The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-05-03
CHARGES AGAINST UNION O0RREEss.
P0NDENTS.

i ~ lie hDl1UfS u 141I1 4 h11ilNxIeAII1 Il
85g Being q reader and correspond
ent Of the Union I claim the privilege
Of replying to the abusive charges
brought against correspondents Of The
Union in an article entitled CORES
pondence and Comparison" by Reader
in the Telegraph Of April 20. The
readers of the Telegraph who are ac-
|quainted with the Union and read its
correspondence need not be told that
Readers charges are spitefully and ma
| liciously false. And those, even, who
| do not read the Union, will not fail to
observe the total lack Of fairness and
candor, and the prejudice, envy and
reckless exaggeration that characterize
"Reader's" communication He says
the proportion Of truth TO falsehood
in the correspondence Of the Union is
as che grain to tons; that is one truth
to not less 23,o00,0oo lies. He claims
to have taken pains to ascertain the
truth or falsity Of much Of the cores
.pondence Of the Union. If that be
true he must have had adeal Of leisure
and his letter would certainly tend to
verify the poetical adage "Satan finds
some mischief still for idle hands TO
do" He also says is is characteristic
Of the Union and its correspondents
never to tell the truth when a falsehood
answers the purpose better. We must
infer from this that in Readers prin-
ciples a lie viii sometimes answer bet
ter than the truth. The readers Of the
Telegraph Willnot agree with him. A
lie 42ever answers as well as the truth.
And if the correspondents Of the Union
only lie when q falsehood answers bet
ter they neoer lie. This, in fact, is true
although Reader cid not intend to
utter so much truth when he wrote it.
I am Intimately acquainted with three
Of the regular correspondents Of the
Union and I know them to be lovers Of
truth and persons who would Scorn to
falsify or deceive. Other correspond
ents I know by repute to be persons Of
good character; and I look upon the
effort of ''Reader" to blacken and injure
the character Of these correspondents
as a piece Of wanton malice II 'Rea-
der" had an honest purpose he would
have given some instances in which
the correspondents Of the Union have
falsifed, instead Of making such sweep
ing charges. In an article entitled
"Tax Payers and Tramps" published
several months ago in the Union
stated the sheriff had charged the tax
payers Of Kenosha county one dolla~
per head for keeping tranps over n gbt
and supplying them food the taxpayers
furnishing lodging and fire. [ also
stated the County Board allowed the
bill. [ believe these facts can not be
truthfully denied. II they are not
facts it can easily be shown. | also
said it was reported that tramps had
cost Kenosha county Taxpayers 5000.
did not state it for a fact. I End in
the published proceedings Of the Board
that the amount allowed the sheriff for
keeping tramps is $702. The first
tramp bill for 1876 Of $549, was allow
ed in full May q. The next bill pre-
scented by the sheriff for keeping tramps
was 1904. The County Board cut down
this bill just rs per cent. and on Jan.
4, 1877 allowed it at $153. The article
in the Union signed "Tax-Payer" was
written in the interests Of Taxpayers
and to call public attention to, what
seemed to every one coenizant Of the
facts, the extortionate charges Of the
then sheriff, John Lucas. The County
Board always sensitive to the ballot
orial barometer cut down the sherifPs
charges as above stated. The sheriff
was allowed q bill No. rs of $137 for
boarding transient paupers and r.
Harris bill No 27, $1,000 for boarding
paupers. CWere these paupers tramps p
The taxpayer cannot tell from reading
the published. county accounts what
the sheriff charged per capita for keep
ing tramps over night in the jail and
feeding them. He can only learn that
q certain amount viz: $702, was spe-
cifcally appropriated to the sheriff for