Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 June 1908 — OCCUPANTS OF GLASS HOUSES [ARTICLE]

OCCUPANTS OF GLASS HOUSES

Combined Editors of the Democrat Leave Gaps Down When They Undertake Explanation. Records in the county court house show that Editor Babcock gave in his printing office this year for assessment at a valuation of S4OO. This is based on the value of the office on March Ist, as required by law. Four days later, on March 4th, the editor of that paper mortgaged the office to the First. National bank for S6OO, and enumerated the office equipment in the “bill of sale.’’ The mortgage also stated that the outfit in addition to the printing equipment had at least S2OO worth of paper stbck on hand And yet this wonderfully industriousregulator of the people's business and the public welfare could only re- - member of S4OO worth of assessable prining office stock and equipment, •When the assessor called. And thia same assessment shows that Editor Babcock had only SSO on hand in cash arid nothing due in accounts, and yet on March 17th he made an advance payment of $632.50 tor a year’s rental of a linotype machine, and he also bought extras td the sum Of $lB6 and type metal in the silm bf 1 S7O and paid freight and sent his son to a linotype School arid made several trips to Chicago and Indianapolis and yet his assessments showed that he Had only SSO to do all these things with and he had no accounts due. Aid he spent for these things something like S9OO in less than a month. Of course, part of this money was secafed tty giving the mortgage, but where did the rest come from? According to Mr. Babcock’s report to the assessor he had been getting poorer each year for the past three years. Iri 1906 he gave in his office and personal property at s66o;in 1907 he gave it in it $570 And in * 1908 he gave it in at - $565. And each year he had the same SSO cash on hand, and in view of this constant lessening of the value of' the office he makes great claims of his personal prosperity and leases a Hfaotype machine, and spends in Cash the first month more" than twice as much as he figures his office to •be worth to the assessor plus all the cash he has and all accounts due. ’feat at the same time he had bills filed with the auditor against the cotinty for $117.50 and which amount * Wa£ allowed to him by the county j Commissioners at the March term. Our 1 belief is that Mr. Babcock has been ghilty of no more of an evasion than hundreds of other people, and yet a man so monstrously interested in 1 the conduct of others and who for years has made such a grand stand play about how he has been a public benefactor while republicans have persecuted him and prosecuted him should play mighty close to the true line of ‘■honesty himself. Failing to do this is apt to result in a public conviction that the man is demanding honesty in others while he is playing the rascal himself. Assuredly the evasion of Dr. Hartsell was no more marked than that of Editor Babcock, who ducked his hundreds while the doctor did his thousands. And now to contradict, and we have the county assessor’s records to main- I thin our statement, the falsehood published about the valuation Editor I Leslie Clark placed on his Junior Lin- ' otype mabhlne. The Democrat said he placed It for assessment at $l9O, when he placed it at S3OO in 1906 and at S2OO in 1907. Any person who caret to ascertain about the “truth and veracity” of the editor of the Demo- ■ crat can do so at the county auditor’s office. His falsehoods are of record. And there is a chance that after all it is not Frank E. Babcock that tossed the slur at the memory of Dr. Hartsell. John Jessen, a successful——— Democrat of years of party faithfulness, who has been at the editorial helm of the Democrat for some weeks, may have written that article, and thus his public record tor aiding in public Improvements comes into discussion. And the books of the city show that John was a regular customer of the city water works plant for two and a half years prior to May Ist, 1907, gnd the records show that on that date the water was shut oft at his rental for two and one-half years all house for non-payment, the entire rental for two and one-half years all being due and still unpaid. It does beat all how “careless some people are.” | . And the glass house occupant is invariably casting stones. All cotton goods back to old prices at Rowles A Parker’s. You can afford to buy them now If you bpy here