Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1889 — FROM THE STATISTICAL REPORT. [ARTICLE]

FROM THE STATISTICAL REPORT.

The Monou Times man is a humorist after the Josh Billings aud Petrolehm V„. Nasby order—at least in the matter of orthography. Queen Victoria has, in the munificence of her charity, donated her sympathy for the suffering victims of the Johnstown calamity. The Queen is a hypocritical old miser and her sympathy is not worth the thousandth part of the cost of telegraphing it across the Atlantic. ; ; ' : The New York Tribune concludes an editorial on prohibition toy saying: “The root of the matter is that human government, in order to get any good done, is compelled to choose the practicable rather than the theoretical good; the methods which can be made effective instead of those which, by practical failure, bring a good cause into disfavor and defeat.” President Harrison has given three hundred dollars for the benefit of the Johnstown sufferers. Not a very large sum compared with the ten thousand winch Cleveland gave to the Democratic cam - paign fund, but shows up very well in cotnparison with the twenty dollars which the Ex-President contributed to the victims of the Charleston earthquake. Jasper county ranks way up t o the front as a cattle raising county. According to the figures given in the just published biennial report of the State Bureau of Statistics there were 22,727 cattle of all kinds, in tka county, in the year, in 1888. Only two other counties, Allen and Putnam exceed these figures, and -those by not very large amounts. According 4o the same authority Jasper ranks well as a timothy hay producer, only three counties leading her, in that particular. In the number of bushels of rye produced only Allen and Porter get ahead of Jasper. In acreage of blue and other wild grasses Jasper downs them-all, except Putnam, having 96,916 acres to 98,249 for “Old Put.” It will probably astonish most people to learn that the expense of running the new State-house is $4,000 more than the combined salaries of the Governor and all the State officers. Such is the fact A statement printed elsewhere shows the annual expense of the State-house to be $20,640, while all the salaries above mentioned aggregate only $16,500. At this rate onr state house is an expensive luxury. This outrageous extravagance is the result of democratic legislation. The Statehouse is loaded down tothe guards with Democratic stipendiaries. Think ' 1 paying $9,000 a year for fifteen janitors and $5,400 a year for six assistant engineers. If the people do not open their eyes at this revelation of Democratic extravagance they 61 must be very aleepy.—lndianapolis Journal.

The second biennial report of the Indiana Bureau of Statistics has been published and distributed throughout the state. Under the heading of “Jasper county" we find the following interesting but not altogether accurate description of the towns of Rensselaer and Remington: Rensselaer, tLe county seat of Jasper County, is an incorporated town of 1,600 inhabitants, and is located on the Iroquois river, and the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, 125 miles northwest of the State Capital. Much of the surrounding country is swampy, but where properly drains ed produces well. Building stone is found, and bog iron ore can be obtained with but little trouble, and in time will prove the source of considerable wealth to the county. Rensselaer is a growing and prosperous Gounty seat, being supplied with substantial county buildings, good business blocks, school houses, church edifices and residences, and is the seat of a Catholic orphanage. The water supply is obtained from an artieian well 1,000 feet deep, and it is said to possess fine medical properties. Three weekly newspapers are published. The commercial interests of Rensselaer are represented by seventeen general and special stores, covering all grades of the trade; forty persons are engaged in commercial pursuits, and the sales in 1887 were estimated at $330,000. The town carries a debt of $9,500, all of which is bonded, and which was contracted in the construction of a school building. The real estate is assessed for taxation at $238,055, the personal property at $266,060, the rate of taxation on each SIOO of property is 60 cents, and the nnmbet of polls listed for taxation is 234. Fifty-five persons are employed in the building trades. The industries of the town are not extensive, but include two flouriDg mills, one planeing mill, one tile factory, one creamery, and several small shops. About fifty hands are employed, and daily wages average $1.25. A grain elevator is operated. Rensselaer maintains graded schools, and the graduates of the high school department are admitted to the freshman class of either of the State institutions upon certificate of scholarship from the superintendent. The value of the public school property is estimated at $13,000, seven teachers are employed and in 1887 there were 400 pupils enrolled in the grades. Remington is an important incorporated town, containing 1,200 inhabitants, and located twelve miles south of the county seat, on the Chicago, St. Louis & Pittsburgh Railroad. A weekly newspaper is published. The town contains a number of well stocked general and special stores and three grain elevators are operated. Remington supports a good graded school, which employs five teachers, and which had, in 1887, an enrollment of nearly 300 pupils. The value of the school property is estimated at $3,500.