican's semi-weekly edition is less than 500 copies each issue, for were we to do so it would be equivilent to saying that the “business manager” had perjured himself when he swore to the statement. So we will let it go, and admit that its semi-weekly circulation in Jasper county and other parts of the United States did actually average 500 copies each issue during the past six months, which was 1,500 less than the average of each issue for The Democrat.

In its “explanation” the Republican also takes*occasion to say: “Babcock held a piano contest; a merchant on the night before claims to have bought all the trading checks Babcock had left and to have voted them straight out for one of the candidates, when they were presum-

ed to be issued only for legitimate trade.” Now, if any merchant ever made such remark as the above, he made a statement -which was absolutely false and which he knew was false when he made it, for at least 25,000 of these trading certificates were still on hand in The Democrat office when our contest closed and no merchant to whom they were being issued, as needed, secured any unusual number on the closing day. Any merchant who would do a thing of this kind is a rascal and unworthy of any respect from anyone, and The Democrat does not believe that any rascals were using its certificates. It does know that the alleged "stuffing of the ballot box” did not occur. in a contest of this kind each contestant knows approximately the number of votes he or she has cast, and not a solitary' contestant ever questioned the count. The Democrat is in receipt of the following letter from Mr. L. L. McCurtain, who is a highly respected citizen of Parr and the progressive candidate for county clerk. The many who know Mr. McCurtain and hate heard from his own lips the story of this “refunding” can form their own conclusions in the matter. Understand, the money paid in earlier in the “game” has not been returned to them, hence his allusion to same. Parr, Ind., Oct. 4, 1914. Dear Mr. Healey: 1 am very sorry I hit you in such a tender spot, and would not have done it had 1 known it wduld hurt like it did.

I was very much surprised to see you boost a Progressive like that and feel that it is going to do me some good, coming from the "standpat” organ. So just go ahead and boost, amd if there’s any oharges just take your change out of the rest of my wife’s money (you know that you didn’t give back); it will be all right with her.

L. L. McCURTAIN.