The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-09-15

OF the soldiers who have faced duty and
have responded waen the nation called
for her pravest sons, has made the
average citizen mad to the boiling over
point, and the downright rascality that
has occasioned so many sad homes has
been Indignantly and at times profanely
referred to by those who are interested in
the valiant young men whom have come
back to their homes with shattered nerves
and weakened constitutions.
There are few citizens Of Canton,
however, while denouncing the treatment
of the soldiers in the roundest terms that
can be employed, see, perhaps, silver
lining to the cloud of dust that is being
raised In tbe war department and other
departments that have to do with the
sustenance of the soldiers in the field. 1t
is said that one Aber Mckinley, who has
figured In mole or less desirable mentions
that have been made concerning this
sinews of war, has been interested In
several of the contracts that have been
made, and whereby someone got big
graft at the expense Of the health and
comfort Of the soldiers. Whatever may
have been the effect of the speculation as
regards the health Of the soldiers, ana
whatever Abner had to do with the rail-
road contracts, with routes suggesting
trip from New York by way Of Maine,
and tnG shoe deal, and the wormy hard
tack supplies, the fact that he Is reported
TO have had something to do with some
of these contracts, at double the prices OF
the commodities for private use, has its
interest in many homes in Canton
some homes that are palatial, some that
are modest, and others that are more
modest now than when their owners or
late owners met certain brother of
certain distinguished citizen, who had
little scheme on hand,
Since so much has been said about
Abner being on the inside of transactions
involving millions, there are quite few
people in Canton, and some in Alliance
and otner cities, that wonder II they will
now realize on some Of those old prom
ises. There Is whole armful Of
certificates Of stock in Cation that the
holders would be pless'd to exchange
for tbe hard coin they parted with to
OBJ ain. They want to know II 1t isn't
about time that printing telegraph COM
pany got on paying basis. They have
sorupulnusly observed the injunction that
they should just lay the stock certificates
away In their safes and let them stay
there, and now they think they ought to
hear whether there isn't going to be a
dividend, since the fellow to whom they
paid their money is reported to be ioing
we'll in the furnishing of supplies for the
army of which his brother is commander
In chief. 1t has been some years since
Abner appeared iu Canton with hook
temptinglg baited, seeking bites. He
had prospectus that wary man would
nibbls at and man having confidence In
the fisherman would swallow whole. He
was the ma jjr's brother, and that went a
great way. The msjor was in congress
and had gained some notoriety by enter
tanning notions about proposition in
economics known as taxing fellow who
coul int afford to pev and letting the
other fellow go, and his brother was just
the sort of chap to engineer deal and
play the popularity Of the Congressman tc
the limit A lawyer named Essick, who
resided at Alliance, had invented device
that was intended to do type writing
right at the end Of telegraph wire. II
would do away with the man at the
receiving end of the line, and the operator
who did the sending was oil the hand
that was needed to get message to you
that was printed in plain English. II
was a great conception, and the inventor
was generally congratulated on having
engendered the idea and given birth tC
what afterward was patented. Abner
saw in the thing immense possibilities.
He got Essiok in tow and went into the
promoting business ON large scale.
The very first thing that was done was to
run pat i through t..s patent ofiioe.
This cost in the neighborhood Of sos.
With that immsnse outlay staring the