POOR Farm - Supervisor - Putnam

Editor – Banner – Through the columns of your paper I would like to inquire of the tax payers of Putnam County if they are away that there is a sale stable run at the county farm for individual purposes. I will venture to say that the sales of horses from this new public “stable,” during the last two years will amount to nearly a thousand dollars.  If this is the county’s idea in conducting a poor farm it is a new one to me.  I consider it an outrate that the self-esteemed individual who is conducting the farm should be allowed to go on neglecting the county stock while he feeds his own stock better than any sale stable in the State of Indiana.  At the same time, all this feed is bought at the county’s expense; and corn has been bought at 44 cents when it might just as well have been bought at 30 cents from other parties not quite so intimate friends of Mr. Shoptaugh.  The worse feature about the farm is the manner in which the county stock is so regulated.  The farm is not more than capable of supporting the highly fed horses alone that are being raised upon it – not taking into consideration the other stock.  Yet I understand that the cows got down so poor last spring that some of them had to be helped up when they wanted to rise.  I would also like to inquire if it is proper that the county should board Mr. Shoptaugh’s sister and her horse when as I understand she has a farm of her own?  Also, whether the county should pay a salary to Mr. Shoptaugh’s son in order that he may go over the county showing wheat on other people’s farms – the county furnishing the horses, feeding them and boarding them? In conclusion, I will commend Mr. Shoptaugh for ONE THING.  That is, that he did not enter some of those fat county-fed horses for premiums at the Bainbridge Fair. – Tax payer