Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1903 — ANTI-GAMBLINU BILL KILLED. [ARTICLE]

ANTI-GAMBLINU BILL KILLED.

Gov. Durbin, in vetoing the bill to provide a statute for George Rogers Clark, to be placed in memorial ball at the national capitol, held with the contention of the democratic members of the legislature, that Clark was not a citizen of Indiaua. The work of the legislature was completed yesterday so far as passing bills was concerned, but the body will remain in session until Monday night, when it adjourns sine die. During this time it has the power to pass bills over the governor’s veto. The bill to allow county officers the full amount of their salary regardless of the amount of fees collected by them has passed both house and beon signed by the governor. The only office affected in this county is that of sheriff, where, unless the officer is very dilligent in collecting his fees, they do not amount to enough to cover his salary. The same is true in many other counties.

Representative Warren G. Sayre of Wabash is a pretty stiff republican, because he has lived in republican surroundings so long. But in a general way he would make a very consistent and forceful democrat. He is one of the very few republicans in the legislature who dareß to object to salary grabs, official term extensions and the numerous other grafts which are trying to creep into our statute books for the benefit of a few designing politicians who want more salary, etc. Mr. Sayre is not making himself very Bolid with the grafters, but the people whose money they are after will have reason to thank Warren Sayre for being their friend indeed.—Rochester Sentinel (dem.) It was reported the bill to raise the per diem of township assessors to $3 had passed both houses and would become effective this year, but according to the Indianapolis papers the assessors’ bill did not pass the senate until Wednesday, and does not affect assessors in the smaller counties. It fixes a general feo of $2 a day to be paid assessors with $2 a day for their deputies. Special salaries are fixed, however, in the following cases: In townships of from 5,000 population, S2OO with $25 for every additional thousand up to 20,1X10. In townships of from 20,000 to 75,000 population, from SBOO to $1,500; in townships of from 75,000 to 100.000 population. $1,800; over 100,000 population, $2,500.

Tlio Democrat is not in the business of booming Congressman Crumpacker, but perhaps the following clipping from a Washington dispatch will be of interest to his republican admirers in this vicinity: “Ono of these tine days President Roosevelt is going to hand out another plum or two to Representative Crumpacker. Judgo Crumpacker is smiling and happy over the prospect, but he is silent as a clam ns to what is coming. The president and Crumpacker are getting to be great cronies. Crumpacker is always a welcome visitor at the white house and he can got the president’s enr, to use a politician’s phrase, whenever he wants it. The more Roosevelt sees of Crumpacker the better ho like- him and vice versa. The friendly feeling between them is duo in part to tin fact that both of them are Dutchmen. Abou* 175 years ago Crumpacker’s un cestor-i ’’migrated from Germany to Holland. They had been attracted t»y the liberality of the Dutch laws and were in Bearch of a place where they could think and act as they pleased. This desire to be independent has been a family characteristic ever siuqje and has received its best exemplification in Edward Dean Crumpacker, the Tenth district congressman, who can neither bo bulldozed nor cajoled, and who when he makes up his mind that he is right, will light until there is nothing left of him but his big toes, and even they will wiggle defiantly.”,

The Hastings anti-gajnbling bill, a very meritorious measure, mention of which was made to some length in The Democrat last week, passed the House with very little opposition, but was killed in the Senate Tuesday. This bill would have done more to stop gambling in Indiana than all the anti-gambling laws now on our statute books, and it is not much to the credit of the gentlemen of the upper house for refusing to pass it. Under the present laws gambling is quite frequently run right in plain view and under the very nose of the prosecuting attorneys and local officers, and not a finger is raised to stop it. Not long ago, in a neighboring town, a bright, honest young lawyer was appointed deputy prosecutor, and, we are told, was soon approached by a man who had several gambling devices which ho wanted to set up in the saloons in the young deputy prosecutor’s town. He asked the young man what the price would be for letting him operate, or not disturbing his agents, rather, and the deputy told him to go to Halifax; that he was no bribe-taken, and if one of the machines was set up in the town he would immediately prosecute the saloon keeper who allowed it in his place. "Not so fast, young man,” said the man of games, "I believe - -—-is\Jthe prosecuting attorney of this judicial circuit, and I will do business with him; you are only a deputy.” He “saw” the prosecutor, it is said, and the games were allowed to run and are still running at this time, while the young lawyer who thought that he had been appointed to prosecutft violations of the law instead of protecting the violators, became so disgusted that he resigned. We personally know of one instance in this former judicial circuit where a few years ago a man was operating a quart shop, in violation of the law. He informed the writer that he was paying the

prosecuting attorney $5.00 per month for “protection.” A wholesale liquor house at Lafayette was backing the quart shop man. Finally the people of the little town where he operated became so aroused that the prosecutor was unable to keep them from acting, and the keeper of the illegal saloon was indicted by the grand jury on several counts. All but one of the indictments was quashed and the man plead guilty to that and got off with S2O all told. Then, so he informed us, the prosecutor told him that lie had better close up for awhile until the community quieted down again, when he could once inoro start upon the old terms of “$5.00 per.” About two months passed by and the man became anxious to “resume.” He wrote a letter to his backers in Lafayette and in four or five days received a reply, which he showed us. It said that the liquor firm had written Mr. , the prosecuting attorney at , and ho had replied that the republican judicial convention would be hold at Goodland on , and'as he was a c ndidate for ronomination, he did not want Mr. to resume business at - - until after said convention. His d lies were respected. This prosecuting attorney is aid to have made several thousand dollars out of tl office during the years he “operated” it, and other well authenticated stories that come to our ears where he was paid liberally for “protection,” eonvincd us that ho “operated” it for all there was in it. Is there not noed of drastic measures to make public officials enforce t)ie laws when such things are taking place all over the stato?