Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 January 1901 — GOVERNOR MOUNT’S MESSAGE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

GOVERNOR MOUNT’S MESSAGE.

Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives: Yeti have been chosen to the high and responsible duties of lawmakers for this Commonwealth. It is within your power to do much to make or mar the good Mme of Indiana. Your duties are arduous, your responsibilities great. The time allotted for the multiplicity of duties before yon is brief. It'-will therefore be needful that prompt attention from the begb*ing of the session be given to import: it measures that will be before you for your action. The condition of the public finances of the State of Indiana are certainly a matter of congratulation to every citizen ♦f the commonwealth. The debt paying policy has continued during the past two years until at the present time it can be safely predicted that all of the State’s kudebtedness that admits of payment will be paid within a time not exceeding four years should the specific appropriations •f the coming Legislature not be abnor■rally large. The amount of the State debt Jan. 10 of the present year was as follows: • per cent refunding school fund bonds, series 1899 $2,930,010.1)0 per cent refunders, series 1886 ... ................... . 555.000.0tL per cent State House, series 1895 500.000.00 State stock certificates (interest stopped) 5,015.12 fc per cent bond, Purdue University ... 340, 000.00 • per cent bond. Indiana Univeralty 144,000.00 $4,504,615.12 Of the public debt of the State less than S3,O(M),IM.K> is available in the near future for cancellation. There has been paid on tlte public debt in the past two years $1,096,000. These payments have been made from the State debt sinking fund of 3 cents on each SIOO, and an addition of $109,000 from the general finiiU The Legislature of 1899 made extraordinary specific appropriations consequent «pon the necessities of the State institutions and the substantial improvement fo>- the Indiana reformatory at Jeffersonville. The appropriations, amounting to •early $1,000,000, were more than double that of any preceding Legislature for years past. Should flic appropriations few the session of 1901 be of a normal amount the debt paying ability of the knccming administration will be substantially increased. The tax duplicate of Indiana amounts io $ 1,335,740,098. which is the hugest in the history of the State. It is a source of congratulation that the system of taxation in Indiana by which corporate and all oilier forma of property are assessed at their true cash value is largely respon•ftile for this very gratifying aggregate •f taxable* of the commonwealth. While the deduction* for the year 1899 were fai round numbers $27,500,000, there was to offset this, an increase of $-3,909,800 in the assessment of the personal property of the State, and of $0,414,640 in the assessment of corporate property. The total taxes for all purposes, State •nd county, accruing from the duplicate • mounted to s2l .ti 59.795.51. Of this • mount, however, all the expenses of the gciimal fund of the State ami the Ftalc debt sinking fund are met on a levy of 17 cents on the SIOO, which is one of the very loWi-st levies of any of the States of the Union. Truly every eitiaen of Indiana can take pride in the •diuirsble linaneial status of the Stale. Primary Election. The primary convention is the basic foundation of good gjftvernnieiit. In some of the large cities, the methods of conducting the primary convention* are any thing but assuring. A law that would eliminate the evil now attending some of these conventions and guarantee a free and unlratmueled expression from the rotors, without cumbersome provis tone and expensive paraphernalia, would meet with favor. The corruption of the ballot, through the purchase of votes, is a menace to free government. This dangerous evil is growing, and has already reached alarming conditions. Success in a campaign is becoming more and more contingent ■l>on boodle instead of principle and merit. The present dangerous and disreputable methods must be stopped. Both the seller and the buyer of vote* should be punished by disfranchisement, by tine •ad imprisonment. *1 lie Insane. A long step was taken by the last LegMature toward providing for the insane of the State. Still larger provisions must Im* made. It is the duty of the State to provide for«its unfortunate wards. The aggregate number of inmate* In the four insane hospitals is 3,502. Both the condition and management of these institution* are to Im* commended. Two years ago I called the attention •f the Legislature to the need of revising the judiciary of the State. Courts are Multiplying more rapidly than litigation, •nd court expenses nt a more rapid rate than courts. This growing expense can be obviated and existing inequalities re moved through the reorganization of the State into court districts comprising several counties, equalizing as nearly ns possible the work of the several districts and providing for tlx- number of judges to correspond with the size of sniil districts. Indiana is justly proud of the splendid tribute paid to her soldiers nnd sailors bi the monument erected to their memory. I earnestly recommend the enactment of • law that will forbid its desecration. Non-Partisan Control. * In the management of the State institution* the welfare of the Inmates, the

good name of the State, has been kept constantly in view. The maximum in efficiency with the minimum in cost have been the objective points. The merit and not the spoils system now dominates. I recommend the enactment of a lawplacing the Indiana State pri*on under non-partisan management. Thia rule now obtains there, but not by direct process of law. The Indiana Industrial School for Girls and Woman’s prison should be separated, but retained under one management. That part of the fish law that permit* seining should be promptly repealed and a strong provision enacted against this method of taking fish. 1' recommend that a law be enacted requiring a license before non-residents can hunt in Indiana. I wish to call attention of the General Assembly to the efforts of the present management of the State library to make more easily accessible by systematic arrangement, cataloguing, and indexing the contents of the library. I should like also to commend the requeot of the State librarian for larger appropriations for the collection nnd preservation of materials relating to the early history of the. Btate. A few hundred dollars well spent now will become of inestimable value in a few years. State Board of Agriculture. The energy and ability displayed by this board in securing the finest exhibit, last fall, ever shown in the State, is worthy of commendation. In horticulture. in growth of the cereals— in short, in all its agricultural interests, our State takes high rank. Much of this progress is due to our State fair. All our people should encourage and patronize the fair. House concurrent resolution No. 0 directed the return of the Terry's Texas Rangers’ battle flag to the survivors of that organization. On the 4th day of October, 1899, in the presence of -thousands of people, your executive, after a short address, placed in the hand* of the Governor of Texas that flag. Gov. Sayre made a feeling response. The Legislature of Texas passed appropriate resolutions commending the Legislature of Indiana. With commendable wisdom and zeal, the State labor commissioners have discharged their responsible duties. Tlte workingmen of the various industries and interests of the State are industrious and law-abiding. The commissioners have been a potent factor in securing an amicable adjustment of -til labor troubles.

The lobbyist is becoming more and more ;t:i element of danger in our lawmaking assemblies. The professional lobbyist is a foe to good government, and merits the righteous condemnation of those who have uppermost in their desires the good of the people. This magnificent capitol should be kept in good repair. Au appropriation sufficient to this end is wise. Purdue University was founded as an agricultural college. The manifest purpose of the founder of this university and tly subsequent laws was to furnish a training for industrial pursuits. It was to teach the farmer to apply science to his farming, the principles of economies to his business -transactions. It was to train architects, mechanics, engineers, electricians—in brief, to fit the students for the practical pursuits of industrial business. The lack of a knowledge of the science of agriculture is producing its results. Thousands of abandoned farms in the Eastern States sound the note of alarm. Unthrifty methods are leaving their disastrous trace in our State. Purdue must disseminate the knowledge in agricultural and mechanical industries, upon which rest the material prosperity of the State. Indiana is an agricultural State. What has it done and what is it doing to advance this great industry, as compared with other States? (Here the Governor givas statistics of schools of agriculture in the surrounding States by which it is shown that all of these have from time to time made large appropriations for the advancement of agriculture, while Indiana has appropriated specifically for her school of agriculture, farm ami experiment station but $24,600 since 1874.1 The. little interest the State has taken iq the agricultural department of the school, the shabby building and equip- ( incuts for students from the farm, is the sequel, in part, for the small number enrolled as agricultural students. All the States that are keeping abreast of the times in their agricultural colleges have | growing interest and increase of agrlcul 1 lural students. I therefore recommend n liberal appropriation for improved building and facilities for agricultural instruction, nnd that Purdue be made a great agricultural nnd mechanical university. There is need of better protection to tin* live stock interests of the State from infectious nnd contagions diseases. The loss annually sustained in this State amounts to more than three million dollars. In pursuance of an act approved March 11, 1895, Gov. Matthews appointed u Uhiekiunnuga and Chattanooga National Park Commission. This laborious task of locating and marking all the points on the memorable battlefield of Clilcku binuga has been performed. This is Indiana's great battlefield. Forty Indiana organizations took part on this bloody field and lost in killed, wounded and miss ing 3,920 men. The report of this com mission is valuable to the State. County and Township Reform Lawn. There is n growing sentiment in favor of strict economy nnd business integrity In the management of county nnd town ship business. The laws recently enact ed looking to this end have, in the main, been wise. Some little amendments may lie added, but the principle of these laws must be maintained. More thnn half a million dollars saved to the taxpayers innmtlly through tip* county reform laws. Multiplied thousands of dollars have been saved to the taxpayers tinder these new laws. The State Board of Health, with commendable zeal, Ims studied sanitary conditions, and promptly combatted the first appearance of infections nnd contagious diseases. Many valuable suggestions nre presented in their annual report. The State should sacredly guard the public health. Goo.l Roa-I*. Go«nl roads are needful to social development ami intellectual progress. Tb-v

add to the material prosperity of th* country at large. Rural free delivery of mail is destined to do much to elevat* farm life. Road improvement is one of the conditions needful to secure these advantage*. All classes of people are benefited when roads are improved. If the Supervisors enforce the law which requires service on the highways, and faithfully execute the law in regard to working out road taxes, a noted improvement in the roads would result therefrom. Both In my inaugural address and in my biennial message, I called attention to the unfair methods in vogue Whereby the road assessment on railroads was farmed out through an agent who takes from the railroad at a large discount their assessment, makes a deal with the road supervisor, gets the receipt in full for the assessment, and turns the same over to the railroads, who use these receipts as cash in payment of taxes. The railroads are assessed for taxation in round numbers at one hundred fifty-four million dollars. The average road tax is about 20 cents on the SIOO, thus creating a road, tax of about $300,000. It is safe to say that $120,000 of this amount is not expended for highway improvement as contemplated by law. This highhanded injustice has continued long enough. All road taxes should be paid in cash? reserving to the payer the right to work out the same, provided he responds at the time and in the manner required "by the supervisor, accepting the lawful price for such labor, and performing service iu full for nil receipts given. Lynching. The people of Indiana feel keenly the sting of reproach and the justice of the criticism heaped upon the State by reason of the brutal lynchings that have dishonored her good name. That the lynched committed a brutal crime is no justification for dethroning law and courts of justice, and establishing mob violence at the behest of infuriated and impassioned men. Where lynch lawlessness obtains, safety to person and property is lost. A mob is an assembly of lawless men acting in defiance to law. The remedy must be found through the co-operation of good citizens in demanding a rigid enforcement of the law, and not through mob violence. The law<abiding people must be willing to testify as witnesses, serve on juries; and see that courageous, true men are selected as judges and prosecutors. The lynchings that have marred the good name of our State and disgraced the cause of justice by revolting murder demand heroic remedy. I trust the Legislature will enact further laws that will prove a wholesome remedy against further dishonor. The county that permits conditions that lead to organized mob violence, and murder, should be made liable to heavy damages for such lynchings.Such suits to be brought by the Attorney General, and changed to a county removed from the control of local influence, the county guilty of the offense to bear all cost of witnesses and trial, such cause to be tried before the court. The minimum and maximum damages to be fixed by law, half of which shall go to the school fund of the State, and half to the legal heirs of the lynched. In addition to the above, and the valuable laws of two years ago. I approve and commend the suggestion made in the splendid report of Attorney General Taylor "that if a person is taken away from the custody of a sheriff of a county nnd is lynched, that such action shall ipso facto vacate his office of sheriff.” The Trust Problem. I hope the present General Assembly will wisely and courageously meet the grave questions which the greed of monopoly has forced to the front. The line of demarcation between the legitimate function* of large investments of capital, independently controlled, and the combination of industries into a gigantic monopoly, for the purpose of influencing markets and the gratification of the spirit of avarice, are so diverse that the good may not tie placed .ainder ban with th* evil. During the past two year* monopolistic tendency has been the rule. Small industries have been absorbed and dismantled. Healthy competition, in many instances, destroyed, large industries closed, prices forced upward by arbitrary methods, all of which constitute dangerous conspiracies against the public good. 1 must be content to point out the need, and leave to the wisdom of the Legislature to provide the remedy. The rate of tire insurance should not be arbitrarily controlled by any combination of underwriters. No corporation should be allowed, at its own sweet will, to fix prices- or rates. The State appropriates but $5,000 for the holding of farm institutes. Tills is but one-third the amount appropriated by adjoining States. At least SIO,OOO should be appropriated for this moans of educating the great mass of our farmers.

Public Kchool*. It is most gratifying to note that the educational interests of the State are making substantial progress. In the common schools the country finds its anchor of safety. These should always receive the fostering care of the State. The Indiana University and the. State Normal, under the splendid nnd efficient management of their presidents and faculty, nre making commendable progress. Where kidnapers have no legal or blood claim, where abduction is for rnnsoni or any other unlawful |Hirpose, it should be made in extreme cases punishable by death or imprisonment for life. Amend the laws of taxation so a* to give the State Board of Tax Commissioners original jurisdiction iu matters of assessment over all electric railroads extending into different counties. I dVem it timely to call the attention of the General Assembly to the Pan-Ameri-can exposition to lie held In Buffalo. New York. I regard it as proper that Indiana should iwive a rcprewntatlon there in sopie measure commensurate with the State's importnneo. In eonelusion. gentlemen, I trust Hint concord nnd good will may prevail, and that the spirit of moderation will characterize your actions nnd fairness govern your discussions nnd deliberations. I ntn confident that State pride will prompt to noble effort in behnlf of such measure* ns will best ndvnnce all the interests of this common wealth. JAMES A. MOUNT. At the Sandy Hook Lighthouse wnvea In n storm break on the walls with a weight of three ton* ngalnat every square Inch. • Some 2,(KM>,000 pottuds of camphor are consumed In tlie United States yearly.