Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1893 — Defeated But Not Discouraged. [ARTICLE]

Defeated But Not Discouraged.

The (Jrarel Roads are Beaten But the Vote Was Very Close. The election on the question of building some 17 J miles of gravel or stone roads in Marion tp., came off last Saturday afternoon in Rensselaer. The election was conducted after the Australian law, so far as the circumstances would permit. Considering the importance of the question at issue the vote was very light; the whole number of voUs cast being'only 439, out of a total of nearly 700 in the township. The following is the vote by precincts : SOUTH PRECINCT.

Road. For. Against. Maj. Againsl College 51 87 36 Long Ridge. 49 88 39 Poor Farm.. 49 90 41 WEST PRECINCT. - ——Bead, POTT Against. Maj. For College 88 70 18 Long Ridge.Bß 70 18 Poor Farm.. 93 72 21 EAST PRECINCT. College.. .w 73 62 11 Long Ridge.7l 62 9 Poor Farm.. 70 62 8

The net majorities against the roads were, College Road 7; Long Ridge Road 12; Poor Farm and Pleasant Ridge 12. The very narrow margin by which the various roads were beaten, shows conclusively that under any other tkan’the present very unfavorable prospect of affairs, the roads would 'have carried by large majorities. There is no doubt that even had the election been post-poned until next spring, as Tbe Republican advocated, the result would then have been in favor of the roads, as the sentiment in favor of improved roads is always considerably stronger in the midst or at the close of a muddy season, than during a season of good roads.

Of course this election is, in reality, only a brief post-ponement, for the time is not far off when the people of this vicinity will begin in earnest the work of building permanent roads.

We can not but believe, however, that it wi’l be better not to begin on a large --scale until financial prospects begin to brighten, nor even until at least one Legislature is asked to pass a more just and equitable gravel road law than any now upon the statute books.

In his report the commissioner of fisheriessays that “the system of lakes in northern Indiana is a very strikin g characteristic in the topography of the state. It is entirely safe to say that there are in the counties of Steuben, Dekalb, Lagrange, Noble and Kosciusko more than I,ooo lakes having an area of 10 acres or over. There are by actual enumerating 312 lakes in Noble county with an area of 5 acres or more, in every one of whioh nearly all the varieties of our best fish ore found, and in almost all black bass are found.”

The people of Carpenter tp. act as though the way to build gravel roads is to build .gravel roads. A half mile of fine pike, built of stone below and of gravel Above has just been completed in the east and west road first south of Remington, while on the road between Goodland and Remington, just novth of the latter town, work will begin next week at gravel-, ing from both the east and the west ends. On thie last mentioned road there will be a dirt roadway and a sonc and gravel! rood-way, side by side, the same as was proposed in the coads voted on in Rensselaer last Saturday, except that the top of the Carpenter tp., gravel roadway will be on a level with the dirt roadway, being in that respect much better than the roads proposed here, and less material required to make them. Only a mile or two of these roads will be finished up this fall, but next year the township road tax will be increased, and several miles will then be built.

The small-pox at Muncie is proving much harder to stamp out than previous reports indicated. The disease has been spreading considerably lately and the authorities have found it necessary to establish a pest house, to which all new cases are removed. The previous method was simply to quarantine all houses in which there were cases. The situation there now is said to have reached a stage where thejeity is in danger of a terrible calamity, unless the disease can soon be got under control. Schools are closed and churches and all other public meetings are prohibited.

Be sure and see the stock of watches, clocks and jewelry at Eiglesbach’s old stand before purchasing elsewhere. The Odd Fellows of Rensselaer and their friends will go to the World’s Fair on Odd Fellows’ Day which is Monday, Sept. 25th, on the milk train of that day. They will have a special car, however, which will be setoff here for their exclusive use. The members of the order and of the

Rebekabs’ are preparing to decorate the car, in an attractive manner. The fare, we understand, will be at the very low rate of one cent a mile for the round trip, which wilt make the fare about $1.40 for the round trip. There is a prize of $ 160 offered to the lodge that will enter the parade Odd Fellow’s Day with the largest per cent of members, counted on the basis of the membership of l£ft2. It looks as though Iwquois lodge ought to stand a pretty good show for this prize if a vigorous effort were made.

There was an altogether novel feature about the election for ditch commissioners in Gifford’s drsinage district, on Tuesday of last week, in thatrfnite a number of women exercised their privilege, as property owners in the district, and went to the polls and voted. This they did, intelligently, with dignity and selfrespect, and with the evident approbation and respect of all the voters present. It was a practical demonstration of the way women’s suffrage will work when it comes to be universally applied. The women will then vote <their sentiments, and vote them conscientiously and intelligently and without sacrifizing their respect nor the approbation and respectful treatment of the male voters. The names of the ladies who voted on the above occasion, so far as learned were Mrs. Elizabeth Pass, Mrs. Margaret J. Lewis, Mrs. Sarah Grigg, Mrs. Sarah Gwin, Mrs. E. Lisa Renicker, Mrs. Logan, Mrs. W. Prewitt, Mrs. Chas, Faria, Mrs. Gratner. They are the pioneer practical women suffragists of Jasper county. All honor to them for it.