Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 September 1889 — COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS. [ARTICLE]

COMMISSIONERS’ PROCEEDINGS.

The decision of the President and Cabinet not to call a special session of Congress will meet the approval of the people. It would have been the worst kind of a break, politically, to have called a special session at an earlier day than the congressmen from the new states could attend, and to put off the session late enough to admit them, would make it so late that practically nothing could be accomplished before the time for the uegular meeting of Congress, the first Monday in December. In Kansas the women have enjoyed the right to vote and hold office, to a limited degree, for the last three years. The governor and several other state officers have published a statement declaring that their experiment in women’s suffrage is a success. It has demonstrated that women will vote when they get a chance and that they will vote wisely and patriotically, and that none of the evils predicted if women shou'd vote, such as that they would neglect home duties, become “unsexed” and such other nonsense of that sort, have shown themselves. The women are seldom elected to office but when any of them are, they prove most faithful and efficient officials. "Women’s suffrage has proved a success wherever it has had half a fair trial.

John L. Sullivan, the slugger, is entirety in earnest in his intenJhirm tn La for^Gongress, on the Democratic ticket, and there is nothing out of keeping in his candidacy with the usages of his party. He has been sentenced to a year in a penitentiary, it is true, but what of that? is Sim Coy, for instance, 'who was sentenced for a longer periou 1 f° r a much worse offense. He held the position and drew the t' a,ai 7> during the whole period of il'is imprisonment, as member of the' Common Council of Indianapolis, a.id upon the expiration of his perio d of imprisonment, he has resumed his old position as leader of the Democratic | party in Marion county, and has been enthusiastically nominated for re-election to the office. The reputation of a prison bird is no detriment to democratic politicians. Bless you, nol - ■" A county reunion of the soldiers of Newton county is to be held at Kentland, October Ist and 2nd. Inasmuch as the Soldiers’ Reunion Association, which formerly existed in this section, and was finally extended to include half a dozen or moi e counties, has died of its own unwieldy bulkiness, why would it not be a good thing to follow the example of Newton County and organize a county reunion? It is our conviction that a small and friendly reunion, where most of the participants are mutually acquainted and where they can meet and camp together for a

few days, and tell their old war stories, or invent new ones perchance when? the occasion serves, and sing the old songs and—revelin the delights of beans and sowbelly, and coffee and hard-tack, and such other adjuncts of their old army life as are easily attainable in the piping times of peace, and dispensing with the show and the parades and the sliam-battlos, such a reunion, we repeat, would be much more satisfactory and enjoyable to the old war veterans, than were the big and ambitious affairs of a few years ago.

We have before us ocular evidence that the Indiana School Book Company is an organized and systematic fraud. The Elementary Geography, for instance, bears across the top of the front page of the cover the line “Indiana Educational Series.” At the bottom is the legend “Indianapolis, Ind. Indiana School Book Co.” The inside title page reads about th e same as the front cover except that at the bottom, where the “Indiana School Book Co.” are indicated as publishers, is added the date, 1889, The plain intent and tenor of all this on the cover page and title is to express the idea that the geography is of a new and special series and that it was printed and published during the present year, at Indianpolis. But things are often vastly different from what they purport to be, and the books of the Indiana

Educational Series, are flagrant examples of that lamentable fact. By scraping off the sheet of paper which covers the front of the book we find beneath it another cover, of quite a different appearance and upon wich in big bold letters is the title “Merrill’s Elementary Geography, Sanford Niles, Editor.” D. D. Merrill is given as the publisher and St Paul, Minn., the place of publication. The date upon this cover is 1885. Here then is conclusive proof that the Indiana School Book Company is frying to palm off upon the people as a work of their own, and published in the city of Indianapolis, and in the year 1889, a book which was really published four years ago, and under another name and in another state. It is evident that the company are pasting a misleading sheet of printed paper over the old cover page, and tearing out the old inner title page and replacing it with a new one, and are palming off upon the people of Indiana a lot of condemned and worthless books which have been rejected elsewhere.

The divine and unimpeachable right “to buy where you can buy the cheapest” is the shibboleth of the democratic press, and everlastingly and eternally reiterated. Still it makes a big difference whose ox it is that happens to be prodded, even when this greatest and highest privilege of the unchangeable democracy is concerned. The right to buy where you buy the cheapest was lost sight of, for instance, when the democratic editors of Indiana, at their late meeting at Maxinkuckee put themselves expressly and distinctly upon record as being in favor of county officers buying the supplies jfor their offices (meaning, of Gourse, their printed supplies mainly) of local dealers when the same could be procured at “equitable rates." “Equitable rates,” mark you brethren! Nothing said about buying where you could buy the cheapest, that time. Oh no. That glorious principle does not apply when democratic printers want to sell their goods to the public at prices which they will be pleased to consider “equitable.” It was good, sound doctrine which thoße democratic brethren enunciated in that particular case, but it most wofully fails to consist with their free-trade principles. Other instances where the democrats allowed the immutable right to buy where you can buy the cheapest to fall into a state of temporary eclipse can be found in their proposals to keep the tariff on sugar at the top notch, for the bene-

fit of a few democrats in the state of Louisiana, and upon rice for a few other democrats in South Carolina and upon a hundred or so other products or manufactures which dernSftratic communities or prominent individuals are specially interested in. Great is free-trade democracy, but its name is not consistency.

Wilford E. 'Dem.ing petitionee for a ditch in Marion tp., beginmng at the center of section 13-23-7, and running due west about £ half mile. A. C. Prevo, W. W. Watson and Benj. Harris were appointed to view the proposed ditch route, Sept 23, and to make the proper report at the next term. Jas. Randle, Wm. W. B urns and Joseph ~M. Burns petitioned for a ditch in Barkley tp. It is to begin about 63 rods southeast from the northwest corner of section 3-29-6, and to run in a general northwesterly direction, with many turns and zigzags, to the Iroquois river, a total distance of about 21 miles. The proposed route will be viewed and surveyed, Sept. 30, by Addison Parkison, David B. Nowels and W. W. Watson. A considerable liumber of additional claims against the county were disposed of. All were found correct and allowed in full, except that of R. P. Benjamin, for sll.88, for inquest on the body of Mrs. O. W. Church, of Remington. This was dismissed on the grounds that the estate of the deceased,being sufficient to pay all the expenses of the inquest, must be held for the same, as the law requires; the Board also dismissed the bill of Mabel Zimmerman, of Barkley tp., for $52 for the relief of a poor person, on the grounds that the alleged poor person had sufficient property for self support. A new drain was ordered constructed for the new county asylum building. Geo. M. Robinson appointed agent of the Board to superintend the work.

ROAD AND BRIDGE BUSINESS. On petition of Fred Kupke and fourteen others, James C. Thrawls, H, W. Porter and A. C. Prevo were appointed viewers for a proposed highway in Barkley and Gillam townships, beginning at the center of section 33, township 30, range 5, thence running west and north to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 21, same township and range. November 4th is the day appointed for viewing. Elizabeth A. Root and others, petition for highway in Wheatfield. Willard Stockwell, Joseph Flugel and John F. Pettit were appointed viewers. The route of the proposed road is to begin at the se corner of section 12, thence west to the se corner of section 11. Date of viewing Nov. 4. On petition of Francis M. Goff and others for a highway in Union, beginning at the sw corner of the se quarter of section 6 in tp. 30, range 6, thence due west about miles, Wm. Daniels, J. L. Nichols and George Adair were appointed viewers, on date of Nov. A The viewers appointed m June in case of a highway wanted in Carpenter, by John A. Lamborn and others, reported favorably, and the road was declared established. Of the same character was the viewers’ report in the case of E. Whitson and others, for a highway in Keener, and the road was declared established. In the case of the highway asked for in Barkley, by Francis M. Hays and others, the viewers reported the road not of public utility and the cause was dismissed. Another highway asked for in Barkley tp., by J as. R. Parkison and others, fared better, the report of viewers being favorable and the road was declared established. The highway petitioned for in Union tp., by Seth B. Moffitt and others was reported favorably and declared established. Another road in Union, asked for by John F. Garriott and others was reported favorably and declared established. Scott Cooper and otherß ask for a new road in Barkley tp., to commence at the ne corner of the nw quarter of section 6, m tp. 30, range 6, thence due east one mile. Wm. Daniels, J. L. Nichols and Geo. Adair, appointed viewers. Wm. Coopqr, trustee of Union tp. was appointed agent of the Board to superintend the erection of a good wooden bridge over Moffitt’s ditch in Union ip. The cost of the bridge is not to exceed $125, and of the cost the township must pay $75 and the county all in excess of that sum. No other new bridges were contracted for or ordered constructed.