Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1903 — MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR DURBIN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR DURBIN

Gent lemon of the Senate and House of Represent!) lives: The Sixty-third General Assembly of Indiana convenes at a time of universal prosperity. Peace, happiness mid contentment more generally prevail than at the convening of any other session of the General Assembly in the history of our commonwealth, and I join with the )M*of*te of the State in returning thanks to the Giver of all gifts for the generous bounty He has bestowed upon us all. Capital and labor are profitably employed and mutually satisfied; industrial and manufacturing enterprises are converting our resources into products which are being carried into every avenue of trade ami commerce; the , farm and factory are richly productive; railroad construction is opening new territory, and applied electricity is connecting our cities and towns Into close neighborhoods. Ah a result of your deliberations I bespeak a session, fruitful of -just- ahd -conservative legislation along the lines of the State’s needs. Indiana's foremost position among the States of the I nioii •ms largely resulted from the progressive and conservative legislation of its General Assemblies. You are commissioned directly by the people to enact laws for their government and protection, and I km sure that you will reflect by your actions the will of the people.

Party responsibility attaches to the administration of State affairs, but partisan politics, as a motive, has no place In its management or control. The best politics Is exemplified in fidelity to official duty and the protection of the Interests of those whom wc serve. Without any abatement of loyalty to our political convictions, let the master motive be one (if serving the State by giving it our patriotic services, to the end that Indiana »ii(iy continue to be one of the most pro■tensive and prosperous States of the Al Ilion. State’s Financetk’Hie financial condition of the common (wealth is one that can justly claim the pride of every good citizen. Not only in Ithe receipt ami disbursement of taxes land fees is there care and judgment to Jie exercised, but n paramount obligation pf loyalty to the requirements of the statutes must be enforced. Any haphazard, (tentative policy of dealing with the ifiiiaiicos of the public is a monstrous .•wrong, and can but result in extravaigance, waste and official scandal. Public fiscal methods should lie tiie exemplar ■lot only of eclectic principles mid praeItiees, but in all that is so diversely iissoJciated with careful, conservative and Vleanly business management. Other Htates have separate bureaus with retinues of officers and clerks for insurance, building mid loan, banking, lands, railroads and varied departments of governmental oversight, that furnish meager duties and substantial salary lists, I.nt Itidina saves this unnecessary expense by merging under central authority these subordinate divisions, thus not only saving tliousamis of di.'.fnrs in atipcrdnows expenses, but giving the public much better and more methodical service. The tax rate in Indiana is one of the lowest of any of the Stites of the Union, and when the growing necessities, both las to permanent improvements and year ly maintenance, are taken into account. •|wns never as light ns lit present. The jHvcrage rate in. Indiana is about $1.50 foil the SIOO, so it will be seen tile burdens of taxation are local. Permit me to sug Igest that the problem involved in the solution of high tax levies is associated rvith township, county ami city govern(iientH. There never was a greater demand for careful and economical business Vidminlstration of local public trusts than •st present. The aggregate taxes of the State rev■•nue and benevolent institution funds, collected in 1902, were $2,108,71.8.50. The imnount of fees paid into the treasury by Ithe State officers was $302,035.02, milk Ing an aggregate of $2,413,783.52, which, (with incidental minor collections from receipts and earnings of the different institutions of tiie State, constituted the general fund. The total tax duplicates of the Stnfe is $1.3117,981,4'37. the amount of mortgage exemptions is $35,109,250; the amount of delinquent taxes is $2,033,41*0.51. I especially direct the attention of the Legislature to this excessive delinquency. 1 suggest that the law now limited to Marion County be applied to the whole State, namely, to allow the Onmty Treasurer to pay fifty cents as a demand fee for collecting delinquent taxes mi personal property, or for collecting delinquent poll tux. This law has proven a most efficient means for ••olleetlucdelinquent taxes from those who own no real estate. The debt reducing policy has been stead Hr pursued, and 1 am gratlflcd io aiin-ninee that since the last biennial session of the leglHlature the following payments have been made. June 29, 11X11, 3 per cent school refunding bond* ..$ B<*>,oO) Jan. 2, 1902, 3 per cent school re funding bonds 317,(XX1 July 26. 11*02, 8 per cent school re funding bonds 1,000,0(8) Jan. 5. 1903, 3 per cent school re funding bonds 200,00'1 Total $1,817,000 Of this amount $793,903.84 accrued from the special levy, and the balance, or sl,013,030.00, was derived from the general fund, $t®5,859.20 of which being the amount of the war claim for Interest and discounts collected from the general government. The annual Interest charge now Is $95.WIS. The unpaid balance of the state debt Is $2,087,015.12, which la represented ns follows: 8 per cent refunding bonds, 1880 $1,113,000 00 per cent, temporary loan, 18115 585,000 00 BM, per cent tempornry funding loan. 181'5 hOll.C(M) 00 5 per Cent Purdue I nlversfty. llKst 340.0 Nt (Ml 5 per cent Indiana University, 1887 144,000 (X) Htste stock certificate*........ 5.(115 12 Total $2,087,013 12 Of the above amount $1,113,(XX) of 3 per cent bonds hare the optional clause and are redeemable at the pleasure of the Htate; the $ 1,085, (XX) 3*4 per cents cannot be paid until 1910, and are due 1915; the $340,000 f> )>er ceut Iwnd, In accordance with the net of Congress requiring the Stale to perpetually guarantee this bond and rate of Intereat. wax, by an act of the I.cglsbitiirc of 1901 (pp. 34-35), renewed April 1, 1(8)1,■ by the Governor and State Treasurer for 20 years. The 5 |»er cent Imnd for $144,000, due to Indiana University, Is also perpetual, •o that the principal of these amounts can aewr be p«ju_ The Mute stock csrtlflcates,

$5,615,12, nre Internal Improvement certificates, the Interest on which has ceased, ami although the State has published far and wide its desire to redeem the same, only SI,OOO has been presented in recent years, so that it Is fair to presume this remaining amount lost. This practically reduces the debt to $2,198,000. I deem It tiie part of financial wisdom to continue the debt-paying course and retain the present State debt sinking fund levy. The stead fast purpose of the commonwealth should be to free Itself of debt and interest and then maintain this condition. There is an approximate identity between the Individ ual In debt mortgaged by fixed charges of Interest, and the State, which is but the composite of Its citizenship, with bonds and nltendant coupons Inexorably sapping tolls from the treasury. Tiie Individual free from financial shackles and the commonwealth Independent of bonds ami bondhold ers, combine both abstract and concrete evidence of prosperous conditions, and relative to tiie State are Inviting to invest meats, business 'enterprise aml s :’. s';, i.tlal citizenship. The claim of the State against the Federal government for interest and discounts on its bonds and obligations, made necessary in the recruiting, equipment and maintenance of the volunteer soldiers of Indiana in the war for the Union, was presented to the Treasury Department by Attorney General Taylor and the accounting department of the State, and the sum of $033,859.20 was paid. This amount was immediately applied in liquidating the State debt, and was included in the $1,000,000 payment on July IS, 1902. 1 would recommend that the tax levy remain unchanged. With the accruing revenues to the general fund, and the li es from the different bureaus of State government, there will be ample resources to provide for all the legitimate expenses of the commonwealth. Banks and Trust Companies. Tiie State banks, trust companies and savings banks are in a flourishing condition. There nre now one hundred and fourteen State banks. The law ought to lie strengthened in that the establishment of branch or collateral banks should not be permitted. There has been an increasing number of trust companies organized each year since the law was passed. At present there are thirty seven. They are uniformly prosperous and occupy the fiduciary fields in their respec five locations. The average rate of in forest paid by these companies for savings is generally 3 per cent per year, compounded semi-annually. There are live savings banks in Indiana, with deposits amounting to $7,812,157.40, and a surplus of $489,041.03. Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. On the 21st day of October, 1901, the board of control of the State Soldiers’ mid Sailors’ Monument officially reported to the Governor the completion of the monument, after a period of almost fourteen years since ground was first broken for the foundation of the massive shaft. The records show that the entire cost of the monument aggregates .8598,318.7(5. The monument is a source of pride to every citizen of Indiana. It is tiie greatest soldiers' monument on earth. On tiie 15th day of May, 1902, this mon ument was formally dedicated. On tiie Ist day of October, 1902, it was my pleasure and honor to accept, on behalf of the people of Indiana, a granite monument erected at the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of tiie martyred President, at Lincoln City, Spencer County. I recommend that suitable provision be made by appropriation to put tiie grounds in proper order mid maintain same. Htate Labor Commission. Tile State Labor Commission, operating under the wise and beneficent law created by the Sixty-first General As sembly, has accomplished great good, and the work so industriously mid conscientiously performed by tiie commissioners, Messrs. L. I’. McCormack mid B. F. Schmid, has been of such a character as to attract favorable attention throughout tiie country. During the past two years this commission has made satisfactory adjustment of forty-two labor controversies, involving 202 firms and 10,(XM) employes, not including nearly u score of boycotts lifted during that period. Mine Inspection. The report of the Mine Inspector exhibits the work most Intelligently done In that department. The mines of Indiana are In creasing In number, and there are employed therein In this State about 18,000 miners. I nm glad to report that never In the mining Industry of Indiana have so many mines been In operation or so msny miners at work. It Is further a matter of congratulation that none of our miners nre ouUon n strike, but that their wages have been gradually Increased, and the material prosperity of these miners wns never so general or generous ns to day. The subject of forestry Is now engaging the earnest attention and consideration of practical men, ns It Is realized that unless (inmedUte and active steps are taken to preserve the timber now growing and to provide for future needs by forest ppopagn tlon, It Is but a matter of a few years until the timber supply of the State will lv en tlrely exhausted. The attention of the mem bars of thia General Assembly Is directed to this Important matter. The work of the Board of Htate Charities Is of inestimable value. Its supervision over the benevolent, charitable and correctional Institutions le of special value and adds materially to the efficient, humane and economical management of these Institutions. Board of Tax Commlaalonere. Experience baa demonstrated that the amendment* to the tax law made by the Legislature of 1901. In that the aaaeeement of street and electric railroad*, Inter county gaa and pipe line*, etc., la now delegated

to the State Board of Tax Commissioners, have given more uniformity to values, because of the merging of this clang of property witliin tiie province of a single taxing authority. The stntute of 1901 specifically taxlng transportation companies should be so nmendeil that it would be treated as an excise tax or license payable directly to tiie Treasurer of State. Tiie statute authorizing the annual meeting of tiie county assessors has been of much benefit. The time of county boards of review ought to be extended so that where business requires they may remain In session forty five days Instead of the present limit. Creation of Bureaus, I consider it is timely to direct attention to the fact that In Indiana we have been creating bureaus at a prodigious rat*; some desirable, others of small practical consequence, and still others that are next to needless. The result of this tendency to a bureaucracy Is especially pernicious In that the creation of a new department marks only the beginning of demands on the treasury for •'more." The work of tiie Legislative Committee, while being a new departure, Is one of the most valuable reforms authorized by statute. Its labors are very arduous and com prebend in scope every feature of Institutional necessity and management. I commend their work and conclusions. Under the law all of the boards of the penal, correctional and benevolent Institutions are non-partisan, excepting that of the Indiana State Prison. Recently. in filling a vacancy on this Board, created by resignation, I made this Hoard also nonpartisan. The State’s Institutions. The public institutions of Indiana, for the support of which the State makes such liberal provision, are to be commended for their conditions of general excellence. The boards of management are carrying Into effect the admirable provisions of law whereby the merit system, humane methods ami business detail are enforced, thus securing the very best administration In the discharge of all tiie multiplied duties and cares, and guarding expenditures without narrow restrictions, but within lines of prudence and economy. There are no deficits to be considered by this General Assembly. The great value to the State derived from the existing law which authorizes the appointment of agents to look after the wards of the State who are released from public Institutions Is universally recognized. What these children need Is the influences of a good home, and I recommend that such Institutions be authorized to employ an agent or agents, with proper duties and powers of selecting places for and exercising watchful care over children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans’ Home and the Industrial School for Girls, and that proper additional appropriation be made therefor. Institutional Emergency Fund. The Governor's Institutional emergency fund carries an appropriation of $30,000 annually to be at the disposition of the chief executive for emergency uses as are Inevitable In connection with the State Institutions. It is a prudent precaution because of the liability of fires, cyclones and omissions from tiie regular appropriation net, and I heartily indorse the continuation of this Item. By the gradual lowering of the water of the Kankakee basin, and the narrowing of the Kankakee river, a large amount, of land Ims been redeemed from overflow. Convict Labor. Some time ago I invited representatives of organized labor to consider with me the subject of convict labor. We visited the State Prison and the Indiana Reformatory In order that the representatives of labor might for themselves see and investigate our system of dealing with the subject. I also Interested gentlemen engaged in man nfacturlng. mid, further, selected one mem tier of the Board of Managers of the State Prison and of the Reformatory, requesting them all to give the subject thought, gat* er Information and offer suggestions as how best to solve the problem. A few weeks ago the matter was discussed In conference with me by all the said representatives No satisfactory substitute for the present system was decided upon. It Is a question of large proportions, and many elements enter Into It. The solution of the convict labor problem, In so far as it relates to Indiana. Is one which Is now pressing. Municipal nod School Corporations. There Is a continuing friction between riiuub ipal and school corporations so far ns the constlrhtlonal limit of bonded debt is concerned. Under the operations of the present law the municipal government <’nu cover the full statutory limit of debt and so cun the school corporation. The line of distinction Is not as clear in the statute as it should be. and I earnestly recommend that the General Assembly amend the Inw l>y making definite provision that there vnn not be Incurred by municipal ami school corporal lons combined any debt beyond the present constitutional limit In this connection I would suggest that hereafter bond Issues by county, municipal or school boards, or by the State, can only be made with a provision for optional payment after a period of ten years from data of Issue. Fire Leases and Insurance. one of the utilities most Intimately associated with our citizenship 1s that of in aurance. I am pleased to say to you flint the stigma of Indiana's being the home of 'wildcat" Insurance has been substantially removed. I recdinniend the enactment of a fire marshal law, modeled after thnt of the State of Massachusetts. The revenue accruing to the State from Insurance fees and taxes last year was $279,885.74. I recommend that the statute lie broadened ns to the class of securities foreign insurance companies shall possess In order to be admitted to Indiana. Governor’s Residence. 1 earnestly recommend legislation that will provide for the purchase or erection and furnishing of a residence to be occupied by the chief executive of the State Voting Machine*. Admitting the so-called Australian system of conducting elections to be n vast Improvement over previous methods, the conclusion Ih forced upon us that It Is so far from being sutlsfnctory that It becomes our bounden duty to adopt measures providing sot) radical betterments. The Blxtfsccond General Assembly crested what Is known n« a "Voting Machine Commission,” the report of which will be submitted for your formal consideration, and 1 trust It wjll receive your earnest ntrntlon We nre confronted with abundant proof thnt the "Australian System." while It | H | n many respects superior to former method*. Is lamentably deficient in the respect thnt ft permits of the prsctlcal dlofranchlsonient of nn astonishingly large number of electors whose ballots should lie counted its they were Intended to be by those them. The efficacy of the’ voting nnichlne Iqts been tested, and It I* the consensus of opinion among those who Vfive given the subject thorough consideration that It guarantees more satisfactory results than may be hoped to be obtained by any other method. • Aggressive Avila. I consider it the duty of this General Assembly to consider carefully lhe lottery evil, ns It exists in many forms, especially with reference to no-called "gnesHlng contests" conducted by certain newspapers of metropolitan pretensions |>ubllHtied outside the confines of Indians. I respectfully submit to your honorable bodies the necessity for the enactment of more clearly defined laws and more dras th- measures for the apprehension cmfw tic metaurea for the suppression of prise fights and the regulation of so-called taxing contests. Prise fighting, whether con ductiy frankly Or covertly, T* debasing and demoralising. I believe It to he the duty of thle Leglelature to take action | n the premises w-hlch will Insure the public protection agalnat disgraceful exhibition* of brutality, under whatever guise It |* pro posed that they be given. Codification of Corporation Laws. While I believe this State le as free, or more so, than most Htate*. from fraudulent concerns, still the law should lie strengthened, so ss to enable the Htate and county officer* to prevent these concerns from doing business within oux borders.

The corporation laws of Indiana should ba codified so that, each corporation may be organized under a law. or section of a law. i'.v 1 itself, and the right, powers and duties should be clearly defined. I suggest for your consideration the appointment of a commission to codify all the corporation laws of Indiana, to be submitted at the next session of the General Assembly. A matter now pressing for action is the right "f railroads and Interurban lines passing through State grounds. These companies are asserting the rlgnt under existing laws to condemn a right of way through the grounds of the State devoted to State purposes. This question should at once be finally determined by law. I uni convinced that there Is a need for legislation looking to the licensing of designated officers to curry revolvers and prohibiting the sale thereof to other persons. Fees anil Salaries. The fee and salary act of 1895 was a stop in the right direction. In that It placed the officers ofl the State upon a basis of annual salaried mid pfovlded for tiie conversion of all fees Into the public treasury. There should be an equalization of salaries; not necessarily an Increase in all cases. The report of lhe Fee and Salary Commission to tiie legislature of 1901 Is replete with Information. Pardon Board. Uy the constitution the pardoning power is vested in the Governor. It is Impossible for lilm to know of nil the conditions that surround the cases wherein application is made for executive clemency. I recommend that n board, to he known as a parole or pardon board, should be created by law, with power to examine each case wherein •'application is made for clemency, and to report to the Governor the results of such examination, together with any recommendations they may have. Kpidemics. During the last two years smallpox has been, prevalent In many counties of the State. The State Board of Health has been energetic and effective in assisting In stamping It out. They have, however, been handicapped by lack of laws that would make quarantine effective and provide for the punishment of those who break n quarantine once established. I recommend that specific appropriation be made for the use of the State Board of Health to enable them to combat the spread of contagious and Infectious diseases, and that additional legislation be had enlarging the powers ot the State, county and city boards of health respecting the adoption and enforcement of quarantine regulations. Lynching;. In the past two years there has been a marked decrease In the violations of law consequent upon tnoThs anti“masked'citizens taking the law into their own hands and visiting vengeance upon their victims. The anti lynching law of 1901 hits been effective in that the sheriff of Sullivan County, after a full and fair hearing before the chief executive, wns found not to have performed his duty 4n priqierly protecting the life of a prisoner from the assaults of a mob thnt succeeded In carrying into effect their purpose of lynching. The sheriff was deposed from office, as provided, by law. Trusts. The evolution along commercial. Industrial and financial lines has resulted in combinations representing almost ■ every business, and the effect Is now being most seriously considered by the public in relation to its Interest. It should always be remembered that corporations secure every legal privilege through legislation. The people are the real grantors, and can never be disassociated in their everpresent rights after Incorporation. In all corporations the piddle Is on both sides. The Integrity of invested capital, whether by individuals or corporations, should never be menaced in Its lawful rights. When encroachment is made by crossing the border line of public policy or public Interest, then the law should assert Itself to the end that the people may have proper protection. The Legislature Is the source of power and prevention in every detail of corporate and public Interest connected with this new and most Important question, and I most earnestly recommend that, without prejudice and in the exercise of conservative judgment, such legislation as may be necessary shall be enacted thnt will guard the welfare of the people of Indiana against any contingency of wrong associated with these modern methods of concentration and combination In forwarding the expanding volume of business that Is increasing with the growth of this prosperous republic. M iscel laneous. Recommendations nre made for the classification of prisoners In the county jails, in protection of Juveniles imd petty offenders against contact with hardened crim Inals, and for the establishment of juvenile courts In the larger cities of the State. Recommendation regarding the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis ask* for the appointment of a special Joint committee to visit St. Louis to obtain needful information that the Legislature may lie properly advised as to Indiana's duty in the matter of an appropriation looking to a suitable display of the State's resources at that exposition. Regarding the proposition to establish nn asylum for epileptics, the message recommends that the Legislature "proceed slowly and upon intelligent lines." Recommendation is also made that prisoners convicted of a second or subsequent offense shall be sent to the State prison at Michigan City Instead of to the reforma tory at Jeffersonville. In conclusion I desire to impress upon your honorable bodies the renponslblUty which has been entrusted to you by the voter* of this commonwealth. They have confided their weal to your hands and will look to you for a faithful discharge of their trust. Let your counsels mid actions be mode/ate and fair; that when you have performed your duty the citizens wnom you repre/eut may say that your deeds ‘are cred/table to themselves and to you.

WINFIELD T. DURBIN.

GOVERNOR DURBIN.