Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1874 — FEE-GRABBING. [ARTICLE]

FEE-GRABBING.

The j retenSe of 3lr. Sheriff Daugherty that he “guardctU’ Patrick Barton is one of the • most grotesque absurdities that can be conceived. Everybody in this, community who has any knowledge of the matter, knows that Patrick Barton was not Jle spent his, time as he pleased and where he pleased, ohly he was on parole not to leave the neighborhood. He loafed about the streets, the stores and the offices of Rensselaer, alone, by the hour, day after "day; he fished along the river; he drove out with the Sheriff's children; he cut wood for the Sheriff, he worked in his garden, he cared for his horses, he drove his cows up from the prairie and milked them, and he done chores enough for the Sheriff to pay for his keeping, and more too. Noth withstanding this, Mr. Daugherty swore that Jasper county justly owed him $1.73 a day for “guarding*’ this man, and Messrs. Benjamin and McCullough, as Commissioners, allowed his bill.— Last Saturday, in sis office, in the presence of witnesses, 3lr. Benjamin tpld us that in addition to what the'county has paid him in this matter Mr. Daugherty has an account of thirty cents a day for

file against the McCarthy estate.— Thi s is the sublimity of fee-grabbing Extortion. The law (Ist Gavin <fc Hord, p. 310, c. 85, sec 4), provides that sheriff’s may have thirty cents a day, ibr “keeping”-prisoneis in civil actions, but Mr. Daugherty demands of the county, and receives, §1.73 a day for “guarding” and demands from the plaintiff ’thirty cents a day for “boarding,” or- for “keeping” this prisoner two i dollars and three cents a day L j But this is not an isolated case jof his fee-grabbing. Last March the Jasper Circuit Court and the Commissioners’ Court convened at the same time. The records of the Commissioners show that Sheriff Daugherty opened, their court and j was paid §ls for five days’ attend - | ance. The facts are : Ist. That he i opened court; 2d. He detailed Mr. ; Smoot to attend the Board, while lie peffbrmeffiiffirtesHmThe Circuit Court; 3d. He paid Mr. Smoot §5 for the week, and put into his own pocket $lO for services his deputy performed. it was either at that term i of court or a preceding one that ! Mr. Isaac Sayler (Sheriff Daughj erty’s father-in-law) testified ! that Mr. George M. Johnson, County Assessor, had employed him (Sayler) as Deputy Assessor and paid him §2 a day for his services, while he (Johnson) collected from the county §2.50 a day for the work. Mr. Johnson was fined §5. n Sheriff ■—— • . ■ ~ . ,/ . - • .. Daugherty knew of This cireumstance in his official capacity, yet afterwards committed a similar offense! A year ago last spring one of the justices of the peace at Remington committed a prisoner, who had been convicted of an offense against the laws of Indiana, into the custody of the sheriff Mr. Daugherty turned him over to Mr. Smoot. — That prisoner escaped and was never retaken, and probably neuer pursued. Mr. Daugherty’s friends reported that it was owing to Mr. Smoot’s carelessness that theprisoner got away, but we are told that three witnesses will testify that they know 7 Mr. Daugherty told" Mr. Smoot to let the man escape, because his keeping urns running up a bill against the county. Section 4of an act ’approved June 7tlf, 1§32, (2d GaviiT & Hord; page-rFS,)-say-s-t-hftt sheriffs - shall be responsible for the acts of ! their deputies as such. Section 43, page 471 second volume of Gavin & Hord, reads as follows: If any officer, whose duty it may be to have the custody of prisoners, charged with or convicted of any offense against airy law of tiiis state, shall negligently suffer any such prisoner to escape out ot his custody lie | shall be lined not exceeding ten thousand dollars.

I A special dispatch to the Chicago ; Tribune, from Lata)ette, says: | The Independent mass-meeting I on the third was the event of the ; campaign, being the largest in i point of numbers and the most ; enthusiastic assemblage thus far in i the campaign. Early m the forenoon the people commenced coining jin from the ..country, and, by 10 ! o'clock it became-evident that the j Independents of this vicinity are ; neither few nor ldjp. At 11 a profession was. formed ana paraded , through the city, led by the Star i City Band. Another part of the ! procession was led by the Dayton Band. Almost every wagon displayed a motto of some significance pertaining to the present eampaigip. Scattered through the procession were various representations of industry—husking corn, threshing grain, splitting staves, making cider, blacksmith’s forge, and a log cabin on wheels, which, with its occupants, looked fresh from the prairie. About 2p. in., the meeting was called to order by Mark Jones, Esq. Capt. Rice, of Lafayette, made the first speech, scoring both the Republican and Democratic parties fearfully. He was followed by the Rev. C. J. Bowles, Independent candidate for Congress from this district. He handled the questions at issue in a fair, earnest, and busiuess-like manner His speech was well received. He was evidently Tn favor with his audience. After the conclusion of his speech, Col. .Wilson was called for, and Responded in one of his characteristic speeches. He assailed the Administration in -unmeasured terms, and told the .farmers the fault was their own in having such men in power. They should not allow themselves to be led about by professional politicians when it is in their power to elect men who have full sympathy with their own peculiar views. Everything passed off pleasantly and very satisfactory to the parties interested. ' 1

The Chicago and South Atlantic Railway Company have secured the right-of-way bv an almost unanimous vote of the board of trustees, through the town ot Lake, near Chicago. It was stated before the board that over 880,000 was in hand to expend in the construction of eight miles at that terminus of the road as soon as the right-of-way was granted.— The work in' this county is progressing in a most satisfactory manner. Work, avp hear, has commenced at Dyer, and it will be but a few 7 weeks, at the rate the work now progresses, till the grading and bridging is completed between Lowell and Dyer, a distance of eighteen miles. The contracts have been closed for grading beo o tween Monticello and Delphi, and the work was to nave commenced this week, and to be finished in ninety days.— Lowell Star. A short time since the editor of this paper went to Chicago to see about purchasing supplements for the Herald, containing miscfflaneous reading matter, and he was informed that the Postal Law had ; been So construed that- letter posti age Avould have to be paid upon ; them unless part of them was printed in the office herein Crown Point. Now, ho*vever, nearly every Republican paper in the state is sending out 24-column supplements i Avithout the name of the paper even 1 being printed upon them, the said ! supplements being printed at the Journal office in Indianapolis. Do the papers pay letter postage upon them? Do they pay any postage upon theih at all? If not, why not?— Crown Point Herald. - The Fowle r Herald (Repub lie an) says that Benton county will giver i 500 majority against Jethro A. Hatch,-the Republican salary-grab-bing candidate for State Senator. It says: “We know four townships alone that will do that much, and yet these same townships will give 200 or iSGO majority ioy the Republican State ticket.” In another article it says: “We cite one township in this county that has 104 good and true Republicans in it, a thorough, careful canvass of the township reveals the fact that not.one man will vote for Hatch. “It this fraud on Benton county is . not l-iglitedUshe AVill give ,600 matjority for Mr Major.” S• t■ 1 1 a fixed detrmination lias taken hold of the people that they are as one man. resolved that economy shall be the rule, and not the exception, and t hat this law increasing salaries'shall be repealed. Go through a neighborhood and it seems- eveuv-rntHi j* for t tie clnde- | pendent movement. “We want,’’ they say, “no mure salary grabbers, no more eiglit-dollar-a-day-men —we want a man that will staml by the people, and stand fast, one that we can trust.”— Crown Point Herald. “I am doing good enough busii ness without advertising. ’’ No doubt you are doing well "enough for your present needs, but do you forget the panics, the exciting elections, the times of war or pestilence or any of those many causes which create dull terms ot business ? These must be calculated for and disco untied if you would bridge them o\ 7 er. One must make more than he needs, to make a fortune, and advertising is a powerful auxiliary in moneymaking. — Newspaper Reporter.