Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-03-17
last week the Democrat and Regis.

paid on fox, ETC., scalps for the year 1879,
$l9Ss.s5. Respectfully submitted to the
editor of the JuHiaia Sentinel and Repu6ii-
can for publication
just why the Democrat and Register
referred the action of the Hunting
don County Commissioners to the
editor of the Juniata Sentinel and Re-
publican does not appear.
If it is intended to justify the
Commissioners of Juniata county for
paying the premiums on scalps, then
it is right In one sense, and in an
other sense it is wrong. If it is in
tended to show that a general law
exists for the payment of premiums
ON scalps, and that in other counties
than in Juniata large sums are paid
for such premiums-if that is what
the Democrat and Register intends, then
it is right; then it is also wrong, for
its justification condemns the censure
that it put on the Commissioners of
this county for paying for scalps
Either horn will put the Democrat and
Register where it does not wish to be
put.
If it is intended to tell the editor
of the Sentinel and Republican that
the present Board of Commissioners
stands condemned for paying scalp
premiums, then it condemns every
Board of Commissioners in the past
many years, for the Democratic Com
missioners of the past have paid out
thousands of dollars for premiums
op scalps.
If it rs intended to condemn the
editor of the Sentinel and Republican,
for publishing the first time that the
fact was ever published. that the Com
missioners pay only for scalps that
come up from the offices of the Jus
tees of the Peace, regularly certified
to, We must stand condemned, for
the Sentinel and Republican is the paper
that published that fact to the citi-
zens of Juniata county, and the prob
ability is that if it had not done so,
the fact would yet remain unpublish-
ed. The Democrat aud Register should
have done SO years ago, and lifted the
abuse that was laid at the door of
the Commissioners office in the past
for paying for scalps.
Wnen the editor OF the Sentinel and
Republican was told, at the beginning
Of the year, by one Of the Board of
Commissioners-M Mr. Wilson that
the bill for scalps was large, but
that the Commissioners could not go
back of the sworn certificates from
the Offices of the Justices of the
Peace, We asked to see the law Mr.
Irwin, the present clerk to the board,
made di!ligent search time and again
for the law, but because of the fact
that it is not properly indexed in the
digests he failed to find it. Other
parties to whom he applied, failed to
find it; but finally the desired infor-
nation came from Squire Lukens, of
Thompsontown. 1t was Squire Lu-
kens, of Thompsontown, who fur
nished the information to Mr.. Irwin
that led to the publication in the Sen
tinet and Republican of the fact that
the Commissioners cannot help but
pay for scalps when they are proper
ly certified to from the Office of the
Justice, where the hunter must ap-
pear with the scalps 1t is a most
enviable record for the present Board
to make. to show to their constituents
that they have clean hands, and that
if a wrong and an outrage is perpe-
trated, that it is done down in the
offices of the Justices, with the hunter
as the chief manipulation of scalps,
hides, and skins.
This is a piece of revelation that
tine Democrat and Register should have
made for the people of the county,
but it seems that it was reserved for
the Republican Board of Commits
sioners to do in the first year of their
management Mr.. McWiiliams is
also pleased that the censure that for
years has been hurled at the Com
missioners' Office for the scalp bust
ness has at last been exploded
We have then at the bottom of this
most agreeable revelation of fact,
the Republican Commissioners, the
editor of the Sentinel and Republican,
the Clerk to the Commissioners, and
Squire Lukens, of Thompsontown
and while the Republicans may well
be congratulated over the achieve
ment of the work of the first year of
their Commissioners, the Democracy
should return their thanks to the
present Board of Commissioners for
getting down to the bottom facts in
the scalp business, and thereby make
known to the public the fact that the
crookedness lies not in the Commits
sioners' Office. but in the lower court,
in the office of the Justice and with
the hunter The Republicans have
done that in the first year of their
administration. Why did not the
Democrat and Register shield its Com
years ago, by telling the
plain facts If the present Board
keeps on at the present rate of uE-
facts. and by their record
even pull out old Democratic ex-
Commissioners from ugly sloughs
where they were allowed TO founder
as best they could, it will not be a
matter of surprise if three-fourths of
the Democratic party turn around
and vote the Republican ticket at the
next election for county officers.
If the Republican Board of Com
In one year have discov-
cred that there is something wrong
with the manner of manipulation of
the scalp business in the lower court,
n something that the Democracy
failed to see during the period of
the rule Of thirty years, it is some
thing that the Republicans partieu-
larly and the taxpayers generally
should be well satisfied with. and it
chor,ld couvinca thep tbax II Is IN 4