Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1915 — RAILROAD SUBSIDY DEFEATED DY DECISIVE MAJORITY OF 69. [ARTICLE]

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.

O. L. Brown, who signs his name to articles here as “general manager" of the so-called Lafayette & Northwestern Railroad, but who is referred to several times in the report of the investigation made by the committee appointed by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce as “President O. L. Brown," had with him here W. L. Moyer, the noted “banker," Perry O'Connor, Charles W. Stockton and son, William Stockton, of Round Grove tp.. White county, and an attorney from Wolcott, to assist in foisting this subsidy on the people. Mr. Stockton, Sr., is a son of the aged Mrs. Stockton of near Montmorenci, who is alleged to have been swindled out of SIO,OOO in the sale of worthless stock made to her by the O’Connor brothers of near Remington, one of whom at least,, was a salesman last fall for (he stock of this proposed railroad. It is reported that the Messrs. Stockton and O'Connor have invested considerable in this railroad stock, hence their anxiety, no doubt, to see the tix voted. All were very much disappointed at the result of the election here, and they discussed the advisability of calling another election right away. In this they were evidently advised against by their local attorneys, and Brown now says that they will “build the road anyhow" but will leave Rensselaer off the map; that they have other routes in view and we can go to pot. Now, as a matter of fact, if they build this road at all, in order to collect the subsidies voted in White and Newton counties, they MUST build it over the identical line as shown in the certified profile filed in those counties as well as here. Should they not do so they will have a sweet time in collecting the subsidies. However, Rensselaer will try to struggle along and continue to deserve its subroquet as "the be*>t town on the Monon,” despite the fact that it is to be blacklisted by the promoters of paper railroads.