Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1915 — Page 1

Jasper County Democrat.

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RAILROAD SUBSIDY DEFEATED DY DECISIVE MAJORITY OF 69.

Only About Two-Thirds of a Vote Cast —Proposition Carried In But One Precinct, and by Only 19 Votes There.

Rensselaerhas again met the enemy ‘subsidy hunters’ and this tim* they are ours. The $61,000 proposition was voted down here Wednesday in three of the four precincts of Marion township and Rensselaer by good majorities, and was only carried by 19 votes in precinct No. 4. There were only 655 votes cast in all, about 350 less than the vote of the last general election. The vote by precinct follows: Maj. Maj. For Agt. For Agt. Precinct No. 1. ...93 107 Precinct No. 2. ...77 96 Precinct No. 3....35 90 Precinct No. 4.... 88 69 19 Totals . 293 362 19 88 Net majority against 69

This is the first time in the history of Rensselaer that anything savoring of a subsidy tax has ever been voted down. But the people here have been fooled with so long by promoters that they have become disgusted. And besides, this proposition promised so little, even had the road been built, that it was apparent as the election drew near that if the farmers turned out the proposition would be voted down.

Wednesday morning, after hearing scores of town people openly say that they “had voted for all previous subsidies but would vote against this one,” it was evident that there Was a very favorable chance to defeat the proposition even though few of the farmers turned out. As a matter of fact, a small per cent of the farmers did come out to vote. Had they voted, the proposition would have

been defeated by several hundred, as they were almost a unit against it. Promoter Brown of Lafayette, had been putting in most of his time here for several days and was on hand Tuesday with a bunch of his prominent stockholders from White

county and other points, in an endeavor to put the proposition over. They worked like beavers all day of the election and cigars flowed freely, even the members of the election boards being presented with them. Brown’s automobile kept steamed up, bringing voters to the polls all day long. But this very activity on the part of people who were not residents of Jasper county or of the city or township voting, no doubt militated against the proposition. There were very few local people who did work for the proposition, and the promoters had a discouraging fight.

It is said that Brown had succeeded in convincing the St. Joseph college people that he could make the change in route that he had promised at the eleventh hour, and put up a bond with them guaranteeing to run the line near the college if the road were built. The vote in No. 4 would indicate that the college people voted solidly for the proposition. But even this did not save the day, and every other precinct returned substantial majorities against it, the writer’s own precinct, No. 3, giving but 35 votes for, to 90 against, a clear majority of 55 against. The Democrat is indeed pleased over the result of the election, and it hopes that it marks a new era in Rensselaer on propositions of this kind; that we are no longer looked upon by subsidy hunters and gold' brick vendors as “easy-marks.” Indeed, there seems to be very little regret from any local source over the result.

The Democrat has always been opposed to the proposition of voting a tax for the aid of any private enterprise, and it does not believe that it is right from any point of view to take money from the pockets of the taxpayer against his will and give it to a private corporation. Mr. Brown himself, openly stated up to a few months ago that the proposition was wrong and was permitted in only three states of the Union, Indiana being one of these. He also stated, as could be proven if necessary by the testimony of scores of as reputi hie citizens as there are in Jasper county, that* HIS company would ask for no subsidies, and then, turned

right around, after getting rid of an Opposition company, and asked for the very thing whictShe had so vigorously denounced all along. « The Democrat had some faith in this road as. first projected through Remington amd the fact that the promoter stated that they would net ask for subsidies. It looked then like a business proposition and that there were business men behind it, for it is said to be a fact tnat but few of the traction lines now operating in Indiana were built with subsidy aid. and that none of the successful on«s asked for aid at all. However, when the route of the proposed line was changed to pass through Wolcott and gave so little accommodation to any of our people, and the promoters begun asking for subsidies, our confidence in there being anything very substantial in the proposition was given a set-back, and we have not since had any more confidence in the road ever being built than we have had in the many propositions with a subsidy attached that has been presented to our people during the past twenty years. We believed that the result would be, were the subsidy proposition to go through, to tie up the territory so that it would be impossible for another company with ample backing and really desiring to build a road through here, to come in without buying Out the company having the ground already covered.

(Continued on page fivev

And Still We Are Getting Altogether Too Much Rain.

While the lands had not dried off in scarcely any place from Saturday night s big rain sufficiently to permit of farming, and a number of fields were still covered with water, Wednesday afternoon we got quite a heavy rain, continuing at intervals during the afternoon, and in the evening, at about 6 o'clock, we got a perfect deluge again, probably over 1% inches falling. r Later on, about 10:30 o’clock Wednesday night, it started in raining again, clearing up some time during the night. A basin with straight sides set out in the writer’s yard, showed 214 inches of water had fallen during the day and night. The river, which had fallen about three feet at noon Wednesday, was at a higher stage Thursday night than it had been at any time.

Let's Help Rensselaer First.

Well, now, let the people of Rensselaer get busy and do something of a little real benefit to themselves. Let’s go to work and provide a more adequate system of sewerage, for one thing, and put our streets in better condition. We are not likely to be troubled with any more factory promoters or subsidy hunters for some little time, and we can spend our time and money for the benefit of ourselves. We can accomplish more for the real benefit of Rensselaer by doing this than we can in chasing rainbows. Let us make our town so clean and attractive and desirable a city that people will want to come here and locate without asking Us to give them our money'To do so.

Sylvester Hatton Buried at Momence, Ill., Yesterday.

Sylvester Hatton, who has been in critical condition for some time, dieiat 8 o’clock Wednesday morning of dropsy and stomach trouble, and the body was taken to Momence, 111., yesterday for burial. Mr. Hatton moved here with his daughter and son-in-law some three years ago from Monticello. He had bought the former Charles Grow property north of the railroad, which he occupied with his maiden daughter, Laura. Mr. Hatton was a native of Indiana, and was born May 27, 1832, his age at death being 83 years, 1 month and 17, days. His wife died several years ago.

HUGH KIRK PUBLIC CHAUFFEUR Motor Troubles Car Washing with M. J. Schroer. PHONE 78

THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA, SATURDAY. JULY 17, 1915

Bounteous Harvest Prospects Ruined.

John P. Ryan and daughters, Alice and Frances, and son, Edward, were down from Gillam tp., Thursday forenoon in their auto. Misses Catherine and Rose Liters accompanied them home for a week’s visit. Mr. Ryan stated that he had never seen such crops in Jasper county in his forty years' experience in farming here, as this year but the continued rains has done so much damage that it is pronab e we will not save as much as weraised last year. He said that on Lit way down Thursday he saw wheat shocks sta* ding in water a foot or more in depth and bundles of wheat that had not yet been shocked, lying in water, while the wheat that had not been cut was almost as flat as though it had been run over by a land roller. Oats were also down badly in many places and ponds of water covered parts of many fields of corn. Mr. Ryan said that he believed that the wheat would have averaged 40 bushels to the acre in Jasper county this year and the oats nearly 75 bushels, could it all have been saved. It is indeed too bad after raising such splendid crops to have them nearly ruined in one short week’s time.

The weather has been such, too, that the farmers could not put up their hay, and a great deal of it has been ruined, also.

Boy’ s Leg Broken in Four Places in Cranking Auto.

One of the worst accidents of its kind that ever occurred in the county that Tuesday out at Ira Brown s, 6 miles southeast of Rensselaer, in Jordan tp., when Bernard, his 11-year-old son, went into the shed where Mr. Brown's automobile , v,as kept and attempted to crank same, which he had done several times before. The motor back-fired * and the handle of the crank struck j the boy on the left leg, and seems to , have thrown him in such a way that it struck him again on the same leg f between the knee and ankle, causing two fractures between the knee and thigh and two fractures between the knee and foot. [ Dr. English was called and at- • tended the lad’s injuries, and he states that it is the first case that he had ever heard of where one’s leg was broken from cranking an automobile, although there have been a great many cases where arms and wrists were broken in this vicinity. The lad will be laid up 'for several weeks, but it is not thought that he will be permanently crippled.

Illinois Visitors Favorably Impressed With Rensselaer.

W. D. Pierson, county commissioner of Cook county, Ill.; City Mayor Craig Hood, of Chicago Heights; William H. isrotle, exmayor and now postmaster of Chicago Heights; William Murphy, superintendent of street car service at Chicago Heights, and Ralph McEldowney, of the McEldowney bank, Chicago Heights, were guests of Sheriff McColiy a short time Wednesday afternoon. They had been over at Watseka on business connected with the Dixie highway and came back through Rensselaer to see Mr. MeColly, an old friend and former resident of their city. They were very favorably impressed with Rensselaer and complimented us on having one of the prettiest and best towns they had seen for some time.

Pitiable Conditions in the Onion Districts.

A® Rensselaer gentleman who had business at Newland Wednesday, informed The Democrat that conditions there were indeed pitiable. Hundreds of acres of the muck ground was inundated with water to a depth of several inches, and the destruction of the great acreage of onions and potatoes was complete. Wheat, oats, corn and meadows are also practically ruined to a large extent in all the low-lying sections. The onion growers—or those who had invested their all in part payment for a tract of land ahd had expected to raise a crop to make further payments and carry their families through the winter—will have to be aided by the township, no doubt, as their crops are a total loss in most instances.

Birth Announcements. July 15, to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Young of Pleasant Ridge, a son. Subscribe for The Democrat.

COURT HOUSE NEWS IN BRIEF

interesting Paragraphs From the Various Departments OF JASPER COUNTY CAPITOL Th® Legal News Epitomized—Together With Other Notes Gathered From the Several County Offices.

And also, for the first time in our history, the promoters have to pay the expenses of the election. Good. County Assessor Thornton, G. E. Murray, Sheriff McColly and George Healey attended the launching of the Warren McCray boom for governor at Kentland Wednesday. W. T, Elmore and G. I. Thomas were over from Remington on business Wednesday. Roth were formerly connected with O. L. Brown’s railroad proposition, but are now said to be only humble and anxious-to-get-out stockholders. Miss Agnes Platt, deputy recorder, went to Chicago Wednesday to have an operation performed for the removal of her tonsils, after which she expects to visit relatives in Minnesota, if her health permits. She will be gone about a month. Trustee Kolhoff of Jordan tp., has decided to move the Bullis school house to Union district and combine it with the Union building, making a two-room school. The Raymond, Reed and Bullis schools will then be abandoned and the pupils hauled to Union.

John McCurtain, who was taken to the asylum at Logansport last week, made his escape front Longcliff Tuesday and arrived in Parr abount midnight Wednesday night, The Democrat is informed. At this writing no effort is being made apparently to return him to the asylum.

According to the report of the Indiana Board of Charities and Correction, Jasper county extended poor relief during 1914 to 133 people, Gillam and Walker townships bein* the only ones in which no relief was given. The total amount so expended was $1,855.01, of which Marion tp., including Rensselaer, expended sl,040.50. The expense of maintainance of our poor farm for 1914 was $3,969.75, and the farm receipts, $2,743.33, leaving a net deficit of $913.20.

The Newton County Enterprise says that the Williams ditch case has been sent back to the drainage commissioners for correction, the remonstrators contending that the report is faulty in many instances. This ditch is a continuance of the Kankakee river drainage scheme, instead of the Borntrager ditch, as was erroneously stated in a recent issue of The Democrat. The line of the proposed flitch runs about 500 feet south of a point in Lake tp., Newton county, where Newton and Lake counties have just erected a costly new bridge, and if the ditch is made on the line as shown in the report, it will mean that Newton county and the C. I. & S. Railroad will each have to erect another new bridge, costing about $50,000 each; The commissioners are ordered to report again at the October term of court.

Battling Against the Elements.

The rain of Wednesday evening boosted the water again in the east part of town, especially along near the Monon railroad, causing the yards, streets and sidewalks to again become inundated with several inches of water. It seems that a sewer under the Monon tracki causes considerable of the water from the north side of the track near the stock pens, to pass through to the south side, and almost a pitched battle betweep the residents of the north and south sides of the track, took place Thursday morning when it that, the south slders had stopped up this sewer with sacks of. sand

and thereby preventing the water front flowing through. The north siders removed the sacks only to have them replaced by the residents on the south. This was kept up for some little time, and the air was blue with the complimentary remarks made by each of the opposing forces toward the other. The marshal was finally appealed to, and later the health officep, then the city attorney. The IrJtter obtained permission from President Kurrie to stop the flow of water, but Thursday night—it was difficult to tell which of the two sections of town was the worst sufferer from the high water, a number of families being marooned by several inches of water entirely surrounding their homes on both sides of the track.

was about three inches higher yesterday than it has been at any was about three inches higher it is thought, than it had been at any time during the present "wet spell. '

Several Narrow Escapes From Drowning.

A few narrow escapes from drowning have occurred here since the high water has made diving and swimming in the river so popular. Howard Clark came near losing his life Tuesday afternoon, when he became exhausted in the water, and only prompt action on the part of some of his companions in going to his rescue saved him from a watery grave. ■ j _ ■

Wednesday afternoon Clifford Ham and little sister, Mary Anna, both came near losing their lives just west of the creamery bridge. A rope or trotline was tied about the little girl’s waist and Clifford was teaching her to swim in the more .shallow water near Harvey W. Wood's south lawn. In some manner, the line got tangled up in Clifford's feet and both were^ taken down stream by the current, which was not nearly so stiong on that side of the river as on the south. They were carried down perhaps 400 feet, when the boy managed to catch hold of some willows and stop himself. In the meantime some of the onlookers shouted for help, and young George Fate jumped in and rescued the little girl, whom it is said was unconscious when first taken from the water.

11 is great fun, of course, to sport about in the water these days, but it is dangerous sport to some extent also. Small children should not be permitted to wade in at the edge of the river at all, and the oldest ones should use due care in their antics, as the water is deep and accidents are likely to occur at any time.

Former Residents Recently Suffered Fire Loss.

Mrs. Carl Hamacher, of near Lowell, was down on business Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. Hamacher, who moved upon their farm near Lowell last spring from over in Newton county, met with quite a serious loss on June 16, when their farm house tflth practically all its contents, was destroyed by fire. The fire occurred about 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon, while -Mrs. Hamacher was busy with her ironing, and was caused from a defective flue. All their bedding, clothing, kitchen utensils and almost all the entire contents were destroyed. The house, while an old one, had been repainted and repapered on the inside and was quite comfortable. They had but $550 insurance on the house and contents, which did not cover half the loss. *They are nowbusy rebuilding, and are putting up a nice 2-story, 8-room house, 26x26 feet in size. Mrs. Hamacher states that their crops are looking well as yet and with favorable weather they expect to have a bounteous harvest.

Baseball Tomorrow at Burrows’ Camp.

English Lake will cross bats with the Burrows ball team at Burrows’ Camp, near Dunn’s bridge, tomorrow. The game is palled at 2:30, and it is expected to be an interesting one from start to finish. In last Sunday’s game the Streator Brow-ns defeated Burrows by a of 5 to 4. It was a good game.

Curtis Creek Sunday School.

The Curtis Creek Sunday school will hold services tomorrow at H. L. Wortley’s grove. Sunday school at 10 a. hi. Basket dinner at nooh'. Sermon by Rev. J. C. Parrett at 2 p. m. Special music by Johnson Bros.

An arm load of old papers for 5 cents.

Vol. XVIII, No. 30

BERLIN REGRETS NEBRASKAN ATTACK

Admits Ship Was Torpedoed by Submarine. WILL MAKE COMPENSATION American Government Assured the Attack “Wai Not Meant for U. S. Flag, But la to Be Considered an Unfortunate Accident.” Washington, July 16.—The German government has apologized for the attack on the Hawaiian-American steamer Nebraskan, torpedoed by a German submarine on the night of May 25 on her way to Delaware Breakwater from Liverpool, the state department announced.

Full compensation will be made for the damage sustained by American citizens in the Injury to the vessel. Admits Responsibility. Ambassador Gerard has telegraphed the department that he has received the following memorandum from the German foreign office admitting responsibility for the mysterious accident to the vessel which has been under investigation for the past seven weeks: . ■:

“The German government received, from newspaper reports the intelligence that the American vessel Nebraskan had been damaged by a mine or torpedo on the southeast coast of Ireland. That, therefore, started a thorough investigation of the case without delay, and from the result of the investigation it has become convinced that the damage to the Nebraskan was caused by an attack by a submarine.

• On the evening of May 25 last the submarine met a steamer bound westward without a flag and with no neutral markings on her freeboard, about 35 nautical miles west of Fastnet rock; no appliance of any kind for the illumination of the flag or markings was to be seen. In the twilight, which had already set in, the name of the steamer was not visible from the submarine.

“Since the commander of the submarine was obliged to assume from his wide experience in the area of maritime war that only English steamers, and no neutral steamers, traversed this war area without flag and markings, he attacked the vessel with a torpedo in the conviction that he had an enemy vessel before him. Some time after the shot the commander saw that the vessel had In the meantime hoisted the American flag. As a consequence he, of course, refrained from any further attack. “Since the vessel remained afloat, he had no occasion to concern himself further with the boats which had been launched.

Ready to Pay for Damages.

“It results from this without a doubt that the attack on the steamer Nebraskan was not meant for the American flag, nor Is it traceable to any fault on the part of the commander of the German submarine, but it is to be considered an unfortunate accident. The German government expresses Its regret at the occurrence to the government of the United States of America and declares its readiness to make compensation for the damage thereby sustained by American citizens."

ENVOY WILL SEE LANSING

Von Bernstorff and Secretary of State to Discuss German Submarine Warfare Today.

Washington, July 16.—Considerable Importance is attached to a conference which is to take place today between Secretary Lansing and Count von Bernstorff, the German ambassador.

There have been intimations that this government was particularly dissatisfied over the failure-of Germany in her latest response to the American representations concerning the submarine warfare to disavow responsibility of intention to have caused the deaths of any American passengers of the Lusitania, and that Count von Bernstorff, in giving oral assurances that his government was anxious to correct this important omission, might take advantage of the opportunity to furnish other assurances that would modify the generally unsatisfactory character of the German communication.

The interview to take place between the secretary of state and the German ambassador today is therefore regarded as likely to have a marked bearing on the future relations of Germany and the United States.

Buy envelopes at The Democrat office. A large number of sizes, styles and colors, both bond and plain finish, to select from, at 5c per bunch of 25. Call in and see them.