Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1903 — THE LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

THE LEGISLATURE.

A synopsis of the more important laws passed by the late legislature, together with a map of the new legislative apportionment appears on an inside page of The Democrat. An Indianapolis paper’s representative intervened the members of the general assembly just closed regarding their making the race for re-el ection. Senator Wolcott replied that he “was in the hands of his friends,” while Representative Wilson answered “maybe.” It is said that work on Hammond’s new court house, which began after a bard legal battle between Crown Point and Hammond, is at a standstill. An appropriation of $20,000 is necessary, and only four out of the seven members of the Council have voted in favor of it.

Under the new T legislative apportion, which will stand for the next six years, Jasper county, is placed with Pulaski for reprereseutative district, and with Starke, Pulaski and Porter senatorial district. Newton is hitched up with Lake on representative, and with White and Benton on senator. White and Cass are hitched together for representative. Under the new apportionment, Jasper county democrats are about ns badly off ns before» while Pulaski is much worse off, for with White county she could elect a representative. In the last eloctiou the republican plurality in this county was 608 (on state ticket) while the democratic plurality in Pulaski was but 184, giving a net republican plurality in the two counties o f 424. In the senatorial apportionment we are still in about the samo condition, as the following table of the vote of 1902 will show: Hum Rep Jaaprr 1310 1918 Stark* 1136 1267 Pulaakl 1698 ISI4 P0rt9r........ 1386 8157 Total 5530 7156 Net Rep. pluurity. 1626.

The Indianapolis News, independent republican, pays ita respects to the legislature just closed as follows: To-day we shall be well rid of the Legislature. It has been many years since we have had a Legislature which was so obviously under the control of the lobby. The complacent attitude of the members of both Houses toward the lobby—an attitude that almost suggested invitation —the entire failure to enforce the rules against the lobby, and the great consideration showed to it by Speaker Marshall, all indicate that the relations between the lobby and some of the members were exceedingly close and friendly-

The Legislature will be remembered chiefly for its defeat of primary election reform, and for its refusal to give the people of Indianapolis the needed power to regulate the use of their streets by the railroads. In the former case, it violated sound principles and repudiated the pledge repeatedly made by both the great political parties. In the latter case it violated common decency. Another scandalous thing was the refusal of the House to consider the question of impeaching Judge Rasch, of Evansville, for peddling out the offices at his disposal. There was no excuse whatever for this. C)f course, attempts were made to justify it but they were all sad failures. The Legislature also defeated a bill making it a crime to buy votes. The attitude of the Republican party of this State toward this question of the corrupt use of money at elections can be explained only on the theory that the party profits by it. More significant, however, even than this was the defeat by the Senate of the so-called AttorneyGeneral’s bill, in which it was proposed to give that officer power to deal with trusts. Here the surrender to the lobby was complete and abject. The Legislature was wrong in passing the bill authorizing the granting of subsidies to steam roads. The whole system is vicious and corrupt. A road that can not make money as a business enterprise pure and simple had better not be built. It will be seen that the bad record of the Legislature is mostly negative. It sinned in defeating good and needed bills. In only sense can this be called negative, however. To refuse to do a needed thing is a positive offense. But at the same time the Legislature enacted comparatively few bad laws, and did enact some good ones. It did not improve the eitutation when it agreed to the amended ripper bill. But it did its duty in passing the law authorizing the use of voting machines, though it ought not to have narrowed its applicatihn to four counties. It was well to increase the Governor’s Balary to SB,OOO, and the salaries of the supreme and appellate judges to $6,000. Of course, it required no very great virtue to do these things. Nor was there any special courage shown in the defeat of the unwise bill providing for an increase of the State levy for school purposes? ‘ In the 'dealing with the fee "nd salary question considurable wisdom was shown. The Gard bill was so amended as to make it comparatively harmless, and the law giving clerks and sheriffs the full amount of their salaries whether the office earns it or not, is a proper one. The Legislature did well, too, tokeopout of the government by commission business. So the conclusion seems to be that, with a few exceptions, the Legislature will be judged, not so much by what it did aB by what it refused or failed to do. It defeated b(?lh gopd and bad bills, and enacted comparatively few that are of any great importance. We think that its char-

acter is to be judged by its killing of good rather than by its killing of bad bills. For it so happens that for the most part the good bills killed were the ones in which the f;reat corporation lobby was chiefy interested. The corporate interestes generally were much more interested jn defeating the track elevation bill than in passing the railroad consolidation bill. And, too, it was of great importance to them to defeat the Attorney-Gen-eral’s bill. It seems fair to say, therefore, that whenever the interests of the people and of the corporations seemed to be in direct conflict the Legislature took the side of the corporations. The impression that it leaves on public mind is one of subservience to the corporation lobby. We hope that some day we shall have a Legislature that will tutn the Cochrums out of doors, and legislate for the people rather than for the corporations. The people can have such a Legislature whenever they are willing to go to the trouble of getting it.