People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1894 — SETTLED. [ARTICLE]

SETTLED.

The Jasper County Republicans Kame Their Candidates for the County Offices. The Republicans of this county have been looking forward to the time whdh they would name the lucky ones who aspire for official honors in the local county offices. The day was ushered in bright and clear and was an ideal one for the holding of a nominating convention, and it served to keep up the spirits of those who happened to be in the contest. Before noon the town was pretty well filled with interested Republicans, who were delegates, as well as others who felt that the g. o. p. could not well do without them on such an auspicious occasion as this. After the usual preliminaries on such occasion the convention proceeded with the business before it. Wants to be Congressman Landis was present and gave a short talk on something about something that used to be talked of; it was something about Democratic free tariff trade smoke stacks, or hard Democratic tariff protection times; just what it was about, the convention hardly understood. We think Mr. Wants-to-be is opposed to the Missouri Compromise, and the return of the British refugees. After the was through the balloting for the various officers was inaugurated. There being but one candidate for county clerk, Mr. W. H. Coover, his nomination was made unanimous.

Mr. Coover is a very pleasant gentleman, and a man of strictly moral and honest habits, so far as known. He has, or will serve as clerk four years under the old fee and salary law and has therefore been well paid for his official labors, but is not yet satisfied and thinks others should stand aside and let him tug at the teat four years more. So well does he stand in with the controling power of his party that no Republican dared to tell him he had sucked long enough. Next came the office of county auditor. As was the case of the county clerk, there was but one candidate, Mr. H. B. Murray, and of course his nomination was also made unanimous. Mur ray like Coover knows a good thing when he gets it, nothing less than eight years will satisfy him. The ring stands by this young gentleman, and no other Republican, however deserving, need ask for the auditor’s office till he gets another pull at it. The clerk and auditor have been well paid for their services this term and should have been willing to give way to some one else for the next term. The tendency and general sentiment of the people now is, io make the terms of county and township offices four years and inelligible for reelection. All the offices lately created are of this character, even an amendment of our state constitution to this effect has passed a legislature or two. This proposed amendment is aimed at those who, when once in office, are ever planning, plot ting to stay in. If these offices are easy paying positions (as the actions of these gentlemen seem to prove) they should be passed around. It is surely more like fair play to let two good Republicans have an office four years a piece, than to let one hold it eight years.

The treasurer was next on the list and there were two candidates, both good men too—Capt. J. M. Wasson and Jesse Gwin. Mr. Gwin was lucky enough this time to go in. He has two or three times asked for a place on his party’s ticket, but has always been turned down for much less deserving men. Four years ago he asked for auditor, but had to give way to the present incumbent who is again favored by his party.

The nomination for sheriff was, by acclamation, given to Mr. Chas. Hanley the present

incumbent. Mr. Hanley is only a two year office, and for him to seek re-election, really is not so bad. The warmest contest of the day was for the office of surveyor. John Alter, J. C. Thrawls, J. N. Leatherman and Mert Price were out before the delegates as candidates, and a decision as to who the lucky one would be was not reached until the third ballot, when John F. Alter, was given the nomination. Like the sheriff's this is also a two year office. If elected. Mr. Alter will be surveyor for four years. This gentleman is well known in Jasper county and if the people want him, he will be elected.

But two names were suggested for the highly honorary office of coroner—Parke Wright and Simon Phillips were the names brought before the convention and the honors were cast upon Mr. Wright. There is no more important office in the entire county than that of commissioner. There was not less than half a dozen candidates from the first district but Wm. Dahncke was the successful man. This district could surely have found a more competent man. When the nominations for commissioner from the second district was reached, the present incumbent, John Martindale, and Capt. J. M. Wasson were mentioned for the place, which of course went to Mr. Martindale. He has been commissioner for two years and his course has proven to the majority of the voters of this county that he is not of the proper make up for a county commissioner. Mr. Martindale may mean well, he is thought to be an honest, consciencious man, but is not, and never will be a good commissioner.

For the third district, Dexter Jones, of Carpenter, w r as the only candidate, and of course his pame goes on the ticket. Mr. Jones may be a very worthy gentleman and might make a good commissioner, but he has been groomed for the race by the wrong trainer, he bears too much of the mark of O. P. T. Jones’ candidacy and Tabor’s policy are too much mixed to suit the voters of this tax ridden county. Taking it all in all this is the weakest ticket the Republican party ever put up in this county. The ticket’s weakness does not consist in the personal char acter of the candidates, for with one or two exceptions, they are all very respectable, clever men, but it is the positions, the conditions, the associations, and general surroundings of its individual members that makes it so distasteful to the common voters of the county.

The Republican press insists that the Wilson bill favors southern industries and “crushout” those in the north. This is for “bloody-shirt” purposes solely. A reading of southern exchanges, of all parties, shows that just the opposite complaint is being made there, where the charge is that the democracy is ruining the South for the benefit of New England. The point in all this is the evidence that both the old parties are nothing if not sectional. No matter what question is up it is discussed in the olcf sectional spirit. Each has its “bloody shirt,” one North and the other South, on which each relies with much more confidence than on any argument or principle. This is a prime reason why both the old corpses should be hustled out of sight. The country is sick of this eternal ding dong about north and south, to keep the life in two moribund parties which feeds only on graveyard recollections and mouldy hatreds. The only really non-sectional party that ever existed in this country is the Populists.—Nonconformist.

A Chicago inventor propose to construct a telescope so powerful as to reveal the inhabitants of Mars and enable one to “see to pick up a pin on the moon. ” It is to be hoped the invention will change his mind. Suppose his telescope should reveal to us that the moon is one vast inhabited gold field. Picture the aggravation to the poor man whose pants need half-sol-ing and whose little all is wrapped up in two per cent, paper! Scientific research may be carried to extremes. The farmer will continue to plant more largely as the prices are lower to enable him to meet his annual deficit resulting from short crops and constantly declining prices. It has been suggested that he raise more and less corn. THE’Nebraska State Farmers’ Alliance recently held at Hasting spassed resolutions condemnning Secretary of Agriculture Morton for his recent utterances regarding farmers’ organizations.