Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1902 — COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARRESTED. [ARTICLE]

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ARRESTED.

Editor Babcock, of The Democrat, Charges Them With Making Unlawful Allowance. Messrs. A. Halleok, 8. A. Dobell and Frederiok Way mire, constituting the present board of commissioners of Jasper oounty, were served with warrants of arrest, Tuesday, on affidavit filed by Frank E. Babcock, editor of the Jasper County Demoorat. The charge is making an unlawful allowance. Mr. Babcock has waited a good while before taking this action, as the act complained of took place more than a year ago, The commissioners gave bail, in the sum of 1100 each, for their appearanoe at the next term of the oirouit court. J. F, Major, the oounty clerk, being bondsman for Messrs. Halleck and Dowell, and Dan Waymire for Mr. Waymire.

The circumstance upon which this aotion is based is as follows: Ik Sept. 1900 when the commissioners made an order for another Gifford railroad election in Barkley tp., they directed that the notice for the same ehonld be published in The Republican, believing when they made it, that they had the right to direot where such notice should be published, and the notice was therefore duly published in this paper. At the same time, however, it was published also in the Journal, by the deputy auditor. Both papers filed their claims for publishing the notioe and coming before the commissioners at different terms, both were inadvertently allowed. As soon as the mistake was discovered the commissioners examined the law, and finding that the auditor had the legal right to direot the publication, they decided that the publication made in the Journal should be considered the legal one, and directed that the amount paid to The Republican should be refunded . This was done, the money being paid baok to the county, early in January, 1901. This “unlawful allowance” was purely a mistake whioh any man might make, even in his own business and it was rectified as Boon as discovered, and the county did not lose a cent on aocount of it. Still this wholly harmless mistake, is the ostensible reason why these three faithful and careful public officials are now to be dragged before the court charged with a penal offenoe. But whether it is the aotual reason may be judged when the facts of another oircumstanoe are related. The oounty and township ballots and sample ballots for the eleotion of 1900 were printed by the Democrat, and a olaim for $l5O for same filed with the commissioners. This oharge was nearly twice what the oounty had heretofore been charged for similar work, was just twice what the oounty oounoil had estimated the work would be worth and had appropriated for, and more than twice what the work would have octet had it been put out to publio competition, as most oounty work now is. The commissioners therefore, as waa their plain duty to do, out down this exorbitant olaim from $l5O to $75. During 1901 the Democrat filed another bill, with the commissionon, wMitg them to pay the $75 whioh had been out off from the previous Mil. This claim the commissioners, very properly dismissed entirely I the commissioners, in the exercise of their undoubted lawful rights, have ohosen to place such legal printing as they oontrol in another Democratic paper. Does anyone believe, for an ihctant that had the oounty commissioners consented to have taken

this $75 out of the county treasury and paid it where it was not justly owed and have given The Democrat their legal printing, that this affidavit would have been filed against them?