Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1909 — GOOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH [ARTICLE]

GOOD ALL THE WAY THROUGH

Popular Estimate ot Governor Marshall’s Address. RECEIVED WITH ENTHUSIASM Inaugural Address and Message to the Legislature Delivered by Indiana’s New Exeoutlve Head Monday Has Been the Subject of Much Complimentary Comment—interesting Inci dents Connected With the Inaugura tion of Indiana's Twenty-Sixth Governor. Indianapolis, Jan. 12-r-Thomas R. Marshall find* Frank .1. Hall wore on Monday inaugurated as governor arm lieutenant governor of Indiana, each of them for a term of four years Mr. Hall’s induction into office took place In the senate chamber, where tie will preside, and preceded the larger ceremony iti the main corridor a little later. Mr Marshall and Mr. lianly came to the state house together in a carriage and were among the number of people pho packed the senate chain her to do honor to the new lieutenant governor When this part of the day’s proceedings had been attended to ev crybody went down to the main floor, where a great crowd had gathered to witness the outgoing of J, Frank H ■ ly and the incoming of his successor in the governorship, Thomas R. Mar shall. Most of the people stood, as seats had been provided only for he members of the general assembly and a few official guests.

No tickets ha<l been issued and everyone was welcome, and. judging from the numbers present, it seemed that nearly everyone had come After the oath of office had been adminis tered. Governor Marshall was formal ly presented to the audience by the retiring executive and was received with Immense enthusiasm. Governor Marshall's speech was both to the public at large and to the legislature. In other words, it was both an address to the great body of his fellow citizens aud a message with recommendations to the lawmakers assembled before him. Considered from each of these standpoints the speech as a whole was extremely good and strong—admirably prepared and effusively delivered. It ts certain to be a very widely rfead document. It is not long, being less than one-third as long as the message de livered to the legislature by Governor Manly last Friday. And it goes outside of the beaten path just far enough to take In matters which conoern the citizen quite as puch as they concern the lawmakers. It Is good all the way through, every line of It. The speech—the combined address and message—was listened to with aager attention by those present and it ought to be read by every citizen who was not present. And then, while the Mg military hand played for the multitude, the great crowd began to surge toward the executive offices, where •overnor and Mrs. Marshall, surround Si*"-:,;, , SKf.'rr.

ed by friends, gave a public reception which was deliphtful in its hearty Informality. The Inaugural ceremonies were coneluded at night by a reception and ball tendered to Governor Marshall and his wife by citizens of Indianapolis. see It la now ex-Governor Hanly. In algebra, as we learned In school, "x" was always the unknown quantity. And that seems to fit the problem that the Republican leaders will have to work out concerning their late strenuous executive. In hts message to the legislature last week Mr. Hanly said that It was "probably" his “last official utterance.’’ There are many In his party who wish he had not -used the word "probably." It leaves a doubt as to Mr. Hanly’s real purpose as to his future political activities The omission of the word would have made his language much more definite and it would have been vastly more satisfactory to that large faction of Republicans who have felt for a long time that the late governor’s absolute retirement to private pursuits .would be conducive to their peace of mind and political repose. Like all of his public documents. Governor Hanly's message was long. The ground could have been covered in half the space, at least. But it will not do to say that it was all bad, for it was not. There were some sensible suggestions in it. In its main attitude, however, with respect to many Important things, the message will not b« widely approved and upon some point! it is misleading and Indefensible. He declared, for example, that the state’s financial condition Is “exceptionally good” and that the close of the last fiscal year showed a treasury balance of $493,000 without anticipating the revenues for the present fiscal year. One would imagine from all this that everything was smooth sailing during the last fiscal year and that the state had never been hard up for money. But the fact is that in that year advances from the counties had been called f r »o the extent of $1,772,000, p- ’ •overmnent was all the time r ■ hand to mouth. The $493,at the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30, 1908) Is only a little more than the amount annually produced by the 3-cent sinking fund levy, which for three years has been used for general expenses. This 3-cent levy must now go back into the state debt fund unless transferred to the general fund by an act of the present legisla ture. The amount produced by the sinking fund levy In 1903 was $414,000; in 1904, $438,000; and in 1905, $457,000. The latter sum, viz., $457,000, was transferred by the legislature of 1905 to the general fund, as was a similar sum to be collected in the years 19’06 and 1907.

The totaT of the sinking fund transferred to the general expense fund during the three years mentioned amount ed to approximately $1,400,000. So. therefore, if the sinking fund had not been used by the Hanly administration for general expenses there would not have been a balance of $493,000 at the end of the last fiscal year: Instead of that there would have been a deficit of about $900,000. In view of the fact that the use of the sinking fund for general expenses for three yeari Is all that saved the Hanly administration from issuing bonds U Is not seen wherein the condition of the state’s finances are now “exceptionally good ’■

• • • After Governor Manly had read bis message not on the opening day. as usual, but fin Friday the legislator" adjourned until Monday Rut the sen ate did not do so until it had confirmed the appointment of William E Blakely as factory inspector. The confirms tion was by a strict party vote, all of the Republicans favoring it and all the Democrats opposing it. By this action the Republicans of the senate approve Governor Manly’s removal of David H McAbee and the appointment of Blakely and likewise approve James E. Watson who urged the appointment’ of Blakely The hasty and emphatic confirmation of Blakely is taken as a premeditated blow at organizer) labor, which opposed his appointment and fought Watson because he brought it about. It is expected that some of the senators, who represent districts where labor is powerful, will find It difficult to explain their vote upon this question when they come to face their constituents again. • • • The organization of the two houses of the General Assembly did not take much time In the house the Democrats elected the ticket agreed on in caucus, to wit, Honan of Jackson county for speaker. Visard of Adams county for principal clerk. Habermel of Harrison county assistant clerk and Barclay of Franklin county for principal doorkeeper. The Republicans of the house chose King of Wabash as their leader in that body. Luman Babcock of Lagrange who has been acting as private secretary to Governor Hanly since former secretary Gemmer was put on the state tax boardyis also a member of the house and was ambitious to lead the Republican* force*. But the antl-Hanlyltes raised such a howl that Babcock pulled out and gave the right of way to King, who is also classed as a Hanly man. It seems to be settled that in the house, at least, the retiring governor proposes to keep his hand on the throttle so- far as the Republican minority is concerned. In the senate It wiil be different. The gloomy Will Wood, who is Just now persona non grata to Hanly and a good many other Republicans, was choeen president pro tem and leader without the slightest hitch, a result

that has been Tong foretold. It was made evident at the opening aession that the Republican majority Intends to run the business of the senate with a high hand. From present appearances Joe Cannon’s committee on rules—the same which ties members of congress hand and foot and then gags them—lfl going to be small potatoes when compared with the committee on rules In the senate. If anything that will give the Republicans every advantage, fair or unfair, has been overlooked It was not Intentional and will be corrected as soon as discovered. Nothing so arbitrary as these rules was ever before proposed in Indiana. Hitchcock’s “steam roller” was as harmless as a baby’s go-cart In contrast with the Juggernaut devised by Wood and his assistants to flatten out Lieutenant Governor Hall and the twenty-three Democratic senators. If the public business Is obstructed during the session the people will know where to place the responsibility. So far as the Democratic members are concerned the legislature Is prepared to get down to business, bearing in mind Governor Marshall’s suggestion in his message that “Your record will be made not by the amount but by the character of the work you do.” No better advice than that was ever given a lawmaking body. It fits In admirably with Speaker Honan’s speech accepting office. Mr. Honan urged upon his fellow members the necessity for careful work. With an ejte single to good government and economy In the use of public taxes. The start that has been made on the Democratic side has made a splendid Impression on the people, regardless of party. But on the other hand much criticism is heard of the senate program—or rather of the program of the Republican major lty in the senate —to play nothing but partisan politics throughout the session. This foolish course may be changed, but so far the member* of the senate majority have shown an intention to disregard the feeling among the people that brought about their party’s defeat at the late election.

MILLARD F. COX.