Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1881 — Communicated. [ARTICLE]

Communicated.

The cooditiob of the -President is still favorable, and the prospects of his recovery are most excellent. On Monday Professor Bell, by means of his electrical contrivance, known as an inductive balance, succeeded in locating the position of the bullet. It was found in the front walls of the lower part of the abdomen, at an estimated depth below the surface of two inches.' This is the same position previously, assigned to it by the physicians.

The Blue Ribbon meeting last Friday night, was an > unusually successful one if the number of new names added to the pledge is a criterion. Perhaps the most notable feature of the evening was an address by Mr. H. Rooney. The worthy president also favored the audience with quite an extended address. For our part we were willing to vote it a very good speech, as such things go, but Mr. Price, himself, insisted that it was “a h —l of a speech,” and we suppose Jje will have to be allowed his own in the matter. We notice elsewhere the action taken by the board of commissioners in the matter of a sheriff’s residence and’jail. As is there stated the commissioners decided to locate the building in the rear of the court house, in the southwest corner of the public square. • In many respects it seems to us a matter for regret that the jail should be erected in the public square at all, but we presume the commissioners, who have, of course, been in a position to consider all the advantages and disadvantages of the situation, have decided wisely under the circumstances. Many of our citizens are in favor of having the jail in the front yard of the court house, in the northeast corner of the square, and are circulating a petition' to that effect. With all respect for the opinions of the gentlemen whose names are, or may be, attached to that petition, we yet have no hesitation in saying that if the beauty and symmetry of the front yard of the court house is destroyed by building the jail there, the people of Jasper county will rogret the action as long as the jail stands. “But the jail will be a handsome building,” say some, ‘*bnd ought to be placed in a prominent position.” We answer that the site chosen by the commissioners is as prominent as a building the character of a jail ought to occupy. And what if it will be a handsome building? A glaring modern building placed in front of, or beside the decrepit old court house; will really hurt the appearance of the square through the contrast it will furnish to the court house vastly more than it will ip prove it.

During the past week the secretary of the Jasper County Agricultural Society received a proposition from a man living in a town east of Rensselaer, in which an offer of one dollar per keg was made for the exclusive privileges of selling lager beer on the fair grounds during the holding of the fair this season. The letter concluded with the observation, “You cannot keep out whiskey smugglers, anyway; and you may as well make SIOO or S2OO as to get nothing.” Of course, this remark would make an excellent text for a homily upon the evil tendency of the age, etc. But this opportunity will be left for the embrace of those whose profession and Kne of duty lie in that direction. What the writer has to do with now is the fair. The quotation shows total miscomprehension of the object of the fair. The Agricultural Society was not organized for merely speculating purposes. It is not a dose fisted corporation ior skinning the public out of their money. It has no vaults and safes for hoarding up gold and silver. Article I, of the constitution, states that the “object shall be the improvement of agriculture und the promotion and encouragement of the mechanical arts in Jasper county, Indiana.” _ Section 2, of the by-laws, reads : “The object of this organization shall be the improvement and promotion of science, art, agriculture, livestock, domestic manufactures, mechanical arts, and horticulture.” This tells the whole story. These fairs are held for the purpose of getting together and comparing the best of the productions of the county and its neighborhood. Discussion •is provoked, ambition aroused, and progress is made in the development of things that tend to promote industry, wealth and comfort.

Editors Republican : The point where forbearance ceases to be a virtue has at last been reached. For the last three or four weeks decency, modesty and morality have been openly outraged upon our streets. At all hours of the dao and night can be heard the sounds of drunken revel and debauchery. The public square is a fit representation of the seventh stage of Dante’s hell—nasty, dirty, and disgusting, and the court house hall has been transformed into a filthier condition than an ordinary hog pen. A lady cannot now pass the public square or the deadfall Opposite without hearing blasphemy, vulgarity and Bcurrility the most vile; Hnd without seeing sights sufficient to make tho most brazen blush.

We should not submit longer to be outraged and trampled upon. Society should be protected, and as there is a legal remedy by which we can abate this disgrace, why not, put it intQ effect? We have a statute which confers power upon the trustees of an incorporated town to pass and enforce ordinances for the abatement of nuisances, and also gives them power to declare what shall constitute a nuisance, and in accordance with this law let our town trustees declare open drunkenness a nuisance. Then they should have a calaboose constructed which would not cost more than S2OO, and by conferring powers upon the town marshal, have him arrest every map found drunk upon streets, confine the man in the calaboose until a convenient time for trial, then take him before a jus** tice and have him fined, and if he cannot pay the fine, put him to work on the streets of the town. Or, if they have not the means to construct a calaboose, let them put the latter part of this suggestion in force. The ball and chain are the only cure for the persons who have beon disgracing themselves and degrading society lately within this town. After ridding ourselves of the effect we can, by legal means, make an effort to remove the cause and source, of it all at the October term of Court. It would seem as if these three years of temperance work have been of little efficacy, but the fact is, society must protect itself from men who do not appreciate the friendly efforts put forth to reelaim them, by another and severer

method.

CITIZEN.