Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1903 — SALARY GRABBING. [ARTICLE]

SALARY GRABBING.

Representative Sayre, in the debate preceding the passage of the bill to give blacksmiths a lien on an animal for horseshoeing: “We have found time during this session to pass a number of bills for the benetit of the banker, the money-lender, the promoter, the railroad president, the professional man—why can’t we spare a minute or two to do a little something for the man who works for a living” * According to newspaper dispatches, basket ball, in some of the college towns, is becoming about ns disgraceful and brutal as foot ball. In the game recently played in New Haven, Conn., between the Waterbury High School and the Boardman Training High School girls, the report of the game says: “The girls struck each other in the face, pulled hair, tripped one another to the Hoor and lost all control of themselves. It is alleged that the roughest tactics ever witnessed in the state were indulged in. Coaches and spectators tried to stop the fight, but failed.' The girls were oblivious to nil else, and they reached at each other with true ferocity. Time was sounded before the game was over and the players had to be dragged apart.’’

Condemnation of the cowardly shooting of Editor Gonzales by Lieutenant*Governor Tillman of South Carolina has been universal on the part of the press of Indiana. Not a single paper of any party has made any attempt to defend Tillman. There is nothing remarkable about that fact. Nobody would expect a paper to defend assassination. But it draw’s attention anew, by contrast, to the action of Gov. Durbin, who is still refusing to honor a requisition from the governor of Kentucky and is thus shielding from trial the man Taylor, who is charged by the ovidence of one of his fellow criminals and party friends with being the fc chief plotter, as well as the chief beneficiary, in as cold blooded and fiendish a conspiracy to murder Gov. Goebel of Kentucky as ever was hatched since Cain slew Abel. Gov. Durbin is prostituting the high office of governor of the great state of Indiana to such bnso uses as no resident of the {state, even members of his own party, cancontemplate without a feeling of shame. —Starke County Democrat.

Great credit is being claimed for the President and his pnrty for the anti-trust legislation accomplished at this session of Congress anil yet, to those acquainted with the inside history of the session, it is known that the President has receded from the Btrong position lm assumed about the first of the year and has attempted to make the best of wholly inadequate and unsatisfactory legislation. Like the razors which were made to sell and not to shave, the anti-trust legislation passed at the short session of the Fiftyb ventli Congress has been unacted for political offi'ct in d not for the control of the trusts. The publicity provisions!' the Nelson amendment are farciai and will in no way effect the trusts already iu existence. Their only [Kissible u*efu ness will be to demonstrate the unreliability of some of the get-rich-quick schemes which nro being constantly exploited; but when it comes to the great combinations of capital which unhesitatingly use iheir wealth to debauch legislators and even make and unmake political parties, they will

prove useless. Even the Elkins bill, which was supported by most of the democrats in the House and received no dissenting vote in the Senate, abolishes the original provisions of the present status and leaves only a fine as the penalty for infraction. The democrats voted for the bill because they believed it a step in the right direction, although a very short step.

This looks like a salary grab time in the legislature. If the pay is not sufficient for the county officers why do they run so hard for the offices? There is nothing compulsory about a man bolding county office.—Oxford Tribune (rop). A bill has been introduced in our legislature, which, if it becomes a law, will materally increase the salaries of all county officers. Making offices and increasing the pay of the old ones seems to be the chief aim of this legislature.—Lowell Tribune (rep) The chief w r ork of the legislature appears to be to lengthen the time of republican county officials without having to go before the people in a general election. Under the new law extending official terms the county election of 1904 has almost been eliminated, nothing but representatives and commissioners to elect. —Evansville Courier, (dem.) A bill has been introduced in Congress to raise the salary of the President of the U. S. to SIOO,OOO instead of #50,000. This is entirely unnecessary. There are always plenty of good men want the place at half the money and would be at half the present price. It will only have the tendency to make them more pliable to the poli-

ticians for another term. Better make it a one term office, which would stimulate him to make a lasting record for himself and the good of the country. This salary grabbing business should be giving a black eye.—Brookston Reporter. (rep.) The bill to increase the salaries of county officers is another assault upon the state treasury and is another reflection of the insatiate hunger of the political wolves that infest the state capitol. —Rich rnond Sun-Telegram (dem.) The legislature of two years ago was regarded as one of the worst that ever attempted to make laws for the great- commonwealth of Indiana. But the one now iu session is worse than the last by several points. Tlie majority side put in the first half of the session in a mad scramble around the pie counter and seem determined to devote the Inst half in doing nothing that will be of benefit to the public. Plenty of measures have been introduced and some passed increasing the salaries of public officials. It is estimated that if the proposed salary-increasing measures pass that the burdens of taxation to meet the increase will be considerable more than a million a year. If there has been a single law of general meritorious interest passed it has not been made public. Spencer Herald (dem.)