Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1917 — Page 1

Jasper County Democrat.

$2.00 Per Year

TEACHERS PAY FOR PLACES

Harrison County Trustee Had Price on Each School. For the past few years' there has “been several applications for schools in this county from teachers residing in Harrison county. Some time ago County Superintendent Lamson asked one of these applicants why he did not teach in his home county, and was told that he could not afford to. He then revealed a system of extortion practiced by certain township trustees in that t part of the state, where the official placed a price on each school, varying from SSO to $l5O, according to its desirability. The teacher must “come across” with the sitpulated sum or get no job. Mr. Lamson wrote these facts to the county superintendent of Ha_h rison county and possibly, as a result, an investigation was started by the state board of accounts. Lee F. Sherman, trustee of Heth township, Harrison county, since the first of last January, was shown to have thus extorted $756.26 from ten different teachers, which sum he has refunded to the state board of accounts. The investigation promises to become gefieral and may include many counties in the state, ill some of which the laws made to protect the taxpayers are set aside as jokes.

MARRIED SINCE LAST AUTUMN

Friends of Kenneth A. Groom Given a Surprise. Kenneth A. Groom, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Groom 'of northeast of Rensselaer, and Miss Iris Lewis, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Lewis of Knox, were married at Crown Point November 4, but the matter was not made public until this week. Kenneth is a graduate of the Rensselaer high school and also of Purdue university, and for the past year or more has been employed in the Humston drug store at Goodland, where he and his bride will start housekeeping at once. It was not the intention of the young people to announce their wedding just yet, but it seems that Attorney A. L. Courtright of Knox happened to drop into the clerk’s office at Crown Point while they were securing their license, and he intended to keep the matter secret with thfem but thoughtlessly “let the cat out of the bag’’ to some friends one day this week. The many friends of the groom in and about Rensselaer unite in extending congratulations and best wishes to both of them.

TO THE PUBLIC

The Chicago papers have raised their prices to me nearly 100 per cent, consequently I have to increase prices as follows: Daily Tribune, 60c per month. Sunday Tribune, 40c per month. Daily and Sunday Tribune, $1 per month. Herald, same as Tribune. Examiner, same as Tribune. Chicago Daily News, 60c per month. Chicago Daily Journal, 60c per month. Chicago Daily American, 60c per month. The change in price of dailies takes effect on Monday, May 14, and any one desiring their paper please notify me by Saturday, May 12, so I can regulate my order. The Sunday change will start on Sunday, May 20. Please advise me as to your wishes by Wednesday, May 16. Very truly yours, J. J. MONTGOMERY.

NEWS OF COUNTY HOSPITAL

Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Hamilton and Miss Bertha Brunneman, superintendent of the hospital, were Hammond visitors Thursday. J. B. Ashby of Mt. Ayr, who underwent an operation at the hospital early Monday, is showing good improvement and everything indicates a speedy recovery. Eugene Wynegar underwent a second operation for mastoiditis at the hospital Tuesday night, and since then he has not suffered nearly so mue.h and his general condition is very much improved.

TO THE PUBLIC

We can now furnish you with flour and would he pleased to have a ehare of your patronage.—lßOQUOlS ROLLER MILLS. Phone 486. ml 6

COURT HOUSE NEWS IN BRIEF

Interesting Paragraphs From the Various Departments OF JASPER COUNTY CAPITOL The Legal News Epitomized—Together with Other Notes Gathered from the Several County Offices. Sheriff McColly went to Indianapolis Thursday afternoon on business. " I County 'Superintendent Ernest Lamson was a Monticello visitor Tuesday. Attorney and Mrs. A. D. Babcock of Goodland were visitors in the city Thursday. New suits filed: James R. Guild vs. Joseph H. Long; complaint on note. Demand $275.

The commissioners of Jasper county and those of Porter county met at Baum’s bridge Wednesday to discuss the matter of erecting another bridge midway between that point and Dunn’s bridge. Clerk Nichols received the Jasper county allotment of the printed acts of the Late general assembly Thursday morning, and when receipts have been received by the secretary of state for the allotment of each of the ninety-two counties in the state, the laws enacted and not carrying an emergency clause will be put into effect by a proclamation by the governor. A constitutional forum for Jasper county was organized at a meeting held at the court house Wednesday evening. C. M. Sands was elected president; Mose Leopold, vice-president; L. H. Hamilton, sec-retary-treasurer. A committee composed of James H. Chapman, Rev. J. B. Fleming and Mrs. John I. Gwin was appointed by the president to draft a'constitution and bylaws. The address by Rev. John Steel, secretary of the Presbyterian board of temperance, was well delivered and thoroughly appreciated. % .._ Marriage licenses issued: May 10, Lowell R. Chrey of Westfield, aged 22 June 6 last, occupation farmer, and Minnie B. Kissinger, daughter of Charles G. Kissinger of Jordan township, aged 24 October 10 last, occupation school teacher. First marriage for each. May 11, Alva L. Hall of Jasper county, aged 25 December 28 last, occupation- farmer, and Florence Etta Poicel of Jasper county, aged 20 July 9 alst, occupation housekeeper. Second marriage for male, first marriage dissolved by divorce May 4, 1917. First marriage for female. Married in the clerk’s office by D. D. Dean.

It is rumored that there is likely to be an injunction filed over the letting of the contract for redecorating the court house. As will be noted elsewhere there were five bids filed for this work, M. V. Brown of Rensselaer being the only home bidder. Two of the bids were the same find two varied but SSO on the work, while the fifth was $9 50 less than the next lowest. It is claimed that the low bidder was too low' to do good work, and he was therefore eliminated. The commissioners and architect could not all agree on who the contract should go to, and as finally let Commissioner Marble refused to sign the contract and will not sign it, so rumor has it. The awarding of the contract was virtually decided by the architect, Mr. Coen, and it is understood that Mr. Marble objected to this and therefore declined to sign the contract. However, the contract was signed by the other two commissioners and unless injunction proceedings are brought it is probable there will be no delay in the work.

FOR SALE Our fine assortment of potted plants, ferns and vines will be here about May 3. Every plant guaranteed to grow and free from plant lice and disease. Tomato, cabbage and cauliflower plants, 5c a dozen. —KINO FLORAL 00. Phone 216Green. .

THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA, SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1917

OBITUARY OF JOHN C. CHILCOTE

Former Well-Known Resident Died Wednesday Morning.' John Calvin qhilcote, son of Mordecai and Elizabeth Chilcote, was born at Ashland, Ohio, November 11, 1841. When a boy he, with his parents, brothers and sisters, moved to Lansing, Michigan, where they were among the pioneers of that section, and where he grew to manhood: At the time of the civil war he and five brothers enlisted and gave their services to their country. .One brother, the eldest, never to return, being one of the- many to lose their life at Andersonville. He was a member

of . Company I, Tenth regiment, Michigan cavalry. Having received, his honorable discharge at the close of the war he spent a number of years attending school and teaching, always showing a great interest in education. He was married at Vermontville, Michigan, to Abigail Green and moved to a farm northeast of Rens-j selaer, Indiana, ' where he lived a number of years and where hia three daughters were born. Later I he moved to Wilson county, Kan-’ sas, to a farm, where he resided about five years. It was here where I his wife passed away. Returning | to Indiana he took up his residence at Rensselaer where he resided over twenty years, being associated with the R. Fendig Dry Goods company j and Ellis & Murray. Then he spent six years with hid daughter, Mrs. Addie Duvall, at Mackinaw, Illinois, and for the past eight years he had resided with his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Sigler,/ at Mt. Ayr, Indiana, at whose home he, passed away on Wednesday, May 9, 1917, at 7:30 a. m.. after an illness of several weeks, caused from diabetic trouble. While not a member of the church, he attended the Presbyterian church and contributed to its support, and also was an attendant at Sunday school. For nearly fifty years he was a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been made a Mason at Rensselaer, being, a member of Prairie lodge No. 125 until lie moved to Illinois, transferring his membership to Mackinaw lodge, No. 132, at Mackinaw, Illinois. He also became a member of the Peoria consistory, having received the thirty-second degree of the order. He was a member of the O. E. S. at Rensselaer for a good many years, and also belonged to the G. A. R. of this city. He was a member of the city council for three years while residing at Rensselaer. One sister, Mrs. J. W. Merry, of Mt. Ayr, Indiana, and three brothers, Thomas of Elma, Washington; Bruce of Portland, Orgeon, and Addison of Fredonia, Kansas, are the only survivors of the twelve brothers and sisters, and with his three daughters, Mrs. Sarah Sigler, of Mt. Ayr, Indiana; Mrs. Addie Duvall, of Mackinaw, Illinois, and Mrs. Ida Sperry, of Normal, Illinois, mourn the loss of a kind and affectionate brother and affectionate father. He leaves four grandchildren, three girls and one boy. Funeral services were held at the residence of J. R. Sigler at Mt. Ayr on Friday morning at 10 o’clock, services being conducted by Rev, J. B. Fleming of the Rensselaer Presbyterian church. Prairie lodge, F. & A. M. of Rensselaer having charge of the services at the grave in Weston cemetery, Rensselaer, where burial was made. Note —The above picture of Mr. Chilcote was taken about twenty years when deceased was in his prime and shows him as he was best known to readers of this paper.

FRESH FISH Fresh fish received almost every day—pike, perch, cat, trout, etc. Delivered to any part of the city free. Phone 647. CHARLES LEAVEL. ts.

JOHN C. CHILCOTE

COUNCIL APPROPRIATES $33,850

Additional Expenditures For the Year 1917. $24,000 IS FOR BRIDGES And the Balance Is for the Various Items of County Expenditure for the Ensuing Twelve Months. At the special meeting of the county council the first of the week the follow’ing additional .appropriations for the calendar year 1917 were made: 13 new bridges....s24,ooo Adding machine, clerk’s of 3£>o Expenses court house..... 300 Garage and driveway, jail. ; 800 Penal and benov. instns. .. 200 Elections .... ... . 2,000 Burial of soldiers and soldiers’ widows 500 Poor children, comp. edu. . 300 Adv. payment gravel and stone roads 500 Supplies and maintenance county hospital 2,000 Repair bridges 1,000 Adv. circuit court ditches. . 2,000 Following are the proceedings of the county commissioners at Tuesday’s session, not heretofore published: W. V. Porter was awarded contract for the Carr and Lane stone roads in Newton township, but in the Yeoman road, on which he was also low bidder, bids were rejected and cause continued because of insufficient funds. A. E. Herriman & Co. were awarded contract for the Borntrager road in same towmship. The B. Forsythe, G. B. Robinson, B. W. Ellsworth, John F. Payne, John H. Rusk, Judson L. Adams, William Folger and W. H. Gratner

(Continued on page six)

ECONOMY IN IMPROVEMENTS

Should Be Practiced While Labor and Material Is High. The Indianapolis ' papers state that Governor Goodrich has sent letters to the county Commissioners of every county in the state, urging them to economize in public expenditures this year. The Democrat believes this is good advice and hopes to see it followed by our own county, township and city officials. Taxes are already most burdensome here—in Rensselaer $4.62, $4.28 in Remington and $4 in Wheatfield on the SIOO valuation —which, together with the high cost of living and the new war taxes to be imposed, is an added burden that many people can scarcely bear up under. I Many contemplated public improvements can wait. The redecorating of the court house, some of the proposed stone roads, new bridges, etc., did not or do not have to be done this year. Prices of all material is extremely high. Labor is very scarce and promises to be more so, and we wifi pay a great deal more for any public improvement now than by-and-by. There is plenty of work for any one now who wants it, and all public improvements should be postponed ■until labor conditions change. Stone road contractors complain that it is almost impossible to employ men with teams to fio hauling, especially at anything like the price heretofore paid, because of the extreme high price of feed. And of course they must add enough to their bids to take care of this feature. Men with teams can get plenty of work on the farms and they' are needed more there than we need more new roads. Our idea of public improvements is that they should be made at a time, if possible, when there is a surplus of labor and therefore keep labor employed and the wheels of industry moving. It is certainly no time now to make public improvements unless they are an absolute necessity, and we hope to see them Curtailed to a large extent in Jasper county.

PROTECT YOUR BUILDINGS FROM LIGHTNING

by having them properly rodded. Sixteen years’ experience in the business and never have had a building damaged from lightning that I rodded. Best and heaviest rods used. Call and see me or ’phone 135 or 568. —F. A. BICKNELL, Rensselaer, Indiana. ts

An armload of old papers for five cents at The Democrat office.

A FREE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

Has Been Inaugurated by Neighboring Telephone Exchanges. At a recent meeting of the telephone association of this district it was the unanimous decision among the members present to inaugurate a free employment service for farmers and farm hands, aud others similarly concerned. The idea, as explained by Mr. Bott of the local telephone exchange. is for all farmers who want help and all laborers who want jobs to go to their respective exchange headquarters and register. In this way employer and laborer will be quickly brought in touch with each other, to their mutual benefit. Regular communication will be maintained between the various exchanges and in the event that more employers are registered at any one place than laborers, some other exchange haying a surplus of laborers registered will convey the information to them and thus enable them to find work and the employers to find help. Therefore, it is urged that all persons desiring help and all others desiring work lose no time in registering at the central office. The service is free and cannot help but operate for the good of all.

TO INSTITUTE COUNCIL HERE

Knights of Columbus Will Organize A New Lodge May 27. At the meeting of the Columbus club Tuesday evening the following committees were appointed to arrange for the institution of a council of the Knights of Columbus, ■which > wBl take place at St t Joseph college on May 27. ■ Executive committee Father Daniel, T. M. Callahan and Joseph Hallagan. Reception. committee —« William Walters, Estel Myres, J. E. Murphy, Harvey Messman, Stanley Brusnahan, Stanley Lane and M. J. Wagner. Program committee—Joseph lagan, T. M. Callahan, E. P. Honan, John H.. Ramp and Prof. Leo Hovorka. Banquet committee —Father Daniel, Daniel Morrissey, T, M. Callahan, Joseph Hallagan, E. P. Honan and Conrad Kellner. Automobile committee—C. Gangloff. Harvey Messman, Mathew Worden, Herman Messman, James E. Walter, Stanley Lane, Music committee—John Healy, Prof. Leo H'ovorka and Lon Healy. A large delegation of visiting K. of C. is assured, as the various neighboring councils have pledged themselves to come in large numbers. The Lafayette degree team will confer the first and second degrees and Justin »H. McCarthy, assistant state’s attorney, of Chicago and team will exemplify the third degree. The program committee has not yet completed the arrangements,' but every effort is being made to„ secure the best talent. A meeting of all the members and applicants will be held Sunday, May 13, at 1:30 p. m. at St. Joseph college for the purpose of electing officers and other details of organization; Below is the list of charter mem-

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POSTPONE CALLING OUT GUARD

War Department Officials Say Summons Will Be Delayed. Washington, May 8.— Answering inquiries from many , states as to when the rest of the national guard is to be called out, war department officials say that this will be put off as long as possible. The department believes that there is no need for the men at present; that for the most part the national guard is composed of well-seasoned men, who do not require additional training at this time, and that it is not desirable to take the national guardsmen from their work until it is necessary to; do so. This «has been the department’s policy for some time. No definite answer can be given as to when the national guard will be called out, but the. prospects are that it will not be called tintil the work of the officers’ training camps has progressed to a point where many of the training officers can be withdrawn.

LATE BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

May 3, to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Nagel of Marion township, a daughter. May 7, to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Grant of Barkley township, a daughter. ' ... >

DRAFT AGE PUT AT 21 TO 30

Congress Conferees Agree on Disputed Points. ANTI-LIQUOR RULE STANDS Amendments Prohibiting Its Sale at Army Ciunps Retained —Volunteer Border Patrol Loses. Washington, May 11.- The tration’s selective draft hili was sent, back to both bra aches of congress by) the house and senate conferees after, an agreement had been reached upon, each of the points of difference in thd measure. The agreement is expected to be formally accepted by both houses by Saturday and the measure, be rushed to President Wilson for his signature. C aft Age Twenty-One to Thirty. The agreement resulted in the bill containing the following provisions: ; Conscription of men between twenty«s>ne to thirty-one years. No authority for the president to accept the service of volunteer army, divisions, such as Colonel Roosevelt planned to raise. Increased pay for enlisted men. Volunteer Section Killed. The question of four army divisions of volunteers beyond the age of twen-ty-five for Immediate service at the front was stricken out. This was a senate provision, the amendment of Senator Harding of Ohio. Under its terms the mobilization of the so-called “Roosevelt army” would have been permissible. Tin* senate had voted it into the bill. It had been defeated In the house. It was the point upon which disagreement had been sharpest. The senate provision for the enlist-, ment of three regiments of volunteer cavalry for Service on the Mexican border, was stricken from the bill. Liquor Amendment Wine.. The senate provisions to insure prohibition of the use or abuse of alcoholic liquors by the men of the army was modified so that only their sale or delivery to soldiers In uniforms Is prohibited. The importation into the camps, barracks and recruiting stations is also forbidden. - The house provision Insuring state designations to National Guard troops called to the colors for war was accepted by the senate conferees. The senate provisions for the creation of tribunals to adjudicate claims of drafted men us to their non-draftable status was continued in the measure. It is not believed that in view of the success of the house conferees, the debate on the conference report In the house will be long. How the senate will take the total elimination of the four volunteer divisions is still a matter of conjecture. The senate also accepted the provisions inserted by the house to the effect that under no circumstances were bounties to be paid to recruits or substitutes accepted for acceptance In lieu of the men conscripted. War Department Ready to Act. Machinery of the war department Is In perfect shape for instant use in raising an army of '500,000 men as soon as the administration's conscription bill becomes operative. The recruiting of conscripts will not begin until the bill has been signed by the president and he has issued a proclamation requiring nil men between twenty-one and thir-ty-one to register. The new army will not be called out by ages. Every man in the country between the ages of• twenty-one and thirty-one will have to enroll for military service within the next three weeks. It was annorfnced that the date for registration had not yet been determined upon, but that President Wilson was expectecLto set it within a week or ten days of the signing of the bill. The president himself will select the date for the first registration. He will make It public in an executive proclamation calling upon the men between the ages mentioned to submit themselves for enrollment and examination at certain places already chosen by the war deoartment.

PATRON - TEACHERS’ PROGRAM

High school auditorium May 16 at 7:30 p. m. Chorus —Grade 6. Junior Girls* - quartet Santa Lucia. Co-operation of school and home —symposium. 111. The vacation period: 1. Vacation—what it is; its dangers and opportunities, Supt. C. R. Dean. 2. (How our pupils spent last summer’s vacation —-Miss Jane Parkinson and Miss Minnie Hemphill, the primary and intermediaite grades; Miss L. Waive Mallory for the high school. 3. What to do in the summer months, George McLain. Question box and round table discussion. <' .

Vol. XX, No. 13