Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 80, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1920 — NEWS from the COUNTY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NEWS from the COUNTY

JACKSON TP., NEWTON COUNTY A (happy new year for everybody, including The DemocratMrs. Ira Chupp, who recently suffered A severe cut on her leg from a wood-saw, is making a satisfactory recovery. Miss Christeha Wiltfang, age 17 years, died at her home east of Morocco on Wednesday of last week, of pneumonia. George Hopkins of Mt. Ayr has returned home from Indianapolis, where he had been acting in the capacity of federal juror. The village of Schneider, on the Kankakee river, is enjoying another

of its periodical pipe dreams. This time Chicago packers are going to establish a plant at Schneider. Whatever else The Republican party may have lost in the last 10 years, it still retains a keen sense of humor. For instance, this talk about, running Senator Lodge for president. And when you come to think the matter over dispassionately, you’ve got to admit that an echo is the only known thing that can successfully compete with a quarrelsome woman in the matter of having the list word. Martin Barker was presented with a nice briar root pipe a night or two before Christmas. It seems, however, that the donor of the gift was too modest or sometihng to present the pipe in person, so he goes and leaves it in Martin’s corncrib. It is reported—whether true or false we know not —that the community Brotherhood of Mt. Ayr is contemplating taking over the Mt. Ayr Tribune. Mr. Lee, one pf Mt. Ayr’s merchants, has edited the Tribune for the last two or three years.

With a fair prospect of spending the rest Of her days in a country whose government is .fully as rotten as the kind of government she wanted to establish in this country, dear old Emma Goldman’s cup of joy should be brimful by this time and running over a little. Kenneth Blankenbaker, Who had been trapping over in the wilds of Jasper county, breezed in the other day, shedding an aroma of polecat and possum, and with pockets fairly bulging with coin of the realm. Kenneth loudly asserts that the Nubbin Ridge girls are the finest ever. * This locality is factfig what promises to be the greatest rough feed shortage In years. Oats straw already is selling as high as $8 a load and it is extremely hard to get even at that price. Hay—well, there is no hay—that is, none for sale, and stalk fields are pretty well gone. The other evening, in a half-mile walk, we Noticed several slices of nice white bread and a number of cookies lying in the road, thrown away, no doubt, by school children. In France and In Belgium school children are not throwing away nice white bread and cookies these days, buh-lieve me. “McCray for Equal Suffrage’’ is the headline in a loca/paper. Good! Now if Ed Bush doesn’t slip one over on our Warnle by jumping up spontaneous like and declaring himself as being unalterably opposed to slavery and witchcraft,We guess it is all over, so far as Newton county Is concerned, except the fireworks. After a careful scrutiny of the political horizon, we have selected J. Hamilton Lewis of Illinois as the logical Democratic candidate for president In 1920. We menuon this matter somewhat early in order that those newspapers that are boosting other ‘prospective candidates may cease wasting time and printer’s ink. Quite a number of farmers In the northern part of this county have lost hogs in the last month, we are told, from a disease resembling cholera. Commissioner George H- 'Hillis of Coifax township is reported as having lost something like 80 head of hogs from this disease, and his neighbor, Mr. Tolin, about 60 head. And, thirdly, brethren, in order to clear up a seeming misapprehension on the part of certain Individuals, it may be well to state once more that while Newton county is ready and willing at all times to pay her just debts, she naturally becomes peevish at an attempt to make her the victim of a plain, daylight hold-up. See? We see by the paper that A. D. Babcock of Goodland is thinking seriously of becoming a candidate for judge for this circuit. Aside from being a poet, “Bab’s” record is as clean as a hound’s tooth, and should he receive the nomination for judge, his friends in this part of Newton county would throw off their coats and push and holler to the limit to bring about his election. “How much would you give for a smile or for the feel of an arm about your neck?” asks the editor of a farm paper, in Heu of something more Interesting to write about. Well, of course, we are out of the running, but if the owner of the arm was a little. rlsln’, say of 16, and had soulful eyes, Jackson township has several old bachelors who, feel assured, would bld 30/cents anyway, as a starter. Don’t destroy your White oak timber, Mr. Farmer. White oak is bound to be valuable in the near future —in fact, is valuable right now. A man jwho is traveling for a furniture factory was heard to remark here not long ago that his firm was paying as high as $l5O to S2OO a thousand for good white dak lumber and mighty glad to get It even at those prices- Just a few short years ago farmers in this locality were getting their lumber sawed for from $4 to $5 a thousand, but now sawmill owners are changing as high as sls a thousand for sawing. While politicians in both of the old parties are bull-dusting and pulling hair over such unprofitable questions as "who assaulted Mr. Patterson” and "which way Is straight up,” the bolshevik element in this country is not idle. Oh, dear, no; the bolshevlsts In the good old U. S. are working about 35 hours a day and about nine days each week and then some. An an Indication of the rapidly increasing strength of bolshevism in this country let the reader turn his eyes to Wisconsin where these political nondescripts, under the name "Socialist,” already have attained a strength sufficient to elect one of their number to congress over the combined vote of both Democrats and Republicans. Colfax township, in northern Newton county, is, we are pleased to note, rapidly emerging from the obscurity which has long enshrouded It. For ages Colfax township was content to vote the Republican ticket and raise a blue variety of sweet corn, but now all is changed. Old Colfax is coming right to the front. In the last 10 years she has built roads, constructed a good system of drainage, reclaimed waste places, and, what is equally Important, she has recently built a fine consolidated school house. This school house, of course, was originally constructed for the mental development of the youths of that region, but farmers and their wives assemble there now at regular intervals and discuss current public questions. They have lectures In that new school house, movie shows, music and suppers. In a word, Colfax is leading the central and northern townships In the matter of development, mentally, socially and otherwiseIf Thomas Hood could return to this world he would, doubtless, after a survey of the situation, feel strongly inclineu to change his “Song Of the shirt” to the "Song of the flivver.” The very fact that Tom’s old song could so easily be made over to fit present conditions

would be a strong inducement for him to make the change. For example: With whiskers reeking with grime, with spine submerged in. cue seep, a man lay under an old stink cart a cussln’ louu and deep. Crank, crank, crank, will the dem thing never start? and still in a voice of mighty pitch he vilified that there cart. Crank, crank, crank, till the arm drops almost oil, crank, crank, crank, but never a once does Lixabeth cough. Spark and light and clutch, light and clutch and spark, tul the .man goes nuts and barks like a wolf all alone out there in the dark. Crank, crank, crank, from weary chime to chime; crank, crank, crank, as a prisoner would crank for and hammer and wrench, hammer and wrendb. and file —and what are Its wages? a busted thumb, some watered gas and tires that last a .mile. Oh, to ride as I used to ride, to breathe once more the breath of the cowslip and primrose sweet, with the soothing sway of the carry-aJI and the tread of old Dobbin’s feet. A little weeping would ease my heart, but tears would dim my eyes, and I must see to side-step Farmer Jones as well as the road hog guys. With grime In Its whiskers and hair, with pants busted from gudgeon to stem, a corpse was found under an old stink wagon next day at 6 a. mi

VIRGIE Mrs. Mark Reed called on Mrs. Isaac Wells Tuesday. Mrs. Ancel Potts called om. Mrs. John Zellers Tuesday. Ancel Potts and John Zellers were Rensselaer goers Saturday. Walter Harrington and son Vernon were in Virgie Tuesday. Mrs. T. JT. Mallattt has been on the sick list for the past few days. Mra. Thomas Florence called on Mrs. John Zellers Saturday afternoon. George Johnson of Fair Oaks called on the John Zellers family Friday. Thomas Florence is also on the sick list this week, suffering from a severe cold. X. Geesa and family called on Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Zellers Saturday evening. A large number of people attended the funeral of Mrs. William Potts Friday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Thews of Wolcott are visiting the latter's parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Wiseman. A number of people gathered at the chnirch Monday and cleaned it on the Inside. It is now being varnished and church will be 'held there nest Sunday- . So everybody come out to church Sunday.

I*OSBUM RUN Ray Hahn spent Sunday evening with his best girl. George Davisson helped Jasper Cover butcher Friday. Everett Parker helped James Davis butcher Wednesday. Opal Hankins and cousin took dinner Friday with Geneva and May Markin. Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Parker and daughters spent Sunday with Wm. Markin and family. Mr. and Mrs. James Campbell spent Thursday evening with David Hahn and family. Mrs. Markin and daughters spent Saturday afternoon with G. H. Comer and family. Pearl and Hazel Davis spent Thursday night and Friday night with their grandparents. Mrs. William Obenchaln called on her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Nuss, Tuesday afternoon. Mr. and Mrs. James Campbell took supper with Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Parker Friday evening. David Hahn, son Ray and daugh-

ter, Mertie Anderson and son were Rensselaer goers Wednesday. Mr. and Mrs. James Campbell and Geneva and May Markin spent Thursday afternoon with. T. J. Parker and family. Mr. and Mrs. 8 L Johnson and baby and son Charley of Dyer and James Davis and family spent Xmas with T. J. Parker and family. Mr. and Mrs. Roy Beaver and daughter, Everett Parker and Charley Johnson took dinner with Mr. and Mrs. James Davis Sunday. Mrs. Mertie Anderson and three children of North Dakota is visiting her parents, Mr- and Mrs. David Hahn. They had not seen her for about seven years.