Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1920 — NEWS from the COUNTY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NEWS from the COUNTY

JACKSON TP., NEWTON COUNTY Everybody talking silo these days. Oats and wheat are yielding fairly well —oats 35 to 50 bushels an acre, and wheat 15 to 26 bushels. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Deardurff and the Misses Ada and Bessie Brown are visiting relatives at Balaton, Minn." Quite a wind and hail storm accompanied the big rain of last week. No great damage, however, according to reports. Gasoline is being used by threshermen in several “runs” in this part of the county, as a substitute for coal, with good success, we are told. Alexander Ham of near Des Moines, la., with his family, is visiting relatives here. Mr. Ham formerly lived in this township and will be remembered by most of our older residents. Some of the oak curbing of a well on Mrs. Jane Makeever’s farm —dug in 1856 —Is still to be seen and, considering the years it has been there, is in a fair state of preservation. That delegate to the Democratic national convention who remarked that "Bryan was not the' man he used to be and never was,” will have lots of backing, no matter if his meaning isn’t quite clear.

A caravan of considerable length

plowed its slow length through the dust and heat from Mt. Ayr to the northward one day last week. It was George Hillis and his men hauling coal for the yearly threshing. It required 14 tons for the job. A local paper contains an article headed like this: “Cox a Poor Vote Getter.” What in the Jim Henry do the Republicans expect of Mr. Cox? Must he carry the rock-ribbed Republican state of Ohio a few more times before he becomes a vote getter? The Newton County Teachers’ Institute will be held at Kentland Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, inclusive. The instructors will be Dr. J. R. Jewell of the department of education, University of Arkansas, and Lillie A. Faris, principal of Clinton normal, New Vienna, O. What’s this? Here we read that a bunch of consumptives down in South Carolina have organized a political party of their own —nominated a president and everything. May we not suggest that they adopt as a slogan, “One flag, one and one country.” Prices for fat cattle are rapidly decreasing, but while this Is true, the retail price of beef is holding its own with a tenacity that is truly remarkable. The present condition of pastures just about gives the farmjer his choice between selling his surplus stock at any old price or letting it almost starve. The recent heavy rain in this locality will likely help late potatoes some, but the crop is bound to be light, regardless of weathpr conditions from now on. There is enough moisture now to put corn along to the roasting ear stage and probably well beyond that. In fact, in the absence of an early frost, Newton county is practically sure of a big corn crop. William, son of Daniel Schanlaub,

has made his bow to the public' as an electrician and a sort of “Handy Andy” generally, where the use of tools Is involved. At the present time William is taking a course of home studies along this line of endeavor, at the conclusion of which he expects to go to the city and Anish off In some good school. Go to it, lad, the country needs lots of boys just like you. Hark, from the jungles of the Kankakee come stories so strange as to be almost unbelievable. It Is hinted —aye, there be men who boldly assert that that region Is fast becoming vast brewery, or, rather a chain of breweries/ where the flow of beer that ignores the one half of orie per cent foolishness drowns the growl of the on-rushing river, and where whisky that has the kick of an elephant can be hail In any quantity not exceeding four barrels at a time, and at prices that bring it within the reach of the most humble. This may or may not account for some men going fishing as often as seven nights in the week, and for a sudden and healthy advancement in the price of real estate in the Kankakee country. We stopped in Goodland the other day long enough to declare ourself on the Mexican’ situation, and was much pleased to observe that the old town not only was holding its own but gradually and In a safe, conservative way picking up a little. That proposed new hospital in Goodland will, if the deal is consummated, be of considerable benefit to the town as well as to the entire county. We wanted to give Babcock’s collection of curios the once over, having heard that he recently, among other relics, had come into possession of a hank of iron-gray whiskers, yanked from the protruding chin of King Solomon by one of that monarch’s irate wives during family worship, but we were told that Bab was in the back part of his office sawing poetry into column length, and could not be disturbed at that time. On Friday of last week old Jupiter Pluvious again demonstrated his ability to slip us some moisture when he got good and ready. Along in the afternoon of that day we cranked the family jugernauth In a disheartened manner and started for Morocco, raising a cloud of dust along the route like unto the pillar of fire that guided the wandering children of Israel by night. It was hot and dry. In fact, it was exceedingly hot and dry. Corn drooped and seemed to fairly beg for rain, pastures were bunit to a crisp and ■something like smoke Issued from cracks in the earth. Well, we were in town only a short time, but in that Mme Mr. Pluvious turned the trick. Rain? 80, you have said, an earfull. Water everywhere, from ankle to knee deep, ft poured down between corn rows, It tore around bends, it ebbed and flowed over the highway and rolled from “Lizie’s” weather-beaten sides like brine from the prow of a U. S. revenue cutter. Yes, it rained. Ever meet P. Pessimist Luke, the agricultural killjoy? No? Well, you are lucky, that’s all. Like the poor, the agricultural pessimist is always with us. He lifts up his voice unceasingly and calls upon high heaven to witness that the land is being desolated by too much rain, too much drouth or too much this, that or the other thing. He starts his fault-finding machine with the coming of the first robin and he keeps her humming without a day off until after corn husking. The oats crop won’t be worth harvesting, he will gleefully inform you. No, sir, all the rain and sunshine in creation Couldn’t make an oats crop this year, and when thrashing starts up and oats begin yielding the usual number of bushels per, Pessimist Luke, Esq., switches to the corn crop, the potato crop or some other crop, and so on and on, ad infinitum, always with the same old grumbling, depressing, disheartening song. ' P. Pessimist has a, faculty for smelling chintz bugs, for finding army worms and other farm pests, that is positively uncanny. While in Morocco last Saturday evening we heard a Republican dwell lovingly on the brand of political

campaign that prevailed “back In yander," when candidates held public receptions In the Red Dog saloon and when Jack Barleycorn could emerge from the catacombs beneath the thirst emporiums of . this fair land and walk abroad at noonday, with none to molest nor make afraid. But those “good old days” were not one continuous camp-meeting by any means, as many a gray-haired father In Israel, who lived through them and escaped perhaps ydth the loss of an eye, an ear or a few fingers, will tell you. Even at this late day ghosts of early political campaigns creep up out of the fogs and mists of time and point an accusing finger at us. They seem to say “look at the boob, he did It —he wore a Cleveland plug hat, marched in the torchlight parade, sang “good-bye Blalney” in a loud, mud colored voice and helped repulse the everpresent and trouble-seeking contingent of Republican first voters.” And, speaking of plug hats, the Cleveland and Blaine campaign head-pieces may be said to have been conceived in sin and unloaded upon an unsuspecting public before it had time to think. The conventional plug hat is allright when worn by the right man and on proper occasions, but take several million white hats of this breed, with extremely narrow rims, and place them promiscuously upon the heads of as many free-born electors and the picture thus formed Is not one that would tend to make a high-minded American citizen particularly proud of his native land. In our travels at home and broad —In the salubrious climates of the far north and in the miasmatical reaches of darker Africa —we have seen strange and unpleasant sights, but nothing that could put forth any pretension or claim in that direction, alongside of the Blaine plug hat on a five, cent watermelon head, with the owner of the aforesaid head filled to the maxillary glands with political enthusiasm and the national beverage. We could forgive a Republican for wanting to go back to the “good old days,” but a Democrat, never. The Republicans had green, lush pricking in those days, and one could hardly blame them for longing again for the flesh-pots of their fathers, politically speakdng. For a goodly number of years after the civil war Republican politicians reposed on flower beds of ease, so to speak, and enjoyed a tranquility which, to th eh overwrought minds, promised to continue unbroken f6r all time. About all they had to do in those days— Aside from dividing the spoils—was to vilify the south, feed the negro bis prescribed portion of political bran mash, consign the Democratic party to the lowest pits, and —that was all. An enfranchised yeomanry rent Its garments and howled, the band blatted • and oomphaed. the bung starter tapped a serenade to the occasion, and the periodical salvation of the country once more was accomplished. • WALKER CENTER Donald Bridgeman was a Gifford caller Friday. Mrs. F. M. Lilly was a Gifford caller Monday. Malcolm Garrett was quite sick Saturday evening. A. P. Huntington was a Rensselaer caller Thursday. Henry Meyers cut and stacked his timothy hay this week. Long’s threshing outfit began work at Ed Long’s Wednesday. ( Reynolt Williams raked hay for A. P. Huntington Friday. Mrs. James Helzel visited the dentist in Rensselaer Monday. M. ZufaU’s called on Clarence Bridgeman’s Sunday evening. A. P. Huntington helped P. M. Lilly stack hay Wednesday. . Henry Meyers called at A. P. Huntington’s Sunday afternoon. Mrs. F. M. Lilly and Miss Alice Meyers called at Joe Salrin’s Friday. A. P. Huntington is unloading a carload of tile at Gifford this week. Clarence Phillips’s daughter of La fayette visited at Joe Salrin’s Sunday. , Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Huntington called at F. M. Lilly’s Monday evening. Paul Stalbaum fell from an appU tree last Tuesday and sprained his ankle. D. C. Smith and J. Hall of Frankfort spent Thursday at A; P. Huntington’s. Mrs. Charles Kllngener was very sick /Thursday but Is feeling better at present. A good many people are picking pickles. They are not yielding extreme heavy. Guy Barnard was around Wnlke. Center looking ever his hay interests the past week. M. Zufall’s returned Saturday from their visit with his parents at West Lebanon. Miss Alice Meyers and Wesley Hurley called on Clarence Bridgeman’s Sunday evening. Mrs. Clarence Bridgeman, Mrs. F. M. Garrett and Mrs. C. B. Scott were Gifford callers Tuesday. Clarence Bridgeman and Will Tomlinson were quite busy Saturday, bunting a threshing outfit. John Bicknell and Tom Inkley of Rensselaer were looking over land in this part of the county Monday. Alice Meyers and Eva Salrin visited at Sextori Alexander’s Sunday. E|l Smith and wife from George-

town, 111., are visiting Will Tomlinson and mother this week. John Pettet and sons fixed two culverts on the road running east and west of Dewdrop corner Tuesday. Alice Meters and her brother Arthur spent Sunday at Joe Salrin\. Alice Meyers , called on Mrs. F. M. Lilly Thursday. The Liberty chib did not meet with Mrs. W. Meyers Wednesday on account of threshing and will not meet for a couple of weeks. Threshing of wheat and rye began last week. Henry Meyers, Will Meyers, James Smith, Millers, Browns and Hoovers have threshed with Clarence Hurley’s machine.

FAIR OAKS Bob Halleck took a load of watermelons to Goodland Wednesday. Charles Halleck brought his first watermelons to market last week. It is rumored that Edna Bowsher and Floyd Marshall will embark on the sea of matrimony this week. Floyd Baxter of Knlman was here the first of the week and did some repairing on Jake Spitzer's auto. W. C. McConnell has rented a cottage at Cedar Lake and his family are up there spending the summer. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Trump spent Sunday with the latter’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Wood, in the country. . Enos Moffitt, Dave Blake and Mr. Campbell are the threshing crew with William Boyle’s outfit near Roselawn. Mr. Raubaugh, the Monon section boss at this place, has a large force of men at work raising track and putting in gravel. The pickle harvest is under good headway now but the hot days since the rains are spoiling the small pickles very much. » John Zellers and son passed through here Monday on their way to their sawmllll west of Rensselaer, near A. C. Pancoast's. Ray Marshall and family and mother, sister and brother Floyd motored up to Hobart Tuesday to visit relatives a couple of days. The elevator is quite busy nowadays taking in grain the farmers are hauling from the machines. Oats are turning out very satisfactory. Charles Hall recently became the owner of a motorcycle, and to hear him operating it one would think it was one of those monster airplanes. Last week was quite a time for fishing. There were several from here at the river and they bagged quite a good many carp, dogfish, pickerel and sunfish. We have been favored with some very nice showers the past week which were very thankfully received. They were followed up by quite warm weather, very needful to push the corn along. - George Johnson, a soldier stationed in Texas, arrived-here on a furlough Monday night to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Johnson. His mother has been very poorly and does not seem to make much Improvement. There was one of the most destructive hall storms passed through four miles south of here last weekend that has been known In this section. Pickle patches were destroyed and acres and acres of corn was almost entirely ruined. It Is reported that Pete Wood has rented a half-section of pasture land on the Lawler ranch for next year and will plow It up and farm it. It lays a mile west of town, and he will 11 vp In a house on the opposite side of the road from the land. John Thorn and family were down from Hammond Sunday and visited at Charles Halleck’s. They report that Mrs. Halleck, who has been with them the past two or three months taking treatment of a doctor there, does not show much improvement. William Bowsher, who is known far and wide as a pearl hunter, was searching the Kankakee river bed a few days ago for mussel shells in which he found several small pearls and one nice large one, as large as a navy bean, the value of which is said to be SSOO. He will Isell for S3OO and was offered SIOO.