Democratic watchman., November 01, 1889, Image 1

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a
iteljmae
BY PRP. GRAY MEEK.
Ink Slings.
— Why shouldn’t the colored brethren
have their share of the boodle ?
—A vote for EDMUND A. BIGLER is a
vote against the State money being used
for private speculation.
—The voice of the tariff saver is not
heard in the land to the extent thatit
Something has been
heard to drop since then.
was a year ago.
—-The only thing the Democrats
have to fear is apathy. The party is
united in sentiment. Success is within
their reach if they get out the full vote.
—Isn’t it about time to remove the
cover that conceals the speculative op-
erations of the State Treasuryrings. The
election of BiarLrer will take off the
cover.
—Democrats who stay at home next
Tuesday won't have a right to complain
if the present profligate and dishonest
management of the State Treasury con-
tinues.
—Harmony prevails in the Democra-
tic ranks of the county. Victory is
sure if this harmonions feeling is attend-
ed by a determination to poll every
Democratic vote.
—Why isit that when one of" the
ring rounders and heelers comes out of
the Keystone Gazetle office he draws
the back of his hand across his snoot
with such evident satisfaction ?
—A Democratic vote cast this year is
a vote cast for ballot reform. The boodler
and the bulldozer must go, and the de-
parting procession should be headed by
BoYER, the enemy of the Australian
ballot system.
—Your horse and wagon can do good
service for good government, both in
State and county, by hauling Democrats
to the polls next Tuesday. But if a
horse and wagon are nut convenient, de-
pend upon your legs.
—Let not a guilty man escape.
Turn out of office the unfaithful public
servants who have been betraying the
interests of the farmersand the wage-
earners. BovEerjhas been conspicnous-
ly offensive in that way.
— How does it come that none of the
colored brethren are seen ascending the
massive stairway that leads up to the
mansion of the Boss ? When the boodle is
di vided there should be no distinction
of color.
— When Boss Hastings tells a col-
ored brother that he hasn't any ‘‘sur-
plus” to give out to the supporters of
the ring ticket, he is merely trying to
save the “stufl” for other voters with
whom he knows it is either boodle or
bolt.
—The ring managers have arranged
to divide their voters off into blocks of
ten. It is doubtful whether the Dud-
ley method of working Indiana floaters
will work successfully in Centre Coun-
ty. This isn’t’ congenial soil for the
block business.
—The two dollars a day and roast beef
that were promised as the fruit of a tar-
iff victory, have not been realized by the
laborers who were humbugged by the
promises of the supporters of monopo-
ly. They shouldn’t forget this when they
go to vote.
—HasTINGS has remained very quiet
since he came to town last week, but the
rounders and heelers who are seen
climbing the broad steps that lead to
his palatial residence know where to go
for the boodle. To them itis equiva-
lent to climbing up the golden stairs.
—Centre County voters may be de-
ceived, as they were two years ago by
Republican pledges of county reform,
and last year by the promises of tariff
prosperity, but we don’t believe that
any considerable percentage of them
can be bought up by the ring huck-
sters.
—The colored voters of Bellefonte
were called to hold a meeting in Wh.
MirLs’ barber shop last Wednesday ev-
ening. If they don’t get something more
substantial than empty promises from
the ringsters they ain’t smart. The
swag’s afloat and they should enforce a
divvy.
— Business was never duller in Con-
tre county and throughout the whole
State than it is at this present moment.
Tt will be well enough for working
people to bear this in mind when the
tariff shriekers of a year ago ask them to
vote for Boyer. the candidate of the
Treasury ring.
—Don’t wait until next year to put
the seal of condemnation on the 1niqui-
ties of the last session of she Legislature.
Now is the
and the farmers to strike at the unfaith-
ful lawmakers Ly hitting their presiding
and
time for the wage-carners
officer who is asking for their votes,
to strike right from the shoulder.
—Why is it that Fizprek doesn’t
proceed agains tw man who he says is as
bad as Capt. Crark of Philipsburg ?
Doesn’t he know that itis as much his
duty as anybody else’s to bing bad peo-
ple to justice, particularly if heis as well
acquainted with their badness as he pro-
fesses to be in Capt. CLARKS case?
|
NS
STATE RIGHTS AN
D FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. 34.
BELLEFONTE, PA.,
Democrats, Don’t be Fooled.
It is now but a few days until the
election and Democrats should not al-
low themselves to be decieved by the
apparant indifference of Republican
politicians, or the pretended *‘don’t-care-
a-cuss'’’ demeanor of theordinary town-
ship worker. The truth is they have
set up a job in close counties, and in
those which they have hopes of car
rying, to throw Democrats off their
guard and steal a march on them oa
election day.
Their instructions from their State
chairman is to make pretense of doing
nothing ; to leave Democrats under the
impression that they are not caring
anything about the resuit this fall, and
that no effort will be made to get out
their vote. At the same time they are
instructed to hold township caucuses at
private houses, to divide up the Repub-
lican vote in each school district iute
blocks of five or ten,and to appoint one
man captain of each bloc 7, whose duty
it is to see that his five or ten votes, as
the case may be, are gotten to the polls
early.
maintain the greatest and
when the result is announced, surprise
the Democrats with the fullness of the
vote they have cast.
secr
It is a nice scheme if it pans out
well.
Inluckily for these Republican
away’ in time for Democrats to meet
them with every vote at the polls
show them that secret
scheming trickery will not win.
A few Sundays ago a caucus of this
kind was held in the eastern precinct of
We have the name
caucuses and
Boggs township.
of the residence at
the names of most of those present. Tt
was intended to arrange matters for the
entire township of Boggs and the bor-
ough of Milesburg. It didn’t work
well, however, for the reason that some
of the parties wanted Mike Musser
taken from the Republican ticket and
Fisuer's name substituted, and a num-
ber of those present kicked bitterly
against such a change. Others then
proposed that arrangement be made to
trade a vote for Judge, District Attor-
ney, County Surveyor and Coroner, for
a vote for Fremina for Prothonotary.
This raised another rookery, and by
the time these two propositions were
settled it was hardly known who couid
be trusted to take charge of the squads
they had met to
or “blocks of ten
form.
How many more of the same kind ot
meetings were held on that same Sun- |
day afternoon, or how many have been
held since, we do not know.
It should be enough for the Demo-
crats of the county to know that this
secret kind of work is . being done.
That every effort that can quietly be
made is being put forth to poll the
puLL Republican vote, and that to do
this Gren. Dax Hastings came home on
Thursday of last week with the necessary
“poodle” to pay the “captains” of each
block $2 for his days worl; for each team
necessary to get out the vote $3,00, and
a reserve fund of some $1,800 to hire
men who do not want to vote with
them, to stay away from the polls, and
to buy such votes that are purchas-
able on election day.
To further cover up their work Gen.
HastinGs has kept himself off the
streets and hid away as much as possi-
ble, doing his work and sending out his
orders from his residence, in place of
from his office.
Democrats, we have warned you of
the situation. You have it in your
power to say whether this scheming,
underhand, corrupt method in politics
shall be successful in Centre county or
not.
You have only to go to the polls and
deposit your ballots to defeat this trick-
ery and we feel confident that you
have the disposition and determination
to do so.
em———————
——If you are small enough and
corrupt enough to accept the price, $2,
offered by Republicans to Democrats
who will stay away from the polls on
election day, get your money be
forehand. They will make no payments
after they discover how badly they are
beaten by the honest voters of the
county.
————————
Democrats, every vote left at
home on election day is just that much
help to the Republican bosses.
In this matter they are to| man
! who huve passed upon his bills, includ-
I himseif would not think of raising any |
and |
How a Careful and Conscientious Offi-
cial Has Saved Costs to the County.
The reckless attack of the ring or-
gan on District Attorney MEYER con-
|
cerning the fees he has charged for his
service, furnishes an opportunity of |
showing what Mr. Mever has saved
the taxpayers in the settlement of cases |
which if they had been allowed to go |
to trial would have imposed heavy |
costs upon the county. The ring organ |
alleges that Mr. Meyer has charged |
$7 in the settlement of all cases. This is |
entirely false, FiEpLEr having purpose- |
ly ignored the fact that in most of the |
cases settled by Mr. MEYER, which re-
sulted in saving hundreds of dollars to
the county, he received and did not
ask more than a 85 fee. The record
shows this and Mr. MEYER invites its |
examination to confirm this statement.
It is vastly more trustworthy than the
loose assertions of the Keystone Gazette. |
The fee bill has been construed
by the present District Attorney the
same as by his predecessors, and those
ing both the bench and tne bar as well
as the Commissioners’ Attorney, have
pronounced them correct, reasonable
and within the legal limit. FIepLer
objections to them if he didn’t think it |
; : . | necessary to falsity the facts in order
schemers this trick has heen “given | "6C¢SSarY to falsity the tacts in order to
serye a political purpose.
In every case settled by Mr. Meyer
before the indictment was drawn, the
case prepared and the subpenas issued,
he charged and received but $3. Hedid
"this to encouarage the settlement of
which it met and |
| done up to the point of formal trial, and |
| case has been concluded very profitably |
| for
petty and unimportant cases, and thus |
save to the defenda ts and prosecutors
the expense of further proceedings, and
to the county the cost of a jury
trial. Hundreds of dollars have thus
been saved by such careful and con- |
scientions management,
But the fee bill has another clause,
viz, “drawing indictment and prosecut-
ing the same where the defendant or
prosecutor is required to pay the costs,
%7." The ring organ has no desire to
mention this part of the fee bill which
entitles the prosecuting attoraey to
for his service. Mr.
seven dollars
Meyer has very correctly and justifi- |
ably taken the position, in which he |
has neen sustained by the court and |
members of the bar, that where the in-
dictment has heen drawn, the case pre-
pared for trial,the witnesses subpoenaed,
the case prosecuted as far as can be
the defendant is then induced to step
in. waive trial and pay the costs, the
the for it has not cost
the county a single dollar. When an
official has managed a case in a way so
county,
advantageously for the county every
fair-minded citizen, every interested
taxpayer, will applaud him for having
saved the time and money that would
otherwise have been expended in its
trial. Suppose, on the other hand,
that the case was not settled, but tried, |
and the defendant was convicted and
sentenced, it being of the petty class
that are too frequently brought into
court. Then under the act of May 19
1887, pamphlet laws, page 138, the
costs would immediately have to be
paid by the county, the defendant goes
to jail and at the end of three months,
or the term of his imprisonment, comes
out under the provisions of the insol-
vent law, and the county never gets a
single cent from the transaction, but
has to stand the costs. If the defend-
ant should be acquitted in a felony the
county would have to pay the costs at
any rate; in misdemeanors the jury
could put the costs on the county,on the
prosecutor or defendant, or divide them
between the prosecutor and defendant,
In the latter event tne defendant seldom
has the money to pay and goes to jail.
In either event, therefore, in nine cases
out of ten the ccsts are settled down on
the taxpayers pay
the county and
them.
Lu this stage of the question it may
be interesting to know how much Mr.
Muyer has saved the county in
settlement of the cases cited by the |
Gozette, and we publish the list, with |
the costs in each case, not including
the expense of keeping open the court,
such as jurors, witnesses, court officers,
&e., which would be required had these
cases been tried, and all that Mr, Mey:
ir got in each of these cases for this
excellent service to the taxpayers was
the !
{
the strictly legal fee of $7.00:
i
| Ls How COSTS
NO. SESSION. DISPOSED OF SAVED TO C0.
| 16 January
i 3 April
1 do
17 do
21 do
17 August
21 do
2% do
| 84 do
i 3h do
7 Nov.
12 do
14 do
15 do
16 do
20 do
Jie 43] do
24 do
26 do
27 do
{ 5 January 's8
| 6 do >
i 7 do
! 10 do
| 14 April
| 26 do
i 30 do
| 32 oa
| 2 August
| 4 do
11 do
15 do
17 do
23 do
25 do
27 do
28 do
i~30 do
sl do
P83 do
| 8t do
35 do
39 do
44 do
7 do
16 do
19 do
14 do
15 do
{6 do
20 po
2 do
t do
15 do
20 do
19 do
21 do
3 do
Total saved to the county
I . . . .
| Unintentionally the ring organ did
| a good service in referring to this sub-
i. '
ject,as it_has afforded the taxpayers an
opportunity of learning how Mr. Mey-
ER has been mindful of their interests.
The people have reason to be satisfied
with his record and will demand his
service as District Attorney for three
years more.
BALLOT REFORM.
Do the people (asks the Philadel
| phia Record) of Pennsylvania really
| want ballot reform ? Would they like
| to have the footing of the election re-
| turns express the unbought, unintim-
dae will of the voters? There will
| be an excellent opportunity to make a
record on November 5th. Epmunp A,
Bierer and the Democratic party are
for ballot reform. Mr. Bover and
his party are against it.
|
The Voters Will Reprove the Assess-
ment Outrages.
Our incompetent
Republican County
Before exercising the right of sut-
frage next Tuesday it will be well for
the voters of the county, irrespective of
of party connection, to pause and con-
sider what they have gained and in
what way’the general interests of the
county have been affected, by the
change in the county offices that took
place two years ago. At that time
it was claimed by the Republican
ringmasters that there was need of
reform in the county management,
Reform.
and by raising a great racket
on that subject they succeeded in
deceiving enough voters to put a
number of their understrappers in of-
fice. In this way they got control of
the commissioners’ office, and a nice
kind of reform they brought about in
that quarter. The report of the last
| grand jury testified to the bad condi-
tion of the county buildings. It show
ed up the kind of care and attention
that has been bestowed on the county
property by those model reformers,
Hexperson and Decker, an exhibit
which the Republican organs declined
to publish in their columns for reasons
that are quite apparent. In two years
of their county administration the
large surplus that had been left in the
treasury by the last Democratic
board has entirely disappeared and
there is a visible increase of the coun-
ty debt of over $8000, as shown by the
last Auditors’ report. There have
been no improvements made to justify
this. If there had been county build-
ings repaired and bridgss built, or
other necessary expenses incurred for
the benefit of the people, a justifiable
reason would exist for the disappear-
ance of the large surplus and an in-
crease of the debt. Bat, as is report-
ed by the grand jury, both the court
! house and the jail are in a neglected
| of repairs done to
and disgraceful condition, bridges that
were carried away by the flood have
not been rebuilt, and those that are
standing have not had a dollar's worth
them although
many of them greatly need it. ‘here
can be no other cause assigned for this
bad financial situation than that the
men put into the Commissioners of-
| fice by the Republican cry of reform
| two years ago have neither the men-
| tal ability or the moral qualities to
render efficient and satisfactory per-
i formance of their official duties.
The Sherifi’s office furnishes anoth-
| er example of the kind of reform which
board of county |
commissioners have caused widespread |
dissatisfaction among land owners of!
the county by their high-handed and
{| unwarranted increase of the valuation
X
| of property for tax purposes, their ob- |
Republican control has given our coun-
ty. We havealready frequently called
public attention to an immoral episode
in the personal conduct of Sheriff
Cooke which almost at the very thresh-
| hold of his official career stamped him
|
| ject being to secure county revenue |
| tion. This is assuming a right and
| 3 :
| power which the law does not give
| them, and against which no property
{owner in the county is safe. This
| power can be exercised alone by the
| ASSESSOTS, SWOrn and impowered to per-
| form their designated duty, When
| they return assessments it is a usurpa-
tion for a board of commissioners to in-
| crease the value so returned, a proceed-
ing that can be attributed only to gross
ignorance orto an arrogant assumption
of authority.
But so irregular and unjust a prac-
tice has sprung from a rash and foolish
promise to meet the county expenses
with an insufficient rate of taxation,
which can be fulfilled only by raising
the taxable valuations, or an increase
of the county debt
ly follow. The tax basis is completely
disturbed by this plan of fulfilling Re-
publican pledges of reform, unequal
burdens being imposed which are cal-
culated to work injustice and produce
dissatisfaction. It is that this
high hand:d increase of valuations re-
must necessari-
said
turned by assessors has even been ex-
tended to personal property, the value
of mules returned in the Snow Shoe re-
gion having been raised by the com-
missioners from $60 to HI0.
The people, however, have their
remedy against these high handed pro-
ceedings. They can show their disap-
| probation next Tuesday by casting their
| votes in a way that will notify the ig-
| norant, reckless and incompetent ma-
{ jority in the Commissioners office that
they can mismanage the county affairs
: but one year longer.
A tull vote means Democratic victory.
without an apparent increase of taxa- |
as unfit to hold a public office. In the
performance of his official duties he
has shown a grasping and avaricious
disposition, greedy to make every cent
that could be squeezed out of his posi-
tion. In charging mileage, in the ex-
action of poundage, and in straining
the fee bill beyond the lawful limit, he
has shown that he doesn’t allow such
a thing as legal restraint to interfere
with and limit his official profits. The
docket shows writ after writ on which
this grasping official charged fees to
which he had no legal right. This
robbery was in many instance practiced
upon poor defendants who in addition
to the misfortune of being pushed to
the wall by legal process, were made to
suffer at the hands of an official harpy.
It was alleged by his supporters
when he was a candidate that if elect-
ed he would be the poor man’s friend
and that the unfortunate defendant
would receive the tenderest treatment
at his hands, but he has proved a regu-
lar Shylock in office, intent upon exact-
ing the last drop of blood that can
be squeezed out of the unfortunate vie-
tim by an over-taxed fee bill.
We have shown whatkind of reform
the Bellefonte Republican ring manag-
ers have introduced into the Commission-
ers’ and Sheritt’s offices, and now they
want to introduce some of it into the
Prothonotary’s office hy the election of
Fremiva. We doubt whether the peo-
ple want to have it extended over an
office so closely connected with the
courts. Bosses are bad enongh in
politics, but when they aim at control-
ling the source of legal business the
only safety of the people is for them to
put their foot down on such a scheme.
——————
——Centre County can’t be carried
by the boodle of any Boss.
Spawls from the Keystone,
—Some furnaces near Reading are using im-
ported iron ore.
—Raspberries were sold in the Easton market
on Wednesday.
—At a Lancaster church fair chances on alive
steer will be sold.
—Five decrees of divorce were] issued las
week at Lancaster,
: —The price of bread at Pottstown has been
Teduced to a nickel.
—A single comunion class at Stouchsburg
recently numbered 330.
—The Berks County Courts have decided that
a ty pe-written will is legal.
—A bureau made of cigar boxes was recently
chanced off at Harriburg.
—Pittsburg has a 7-year old child that is be
yond the contrel of its parents.
—Iuight tramps have been convicted at Allen
town of stealing six kegs of beer.
—Reading barber shops are to be closed on
Sunday by the Law and Order society.
—George E. Heere, of Pottstown, found a peis
oned loaf of bread on his kitchen steps.
—Willie Sears, a Lancaster 10 yearold enter-
tains crowds on the street with his whistling
m ; : : U
—The Mennonite brethren in convention a
Reading greet each other with fervent kisses:
—Fourteen hundred violets have been order-
ed of a West Grove gardener by a Philadelphia
florist.
—Johnstown residents have contributed near-
ly $6000 to continue the work of searching for
bodies.
—The Lehigh valley Silk mill,at South Beth-
lehem, has ordered several thousand addition-
al spindles.
—Thieves broke into the room of an inmate of
the Berks county alms house and stole $10 and
two watches.
—An unknown woman was killed by a Lehigh
Valley passenger train at Tunkannock on Wed-
neesday night.
—Republican factions in Berks county are as
far apart as ever, despite efforts to bring abou
a reconciliation.
—The body of a baby was buried under the
doorstep of a Blossburg resident. The neigh-
bors found it.
—M. Krupp, the great gun maker, is looking
for a site in Pittsburg according to a statement
to a paper of that city.
—While a public presentation was being
made to Clara Barton at Johnstown the floo¥
sank and caused a panic.
—Unless rain shall do the work, another tem-
porary splash dam will be made at Lock Ha-
ven to float grounded logs.
—The Sophs at the College at Gettysburg have
secured a class flag: made of asbestos, so that
the freshmen eannot burn it.
—One edition of a Pennsburg paper contains
sixty three advertisments by land owners warn
ing gunners to keep off their property.
—The lineman erecting electric light poles’
at Williamsport are opposed by citizens who ob
ject to poles on their pavements.
—The Diligence Fire Company, No. 2,0f Beth
lehem, celebrated their eightieth anniversary
last week with a grand banquet.
: t
—An old man named Fortzinger, desponden
over his losses by the flood, hanged himself in
Conemaugh borough the other day.
El
—The contents of the pockets ofa tramp
coat which he left at a Telford smithy, led to
his arrest for robbery at Norristown.
—Two young men at Macungie were arrested
for bumping chestnut trees, which brings the
nuts in showers but ruins the trees.
—The village of Ephrata is greatly excited
over an alledged ghost, which takes the shape
Of a very large woman dressed in black.
—The dying request of a Harrisburg girl
was that her father should see that a drygoods
bill contracted by her shovld be paid.
—Mr. and Mrs. J. C, Snyder, of Columbia»
aged 84 and 78 respectively, have just celebra-
ted their sixtieth weading annivesary.
—A House designed to exhibit a patent roof:
Ing at the Berks county fair has been purchas-
eb by a Blue Mountain hermit who will live in
it.
—At Pittsburg a Hungarian wanted to make
a dressing-room of a railroad-waiting room. Be-
ng stopped he changed his clothes in the
street.
—Without the aid of a magistrate or minister
Calvin Heric and Hattie Bear, of Meadville
married each other at the office of the County
Clerk.
—A $2 bill lost twenty four years ago by John
Unger at Wenrensville, Berks county, while
digging a trench, was found last Thurs
day.
—A Harrisburg Zelegraph man found $80,00°
in negotiable securities on the floor of a bank
and returned them before they were miss-
ed,
—Eleven years ago James Ryan, of Moun
Carmel, prevented a wreck on theReading Rail
road, and last week he received a life pass over
the road.
—It is expected that the Window Glass Man’
ufacturers’ association at its next meeting in
Pittsburg,will authorize a 5 percent advance in
the price.
—With the body of her babe in her arms
Maggie Simmons, yet a child herself, applied
for aid at Erie. She said that her husband had
eloped with her mother.
—Not for years has their been so much
freight traffic on the roads centering at Will”
jamsport as there is now. Shippers cannot be
accommodated with ears.
—The Berks county Almshouse farm produc.
ed 3000 loads of hay, 2400 bushels of wheat, 210
bushels of oats, 4000 bushels of corn, and 1200
bushels of potatoes last season.
Levi L. Landis, 46 years old, of New Berlinville
Berks county, has beea declared a lunatic.
He imagined that a line of electric
hal beeujerected through his head.
wires
—Rive cent barbers of Reading have written
to the Labor Council of that city to say that they
are forced to charge that price to compete with
other barbers who sell monthly tickets.
—Emil and Matilda Schmidt, of South Beth-
lehern, have sued the Reading Railroad Com-
pany for $20,000 damages for the killing of
their daughter Lizzie by a passenger train at &
Crossing,
—Mrs. Hogentogler, of Marietta, gave birth
toa child a few days ago, and during the ab,
sence of the nurse she was seized with an ep-
ileptie fit and volled on her child, killing it
A Coroners jury exoneratedher.
—Objecting to the erection of an electric
light pole, a Williamsport man stood guard
over his pavement and drove the workmen
away ; but was lured away from home by a
trick, and the pole was planted during his ab-
sance.
Cry. LEA