Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1909 — BUSY DAYS IN A POLITICAL WAY [ARTICLE]

BUSY DAYS IN A POLITICAL WAY

Assembling of Legislature Draws Many to Capital. NOT A FEW PLUM HUNTING Dispensation of Patronage Attracts the Customary Degree of Eager Interest On the Part of Those Who Cherish Hopes In That Direction—Democrats Will Fill the House Appointments, While the Republicans Will Hand Out the Plums on the Senate Side. Indianapolis, Jan. 5. —Just now these are busy days in Indianapolis In a political way. The assembling of the legislature always attracts a crowd which is large enough to fill the lobbies of the hotels. Some of the persons who come to the capital on these occasions are merely lookers-on. who take a few days off to renew Acquaintances made at other times. But a great many of the visitors now here have a more definite purpose. Taking the house and senate together, they have seventy-five or eighty plums of various sizes to distribute and there is never any scarcity of applicants for | these places The Republicans control < the patronage of the senate and each i of the twenty-seven Republican senn tors can secure a place for at least one of his constituents lint It is not BO In the house, where there are sixty Democratic members, each of whom ean command onlv about two-thirds of a job. if, indeed, he can land that much It has not been determined yet how the Democrats are going to appor tion the patronage, as there ar* tin fractional candidates so far heard of Considering the fact that the Demo erats have been excluded from the leg islatlve offices for more than a dozen years, they are acting decided!v fine about the matter There really 1? no great rush for appointments—not near | ly as many men are socking placemight have been expected The num 1 ber is not mor>- than half ns grcir n-'l the Republican have been accustomed i to face on like occasions '-'’hen ih<v were sole dispensers of patronage This fact lias made a good impression on the public mind and gives added strength in the statement of the Dem ocrats that instead of hungering fooffices iliev are more interested In doing the things that will mak< for tin general welfare Aside from those who are concerned about tin legislative position ’hero is an occasional visjtot who w .nld like to hfl'e an appointnu nt nt the hands of the new governor The num ber of such persons Is not targe how ever, and the talk In Republican pa pers about a "horde" of officeseelcers "making life miserable" for Mr Mtn shall is largely nonsense When the latter gets into office he will, when all is said, have comparatively few places to give out that are especially desfra ble. From time to time he will havrto make a good many appointments, but they will be positions that are more honorary than profitable It is doubtless true that for the few office® that carry both honor and a substan tlal salary there will be many more applicants ’han places, but this is always the case Mr Marshall will not be able to recognize all the men that be would like to c-onipliment or re ward. It is expected however, tha’ he will do the best he can, and that in all he does he will consider both the public and the party welfare • * • During the campaign a good deal was heard about the “bi-partisan" man agement of our state institutions It is true that as the law stands the vari cns trustees are to be equal ly divided between the two big parties That is what is supposed to make them “bi-partisan” Naturally one 3 would think that Democrats have stood as good a chance for appoint ment tc places In the state's institu lions as Republicans, but in tha: reH spect the "bi-partisan" provision has been, if I am correctly informed large ly theoretical. In one of the large in notations it is said that there arc six Democratic employes and seventy five £ Republican employes It is also said that similar conditions may be found gffifn other institutions controlled by “bipartisan’* managements If these statements are true they

prove that the pretense of takln- « state’s benevolent, corrective and ’ t optional institutions out of partisan politics has been a good deal of a hum bug. If both parties must share In tbe responsibilities of management It seems only reasonable that both parties should likewise share equitably in the distribution of the patronage—not necessarily because It is patronage, but because it is an essential part of the management. While the campaign was on a great howl went up for fear that the Democrats, if they got into power, would make “spoils’* of the public Institutions —the very thing that, if reports are true, the Republicans have been doing, even under the “bl-partlsan” law. A great many persons now believe that it would be a good thing for Governor Marshall or the legislature to find nut just how far the various institutions have been partlsanized by tbe Republicans in order that, if there has been any unfairness, a remedy may be applied without subjecting the Democrats to the charge of being “spoilsgrabbers.’’ •• • . If all precedents are followed, both branches of the legislature will be organised Thursday and will receive tbe last message of the retiring governor. On next Monday, at noon, Jan. 11, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Hall will be sworn into office as governor and lleutentant governor. The inaugural proceedings will take place in the main corridor of the state house in the space fronting the governor’s room. A stand will be erected immediately south of the rotunda to accommodate the members of the legislature and such persons as are specially Interested In the ceremonies. Every person who wishes to be present will be admitted and arrangements will be made for the large crowd that Is sure to come to hear Governor Marshall’s inaugural address. That the new governor’s first official utterance will be worth hearing and worth remembering, everyone knows. After the conclusion of the proceedings on the platform. Governor Marshall will personally greet all who present themselves. At night, up at the Propyleum on North street, a limited reception and ball will be given in his honor by citizens of Indianapolis. Those who have this affair in charge annouce that it will be wholly social and distinctly non-partisan. • • • The legislature will do little business until after the inauguration. It will take two or three days to make up the committees. Unless all traditions are broken a bill appropriating money for the expenses of the legislature will be the first to get through. This Is a business in which both members and employes are interested, as none of them can draw their per diem and mileage until money has been appropriated for that purpose. The last legislature, counting both sessions, cost the state nearly $200,000. The first, or regular, session alone cost >132,000, a larger sum by many thousands of dollars than was ever spent before for a slxty-days sitting There is no likell hood that that extravagance will be repeated this winter. Everyone familiar with the state’s financial affairs understands that all ' appropriations made at this time will ; have to be carefully considered. That they are going to be closely scanned by the public is beyond question Besides, it is a very serious question as to Where enough money is coming from to meet the obligations already I saddled upon the state. The loose | practices which have characterized the management of state affairs for many years have brought about a condition that will embarrass the government for a long time Just how grave that embarrassment will be is bound to be revealed before the present legislative session is over • • • It may be assumed that several measures will be proposed this winter ’•elating to the sale of intoxicating beverages This has come to be a regular industry and each legislative session sees it renewed in some form. Just what shape the question will take at this time has not been fully disclosed. In fact, it has not been disclosed at all. There has been a good deal of talk, but so far that is all. Considering ,the fact that the Republicans control the senate and the Democrats control the bouse, it would be a bold prophet who undertook to read in advance what will be written in the acts on this subject at the end of the session A tittle later, perhaps, there wil' be more definite knowledge, but just now it is not worth while to speculate • ♦ * For some time there has been a movement on foot—supposedly started by some of the civic and commercial organizations of the state —to bring about a uniform system of public ac counts A bill on this subject has been prepared by James \V Noel and Charles T. Hanna, both of Indianapolis Both of these men have beet: close to and received favors from Governor Hanly Mr Noe) has been one of Governor Hanly's favorite investigators and has drawn largely on that famous contingent fund Mr. Hanna was ap pointed a judge by Hanly of the new court that was created in Indianapolis two years ago, but was defeated for election last November. In addition to the public accounts bill there is to be a county officers’ and deputies’ salary bill, which will be fathered by the same organizations and persons. The latter was consld ered at a meeting held in this city last night, and the former was passed on and given to the public some days ago. There seems to be a pretty general agreement that there is room for reform along the lines, suggested, bnt x -w

whether Messrs. Noes and banns will ba able to solve the problem in all of its features may be doubted. At any rate, when the matter gete into the legislature it will be thrashed out as the legislators see it * * * It is a far cry ahead to 1911, but ft is intimated by some of James E. Watson’s friends that he will again try at that time for the governorship. Chas. W. Miller, one of his chief competitors for the nomination last spring, win probably be the next United States district attorney, succeeding “Big Chief’ Kealing, Mr. Fairbanks’s manager. William L. Taylor, who wta another strong competitor with Watson, is not likely to be hampered by a federal job, and it is probable that he will be up again for the governorship. There are many former Watson men who declare that their party made a mistake tn not nominating Taylor the

last time.

MILLARD F. COX.