Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 98, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1918 — COUNTY COUNCIL OF DEFENSE [ARTICLE]

COUNTY COUNCIL OF DEFENSE

Held Interesting Meeting Wednesday Afternoon at the Court House. At the regular meeting of the Jasper county council of defense, held in the commissioners’ court room at the court house Wednesday afternoon, various matters were discussed and acted upon. —Perhaps the most important action taken was that regarding the cultivation of vacant ground in Rensselaer and other towns of the county during the coming summer, and W. D. Bringle was appointed to look after this matter, appoint such assistants as needed and endeavor to see that every person having a vacant lot or lots that they could not or did not desire to work themselves would list same with his department, and those desiring ground to work should make their wants known to the same committee. While greater efforts were made last year in Rensselaer and the other towns in Jasper county to raise produce than were ever C made before,* and as a result scores of families raised enough potatoes and other produce to last them through the winter, not only effecting thereby a great saving for themselves but releasing just that much produce to the country a’ large for use here or to export, there were hundreds of lots that were not worked and produced absolutely nothing. It will be the endeavor this year to see that all produce something. A communication was read from George Ade of the state council of defense in regard to the showing of a series of war pictures at the various movie theaters in Jasper county. These pictures, of which there are five reels, to be supplied at actual cost to the theaters, consist of official pictures that have been endorsed by the government and are shown educator to the people. The matter was referred to the chairman of the publicity committee and Mose Leopold and B. J. Jarrette, who will confer with the movie jnen of Rensselaer Remington and Wheatfield and endeavor to have them use the pictures and turn a small per cent of the receipts over to the local defense council or to the Red Cross. The idea is to haVo one reel shown of an evening on five different nights. ' J. M. Sauser, chairman of the military committee, reported the organization of a strong company of Liberty Guards at Remington and spoke very complimentary of the make-up of the company. W. L. Bott of the Jasper County Telephone company spoke of the work done by the telephone association of this section of the state last year in its free employment bureau and said that the association was willing and desirous of continuing the service this year if not incompatible with the service which he understood is to be handled by the various postoffices. The council was of the opinion that this work could probably be handled •more expeditiously by the telephone

exchanges than perhaps through any other source, and the matter •was referred to Mose Leopold, chairman of the legal committee", to investigate the work bging done by the post Offices and to learn whether there would be any conflict. > The matter of organizing township councils of defense—or subcounty councils of defense in each township, rather —was referred to County Superintendent Sterrett with instructions to confer with the township trustees and arrange for organization meetings as soon as the roads became suitable for such work, and it was the desire that these meetings be arranged for separate nights so that the county chairman and other members of the county council of defense who desired to do so might attend.