Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1888 — A HOPELESS. HOLE. [ARTICLE]

A HOPELESS. HOLE.

The Republican district-conven-tion for the 10th congressional district, to select one delegate and one alternate, to the national convention, will be held at Delphi, on the 19th of April. The‘basis of representation will be u:o <; 8gate for each 200 votes, and one for each fraction of 100 and over, cast for Lieutenant Governor Robertson. This gives Jasper county' thirteen delegates. Judge Harlan, of the U. S. Su-. preme court, rendered his decision Tuesday afternoon in the case of Cay and Bernhi dipt, the convicted tally-sheet conspirators. The decision was against the convicted men and the writ, of error asked for was refused. Their only hope now to escape the penitentiary is in an application for awrtf-rrf habeas corpus, for which application has been made to J udge Gresham. Their chances for that are probably very slight The Lafayette Call eagerly avails itself of the opportunity to embellish its columns by republishing Prof. Wilkinson’s platform introduces it by the following envious paragraph ♦ Prof. Wilkinson, the crank who afflicted our city for several months two years ago, has turned up again. The Professor has given up the ilea of running fpr the Presidv iitial nomination, and is out of politics. but has a “platform,” which is printed in the. Rensselaer RepubLICAN. ■•/ - 1 - 7 How often! alas how often!* ai'e the inspired and prophetic ratiocinations of the philanthropic and philosophical sons of introspective genius thus reviled by...an unfeeling and unappreciative world.

The attempt of the President and his party to hide free trade scheme under the mask., of the surplus, is a shallow and dishonest pretext. This government still owes, and pays interestrupon, a debt of a thousand million dollars. If the surplus is such a dreadful portent of evil and if the ous Burden of Taxation” is grinding out the lives of the people to the extent the Democratic demagogues and unbalanced theorists claim, why not reduce the surplus by paying the debt, and, at the same time, reduce the necessity for taxation by thus cutting off the future interest on what is thus paid ? It is true that no part of the debt is now due and its holders are not now obliged to accept payment, but there are plenty of bonds that can be purchased bn the open market, and the small premium at which they are held ought not be much of an obstacle to a President and Cabinet whose daya are made a terror and

whose nights an incubus, by their truly democratic horror of a snr r plus. The one excuse given by the Administration for not applying the surplus to this commonsense and business-like purpose, is that the present Secretary ot the Treasury has some doubt whether he has the.power to thus purchase bonds for redemption, yet a former, and much wiser and more experienced, Secretary says there is no doubt about Ilia having the power, at all; Lut even; if there Ajterc reasonable grounds for such doubt, there is iio question'" but that Congress, if earnestly requested by the President, would readily pass u bill granting the desired liuUioiity, in clear and explicit terms. Bui the real truth of the matter is, the administration doos not want to pay the Th bl with the ,surplus. They want the surplus right where it is, as a scarecrow to help force a reduction of the protective tariff.

Is What the Fl ate Geologist TbhxftN. I _ Below are given a few extracts from a letter from the State Geoli ogist, in regard to the prospects of (the Rensselaer gas well,‘we quote: 1 “You are now about ‘IOO feet in Trentou rock,” j 250 feet would be more nearly exact] :ind there has never been any gas found in this etate, nor any oilier state, at a depth of 800 feet, or more, below the top of the Trenton rock. In all. the paying gas-wells of this state and Ohio the gas has been found at a depth of less than 100 feet below the top of the Trenton. I think, therefore, that there is no probability of your securing gas in your present well by-going deeper, and my advice to you is to abandon it,"and if your -Company desires to prospaci further, select another locality and bore another well.” “I think, however, that you are not likely to secure large flows of gas in jasper county, although you may secure wells that will pay, but I do not-think you wid find oil in jriying quantities.'' “The Auburn people got a good gas well, at a depth of 1936 feet 5 below the surface, but they got the ; gas immediately at the top of the Trenton rock.” U "Gas has never yet been- son nd iin this state, nor any other, below Trenton rock- The Trenton rock ■ * * *• * is probab'y 600 feet thick, or more, at Rensselaer, and you L are ** * probably about half-way through.” Each of out readers is, of course, at liberty to draw his own conclusions as to the reliability of ' these assertions of the State Geo.l----j ogist, and also as to the value of the opinions expressed and advice offered. As for us we have no • doubt, whatever, that he speaks ‘ whereof he has knowledge and that ih'is opinions and r.'lvice arc entire- ! ly trustworthy.