Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1905 — Want Union Dis-Unioned. [ARTICLE]

Want Union Dis-Unioned.

People of Fair Oaks and Vicinity Want a Fair Oaks Township. The moat exciting and interesting contest to come before the County Commissioners for a long time, was the peti ion for a division of Unioa townsh’p. The opponents of the division said that the proposed line between the proposed two townships would zig zig about Bnd in and out, and m ike suddea darts and plunge?, so that if a man himself was objectionable, but his property desirable, it would put hia farm and barn, and obioken 1 ouse and even his book “kitchen” in the new township but leave the man himself and bis house, in the old. This however was a playful saroasm, as the p:oposed dividing line is not so very irregular or illogical. It is proposed to s'art at the northeast corner of section six, on the Barkley line, being also the northeast corner of Harvey Davisson’s land, and to run thence due west three milee, to the northwest corner of section two, in range 7, or where Vinton W. Shock’s two farms corner together; from theuoe south two miles to the Stibbe corners, about a quarter north of Wild Lily sobori house, gaud thenoe west again to the Newton county line. This last line would run one mile south of Fair Oaks, and two north of Parr. The division would put 29 sections in the north township and leave 27 seotions in the south one. it would also, as we understand, make a pretty even division of the voters of the present township. Briefly stated the grounds upon whioh the request for division was based were, that the roads and bridges of the southeast part of the township had been much better oared for than th 9 north put, especially in new gravel roads. That owing to large size of township, and distance of the two centers of population sectional differences, and strife have arisen, so that the township po’itios have become cor. rupt; and no one can b? eleoted to a township office, without a large and illegal expenditure of money. That better school houses and better teaohers were Eupplied to the south than to the north. The petition for division was filed Tuesday at 1 o’clock, and contained some 90 names; mostly residents of Fair Oaks or near viciu ity. The opposition then got busy, and worked all night, and Wednesday afternoon, presented a remonstrance of about 200 names, inolndirg. it is btsted many who had signed, the peti'ion for division.

At the hearing Wednesday after dood, it was ehown that the propost d south part had about 17 miles of gravel road, and the north only ab ut ra’Us, To re butt this, it was claimed that all the gravel pi s sre in the southeast port, and that lli9 Byst m of reals is being ex'ended from these gravel canters, north and west as fast as it ean be done. Also it was statad that the farmers 'around Fair Oaks refruei to haul giavel on the same tei ms those in the south part of thu lo xnehip did. Regarding the t-*aohera and schools the county superintended testified itint as good teachers were suj p ied the north as the s >utb pan. R garding the alleged political corruption, all parties seemed disposed to shy at that proposition O. A. Yeomau, the merchant, prince of Virgie testified that some time heforb ihe election one Dem ooratic township candidate told he had already had over S2OO expense. Another man, this time a Republican had come to town to “see” the ohairman, but that was

about es far as bis testimony went, The Republican county chairman was called to the stand, but declined to testify, To sum up this whoel political corruption part however,, it is clear that in the view of the north end all the bad men live in the south, and in the view of the south end all the bad men live in the north. The commissioners continued tbeoass to the Marok term, and will give farther hearing to petitions and evidence.