People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1894 — Scratchers. [ARTICLE]

Scratchers.

When we hear a man say “he never changes his mind, never scratches a ticket,” we set him down as a man who has been careless and thoughtless of the privileges and duties of an American voter. All the progress this world has ever made has been brought about by the independent thinking and acting of wise conscientious men. The “bolters,” the “soreheads,” the “scratchers” of all ages are the men who have lead and blessed the world. The inde-’ pendent thinker cares nothing for party, except as a means to ends; he supports parties only so long as he thinks they are moving in the right direction. The independent thinker and voter is the hope of our country. One “scratcher” is worth more to his country, than a thousand empty minded party slaves that boast they always “vote straight.” “The highest display of citizenship is to follow one’s conscience and principles regardless of party.” Why an election if there is no changing, no scratching? Once a party is in, either in county, state, nation or township, it matters not how corrupt it may become, how much conditions and ideas may change, if voters never scratch, never go from one party to another, there can not possibly be anything

done. All the reforms of this world have come from that class of people who think, vote and act independent of party or creed. It is to the independent voterand thinker that all political speeches and lectures are addressed, for him is all the political literature prepared, it is to him that all. political facts and figures are presented. Upon the blind partisan slave who always supports every “yellow dog” upon his ticket all these things would be lost. We think we have reasons td believe that party spirit and party prejudice are losing much of their power in this country and in this county. The idea that to get tariff reform or tariff protection one must vote for every man on his ticket, state, county and township is not so potent as it was a few years ago. Voters in Jasper county are beginning to, look toward Washington when they vote for congressmen, to Indianapolis when they vote their state ticket and to Rensselaer when they vote their county ticket. Home affairs should never get too much mixed with state and national affairs.

The Pilot, unlike the Republican nevei gives figures or makes statements that it has to take back; it never puts anything into the Republican’s mouth that it did not say. The figures we have given, comparing Jasper county’s tax with other counties of the state we will stand by; we have given them before —a year ago. We have repeated them again and again, but never til Io the very last day in the evening has the Republican offered to dispute them. Now it comes out and attacks statements that it never saw m our columns. We repeat it, that by the report of the auditor of state for 1892, Jasper county stands within 15 of the highest taxed counties of the state. In speaking of Pulaski and Franklin counties’ tax neighbor says: “Now these two counties practice that very common Democratic dodge of dividing their county taxes up into several funds. Such as county tax proper, bridge tax, road tax, bond tax, etc.” These are democratic counties, of course, but Newton county has no Democratic dodge and right in the same column, under Jasper, her county tax, in exact figures are 810,148.30 less than ours. In t his same auditor’s report. Porter county, a republican county, with $7,017,260 more taxables than Jasper, over twice as much taxables. paid only $2,252.36 more of what she called county tax than Jasper did. In Benton county there is no democratic dodge, neighbor, this county, which is worth $3,720,906 more than Jasper, pays only $3,128.54 more of what she calls county tax than Jasper does. From the auditor’s report of 1892 you may run through the column of county tax, Republican and Democratic counties and you will find Jasper stands just at the head of the list. In the state auditor’s report is the proper place to look for figures relating to county taxes, by this report will we stand, and from the figures we have made not one jot or tittle will we move if all the county papsuckers and court house rings in the state turn their lyinsr, mud slinging machines upon us. “For the very year the Pilot refers to, he will find, on pages 548 and 549, a table giving the exact official figures of county expenditures, And this is what he will find: Total expenditures, Jasper county, $25,079.” —Yesterday’s Republican. There are no such page” or figures in the auditor’s report, the only authority on this subject. In this report, on page 79 we find Jasper county’s tax $30,632.67 In the Republican’s issue of Oct. 18, ’94, it gives the total county tax for ’93 at $29,948.38. Here we have the columns of the Republican on record that the county tax for ’93 is $29,948,38. It has claimed all along that our county tax is not increasing, then it of course was not (as it this week says) 825,079 in ’92. Oh, ye book-keep-ers! Oh, ye men of figures! Your own statements condemn you, your own figures cry out against you. How can you, say, how can you, proven liars by your own words and works, look the taxpayers of this county in the face.

The Republican did not notice our article on the Iroquois and Wakarusa ditches, which was published two weeks ago but reserved its comments until this week and delayed the publication one day hoping no doubt, we would not be able to reply. It says, “Had the Commissioners not done their lawful part, in directing the surveys and estimates to be made, and in paying the expense of the same, the higher courts would have compelled them to do so, and public disapprobation* would have probably driven them from office.” Had the Commissioners refused to pay the first claim presented to them by a viewer or engineer, they would have refused to make the view or survey, and those interested would have been required to either stop the proceedings or appeal to a higher court, and had the law been declared invalid as a learned judge in an adjoining circuit decided, or as Judge Wiley decided on Gifford’s drainage district, the 88,000 of the people’s money would have been saved. The public indignation was aroused, the Commissioners did what they should, have done when the petition was first filed, before a dollar of the people’s money was expended. They squandered the people’s money and then kicked the ditch out of court. Why did they not kick the ditch out before they squandered the people’s money is what is worrying the tax-payers of Jasper county. Tabor and Faris were sharp enough to see the storm coming and they stood aside, but it is understood that Jones and Dahncke are to follow in their footsteps. The people want no more such ditching and should vote for Robinson, Spriggs and Uncle Georgie Thompson.

The Republican says that candidates on the Populist ticket are in debt. We are willing to compare the indebtedness and wealth ©f the Populist ticket with the candidates on the Republican ticket although a number of the latter have been fed at the public crib for a decade. We desire to elect a board of of commissioners who will not squander SB,OOO of the people’s money so that Republicans, democrats and populists will have an opportunity of liquidating their indebtedness, and have a chance to lay up a few dollars for a rainy day. What was the condition of the author of political points when he first became a resident of Jasper county? Because he has been lucky in securing public office he should have a fellow feeling for those who are now in the condition he once was, and would have remained so had he not secured public office. When the Republican is caught it will sometimes confess. It now admits that it was mistaken when it asserted that Joel F. Spriggs headed the petition for the Iroquois ditch. Well, the facts are, the matter was misrepresented to Mr. Spriggs which induced him to sign the petitition, but he soon ascertained that he had been deceived and he promptly employed an attorney and proper steps were taken to secure his release from the petition, but contrary to all precedent the board denied his request;