Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1908 — NO RINGSTERS ARE IN CONTROL [ARTICLE]

NO RINGSTERS ARE IN CONTROL

Charge that Republicans Have Machine Power In Jasper County Is Resented. To what straights the Jasper Comity Democrat goes to endeavor to make it appear that the Repub lican party in Jasper county county is machine ridden. Probably there never was a county freer from bossism than the republican party in Jasper county. The recent reorganization .was effected after the most thoro public notice, and newly chosen chairman, Moses Leopold, was given the office without ever having asked a single person to support him for it. Mn fact, he has said, that with|his work as city treasurer, and his constantly increasing legal practice, that he hardly felt justi fled in accepting the position of chairman. And his selection was not at the instance of former chairman Halleck. The meeting was called for last Tuesday morning at 11 o’clock, and the committeemen were assembled in the corridors of the court house for an hour before the convention was called to order, and Mr. Halleck was attending to some affairs relating to the district convention and was not at the oourt house and Mr. Leopold was busy with some ditch matters before the commissioners’ court. Had there been any disposition on the part of the committeemen to select different officers they would have found no opposition in doing it. There is no fight in the Republican ranks as regards either Mr. Hall eck or Mr. Leopold, or any one else or any thing else. Mr. Leopold was chosen lo become the ohairman because members of the party recognized his fitness for the place.

There was a little contest for the position of secretary to the committee, bat it was very friendly, and the editor of the Republican had no grievance at the fact that he was defeated for the position, having only, asked it because it is so generally the custom for the editor of the party organ to act as the secretary of the committee. Dr. Kannal, who was chosen, is a part of no machine, and represents no divided party interests. The critioism of the Democrat Is really an attack on Mr. Halleok, and the'charge that he either assumes the oharacter ot boss or tries to do so, is emphatically not the case. \V here political sway, Offices are invariably held by grafters, bat Jasper county never had a better lot of officials than it has at the present time. A mention of their names here will not be out of the way, as individually and collectively they are as fine a lot of officers as any county ever bad. They are, Auditor James N. Leatberman, Clerk Chas. C. Warner, Recorder John H. Tilton, Treasurer Jesse D. Allman, Sheriff John O’Connor, Surveyor Myrt B. Price, Assessor John Q. Lewip. This is certainly a very fine and excellently qualified lot of office holders in a county that the Democrat would undertake to make its readers believe was dominated by machine politicians, and the Republican defies the Democrat to make a single charge against any of these men. This kind of political rot that deals in innuendos, and endeavors to pursuade the people of a community that they are being robbed, deceived and humbugged, and that fails tospecify in what par ticulaiVay these things are accomplished, is not worthy the consideration of thinking people and uasually goes little farther than satisfying the ego of the person responsible for it that he Is making a big hit. The republicans of Jasper oounty should resent the charge that they are being bossed, for there never any oounty as little boning as there U among the republicans here In Jasper. Any one wanting an

office depending on a nomination to secure it, can come out into the oped with the full assurance that he will not be interfered with by the party organization. And proof that this is not the case is an additional challenge placed at the door of the Democrat. The Republican favors the square deal, and shall give it to republican and democrat alike, and the Democrat would be more respectable if it did the same thing. ,