Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1918 — STARTLING NEWS, INDEED [ARTICLE]

STARTLING NEWS, INDEED

Amos Cummings said: “If a mad dog bites a man that isn’t news, it happens often. But if a man. bites a mad dog, that IS news.” The accusation that the Commercial Cable Co. makes against Postmaster General Burleson IS news, also. Mr. Burleson believes in public ownership and will put it through if Congress and the administration do not choke him off. He took oyer ocean cables with the rest of the telegraph system. Commercial Cable Company lawyers declare that Burleson is robbing a poor corporation and handing the proceeds to the government of the United States. Make a red mark in your diary on this date. You have never read that kind of a charge before, yon may never read it again. For a corporation to- rob the government, with the hearty cooperation of government officials, is usual enough. But for a public man to be accused of robbing a poor, suffer ng corporation to enrich the government is news as startling as the man biting the mad dog.—Arthur Brisbane, in Chicago Herald-Examiner,

The report of Mr. Donaldson on the Fleming gravel road and Pine township bridges, together with the stories that have drifted in has convinced us that a state highway commission to take over all road building is a proper change, and the only solution of the road building problem,. We hope that it can be arranged that in place of this commission being appointed by Gov. Goodrich or any other political governor, that it will be composed of United States army officers, from the engineering corps, who have been doing such wonderful work in France, repairing the roads in the battle fields, many of” which were built by the Romans more than

2,000 years ago, and it will be a rare opportunity for the country to make use of the knowledge and experience they have acquired. Besides this the taxpayers can rest more confident in getting their full money’s worth in construction handled by these men than in any other way. In none of the great problems they have handled like the Panama canal and Roosevelt dam, down to harbor breakwaters and minor work there lias never been any scandal of graft or shabbiness that we have heard of. The people in this district should get their sentiment on this road matter to Senator Southworth of Lafayette or Representative Wood of Parr< —Benton Review. i ”

Ohio Republicans have started a definite movement looking toward the nomination of Gen. John J. Pershing as the republican candidate for president in 1920. Now what do you think of that? It hasn't been so very long ago since every republican politician in the country was accusing President Wilson of playing politics in selecting General Pershing as commander of lour overseas forces, in preference to General Leonard Wood, better known as Roosevelt’s pet; some of them even went so far as to want the Terrible Teddy placed in command personally. I am wagering that if Roosevelt is not the Republican nominee in 1920 he will be found again organizing a new party. !-—Tippecanoe County Democrat.