Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1909 — THE RIGHT RING. [ARTICLE]

THE RIGHT RING.

Qov. Marshall Don’t Want $150,000 Hansion. HAS SENSIBLE IDEAS ON ECONOMY A State Executive Could Not Keep Up Such An Extravagant Home On His Salary, and It’s Better To Build a Cheaper House Than To Increase the Pay. Governor Marshall said, to-day, that he believes $150,000 is too much money for the State of Indiana to spend in the purchase of ground and the erection of a Governor’s house in Indianapolis. In Governor Hanly’s last message to the Legislature, delivered at the opening of the present session, and a few days before he retired from office, the recommendation was made that $75,000 be appropriated for this purpose. Yesterday Senator Linton A. Cox of Marion county, introduced in the Senate a bill for an appropriation of $150,000. “In the first place," said Governor Marshall, “the State of Indiana is not in a financial condition to spend that amount of money for a house for the Governor. In the next place $150,000 would erect a house that the average man who might be elected Governor of the State could not afford to maintain on his salary. This would mean that the State would be obliged to maintain it for him, pay the servants and keep up the running expenses.' I do no feel that the State should be asked to do this for a Governor. In case a millionaire should be elected Governor some day he might be able to keep up such a house, but the average man could not. “My personal idea of the matter is that if the State decides at all to build a house for the Governor to live in, it should not cost more than slsiooo or $20,000. That sum of money would put up a house plenty good enough for any Governor, and one that he could maintain on his salary. If the people should elect a millionaire as the Governor of the State, and he did not wish to live in such a house, that would be his business. He could take a larger and finer house if he wished and pay for it himself.

“The people of the State are paying all the taxes they should be required to pay. Taxes should be decreased rather than increased. My own personal views with reference to an appropriation for a house for the Governor are right in iir.e with the policy of economy that I have announced and which I recommended to the Legislature in my message. I wish to say, however, that I appreciate the kinly feeling that prompted Governor Hanly to make the recommendation in his message of an appropriation for an executive mansion, and that also prompted Senator Cox to introduce the bill.” —lndianapolis News.