People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1893 — Washington Letter. [ARTICLE]

Washington Letter.

More politicians are now digging their own graves than at any previous time in the nation's history. If this country had more patriots and fewer blatherskites in the halls of congress the people might hope for relief. If members of congress really represented the masses instead of the classes, free coinage would not hang lire twenty-four hours. "When silver was demonetized it became a commodity like wheat or oats and kept pace with other commodities in the general fall in prices. «

Money is a measure of values. If it is limited in supply each unit must cover more ground in order to carry on the year’s transactions. This is why those who control the money oppose any increase in its volume.

Auy effort to get free coinage under an international agreement will be a failure. Those who advocate such a course know it will fail, and do so only to slave off free coinage till the money power can get a lighter grip on the producer.

TA Republican party in lowa has struck a hard row of stumps. At the stale convention the party receded from prohibiton and declared for local option, and now toe temperance element of the party has nominated a candidate for governor on a prohibition platform and will control a large number of votes.

Some of the batiks of the east are openly violating the law by issuing certificates and using them as money, and bj charging depositors one and a half per cent, lor drawing out their own money. But the powers that be at Bashing ton, by their action, say to the bankers, “you may go on and violate the law all you please. It is the best banking system on earth and we will protect you in all your illegal proceedings.

"When the government paid seven and three-tenths per cent, interest in currency on her bonds, the writer hauled wheat to market at £2.50 per bushel. Then three bushels of wheat would more than pay the interest.on a hundred dollar bond, xa August oi this year a former neighbor sold wheat at the same marmot for 48 cents' a bushel and it lakes more than six bushels to pay the interest on 8100 of three per cent, bonds. Farmers, how do you like a gold standard. :'wnsst *~—r nrTTmrw tu'wll The Toledo Blade says: “Despite the stringency in the money market, the rich men of New York still vie with each other in building palatial summer homes and pleasure yachts." Why cercertainly. Those same rich men conspired to bring about said “stringency” in order to squeeze the where-with-all out of labor to build those palaces and pleasure yachts. Yet the Blade opposes every proposition to compel those rich men to bear a just proportion of the burdens of government, or to take away from them the power to oppress labor.

Marion township paid a higher tax in ’Ol than in ’9O, a higher tax in ’92 than in ’9l, and will pay a higher tax in ’93 than in ’92. 'Taxes make some people rich.

Oytr county levies were raised at the September term of the commissioners’ court from 40 cents on the SIOO to 45 cents. High taxes make fat, sleek rats around the county crib.

Last year the Republican, in trying to show that the Democrat trustees collected a higher tax thnr. the Republican, used the towns of Rensselaer and

Remington in its table of comparisons. Would it like to include them this year? Really, would it like to make any comparisons at all this year? High tax makes somebody rich.

All the party platforms for twelve years have declared in favor of bi-metal ism. Those who accepted nominations on those platforms are pledged by them and are in duty bound to use all honorable means to bring about bi-metalism. If they fail to do so they should be branded as common Mars and unworthy tho confidence of the people. There were 240 such liars in the lower house of congress.

Our commissioners are determined that Jasper county shall take no steps backwards in the matter of high taxes. We have been within fifteen of the highest taxed county in the state, and now that wo have raised the county levy 5 cents on the .8100, we, perhaps, stand first. Everybody have their ideas of excellence, have specialties in which they wish to excel. High tax is the sine qua non of the Jasper county coinmissioners.

One cent on the 8100 for gravel road repairs. The 3 cent levy last year was said to be sufficient for three years and we did not expect and levy for that purpose this year. One year’s installment will bo used on the road by the time this one cent is collected, so we will always be three years ahead with this fund. Collect it three years in advance and hold it as a sacred reserve fund. Bright idea! High taxes are a good thing for somebody.

The following is a comparison of the township tax levies in this county for 1892 93, showing the increase and reduction in each township: Hanging Grove., .reduced 10 cents on tlie SIOO Glliiiin •• 5 Walker “ 25 “ •> •* Barkley *• 25 “ •• •• «• Marion, unchanged, still 80 “ “ “ li Jordau increased 20 “ “ •« “ Newton reduced 10 “ ' “ *• •• Keener, unchanged, still 85 “ *• “ « Kankakee .Increased 5 “ “ “ « Milroy reduced 10 “ “ “ “ Cnion 5 *• “ “ »■ Carpenter Increased :i “ “

From the above it will be seen that seven townships have reduced their township taxes, two remain unchanged and four have made increases. The greatest reductions are in Walker and Barkley and the greatest increases are in Wheatfield and Jordan. Milroy pays the highest tax in the county and Walker pays the lowest. Marion and the two big townships of the county, failed to make any reductions. The former is gojng on at last year’s high- rate dud the latter have raised “em” three cents. The county having raised its tax five cents higher on the §IOO, six townships will pay a heavier local tax next year than they are paying this; two townships will pay the same local rate next year-as this, and five will pay a lower rate. Five townships out of the thirteen will fare better by this year’s levies that by last year’s, two are no better off than before, and six, it were better for them that their levies had remained unchanged.

All that honesty, experience and skill can do to produce a perfect pill, has been employed in making DeWitt’s Little Early Risers. The Result is a specific for sick headache, biliousness and constipation. A. F. Long Qo.

! From our regular con-espomleht. Washington, Sept. 15, 1893. Both senate and house are in a state of suppressed excitement.! lln the senate the tight over the Voorhees repeal bill has reached 'the nervous stage. The atten-i ! dance is unusually large an both j sides and it is evident to even I the most careless observer that! the senators are in a state of ex-1 pectation. The crisis may be on j at any moment and they ahi know it. President Cleveland i

is taking a personal hand in the fight, and the silver men claim that it is helping, instead of hurting them. Mr. Cleveland lias been so accustomed to having his own way that he is' in a state of wind because a majority of the Democratic senators refuse to see the silver question as he sees it, and it is said that some warm words were spoken on both sides this week when several of those senators at-1 tempted to get his consent to ] some compromise, in, the shape of an amendment recognizing silver. The nature of Mr. Cleveland’s answer may be judged from the laughing remarks of one of the senators who called on him—“l’ll bet that Cleveland railed at Providence for having sent him a girl baby when he wanted a boy.”

.In the house the excitement is caused by the Tucker bill for the repeal of all laws providing for Federal supervision of presidential and congressional elections, which lias been reported to the house, and which, according to the present program, is to be pushed to a vote, although there are a number of Democrats who openly question the wisdom of bringing it to the front at this time. That it will provoke a long and bitter partisan debate is certain, and it may play an important part in the silver contest, as drawing the party lines rigidly in one thing and stirring up sleeping party prejudices may result in drawing the party lines in everything. Already there are rumors of a combine for the defeat of this and the Voorhees repeal bill.

If the object of assembling the representatives of numerous boards of trade in the larger cities in the convention at Washington this week was to influence the senators on the silver question, and of that there is little doubt,, a mistake was made. If the convention has had any influence at all it has been directly opposite to what its projectors intended. Your correspondent heard a senator who favors the Voorhees repeal bill say that the coming of these board of trade men and their action in favor of the Voorhees bill confirmed in the minds of the people the statement so often made by the silver men, that it is only thfe moneyed men of the country Who are demanding the passage of the Voorhees bill. The convention certainly had no effect upon the silver senators because they knew long ago that as a rule the board of trade of the country were strongly anti-sil-ver, so that the expense—somebody had to put up the cash for railroad fare and hotel bills—of bringing these men to Washington was worse than wasted, so far as the senate is concerned.

There are men in the senate who make use of all the tricks of oratory to add effect to the points made in their speeches, but Senator Teller, of Colorado, is not one of them. On the contrary, he is a man whose speeches, as a rule, are made in plain, conversational style, just as though he were talking to an individual. It may be surmised then that when Mr. Teller became the chief actor, in fact the only actor, in the most dramatic scene of the sessiou it had great effect upon his colleagues, who, whether they agree with him or not, recognize the honesty of his convictions. Mr. Teller had just had a little controversy with Senator Hawley, of Connecticut, over silver and was portraying in plain language the suffering which he believedx would be entailed upon the people he represents if the Vo<srhees bill became a law when suddenly his voice became pathetic and tears began to stream down his face; then he broke down completely and, falling into his chair, dropped his head between his hands and for a few moments his frame was Shaken by such emotion as man feels but few times in his life. Although only lasting a few seconds it was a scene that will never be forgotten by anyone who was present, and more than

| one senator bowed his head and j surreptitiously wiped his moist* ened eyes. Mrs. Casey, the woman who I has been lodged in the county jail for some time, was, by order of the county commissioners, thrown out from under the hospitable hand of Sheriff Hanley. She has protended to be insane, but upon examination by the physicians, they do not think she is. Hence her removal from the jail. She presented quite a pitiful sight last Saturday morning lying in the gutter near the jail, and Was finally taken in charge by some kind women, who removed her to their home.

The usual number of fakhs and confidence men were with the circus last .Friday and gulled the poor, ignorant countrymen into leaving their wealth with them for safe keeping. Reports are abroad that quite a number of persons lost money in trying to pick out the little ball and staking money on the game arid losing it. It is a question in our mind whether a person who bets on other person’s games are entitled to any sympathy or not. Ignorance is no excuse. It’s another case of not reading his home paper. Now is the time to subscribe. We wish to return our thanks to Joseph Sparling and family for a nice basket of fruit, cake and other edibles on the occasion of Mr. Sparling’s father’s birthday. Such things as make a poor printer think life is worth living for.