Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1910 — GOVERNOR MARSHALL'S DEFENSE. [ARTICLE]

GOVERNOR MARSHALL'S DEFENSE.

We wonder if the Hon. Finley I’. Mount, of Crawfordsville, Republican candidate for attorney general, does not wish that he had left Governor Marshall alone ? Mr. Mount is, as far as we know, flie only republican who has thus tar had the temerity to attack what he pleased to call Governor Marshall’s administration. Indeed, we have thought that we observed a rather marked disposition to deal with the Governor in a somewhat gingerly manner. But Mr. Mount, not reflecting that Governor Marshall really had no "administration," as every office in the statehouse but one is filled by Republicans, saw fit to denounce the extravagance of the Marshall administration. Mr. Mount got his answer yesterday. and it is straight from the shoulder. In his speech at Richmond the Governor showed that on every hoard that lias anything to do with the spending of state money he is in a minority of one. And he rightly insists that lie can not be held "responsible for the decisions of these boards, which are over whelmingly' Republican." The Governor can not spend one dollar of money, except out of the $1000” appropriated for office expenses, "without consulting the hoards where the majority is of the opposite political party." Mr. Mount ought to have thought of that. Governor Marshall said that when Governor Hanley assumed office there was a 9-cent levy for general purposes, and a 3-cent levy for sinking fund. He turned $60,000 of sinking fund money into the general fund, and had a law passed suspending the 3-cent .sinking fund levy for three years. But lie did not, says Governor Marshall, do away with the 3cent levy, but had it added to the general levy, which was made twelve cents. We quote from Governor Marshall's speech:

Hanly ami his 4 Republican legislatures then embarked on an. era of unparalleled • xtrartipam e in state affairs, from which the state has not y» • recovered, and to •which the general assembly of 1911. six years later, will be compelled, however much they wish t>> practiceY economy. .0 ray tribute to the extent of at least ; iim.mm to complete a building which GoVt mol Purhin more than six years ago said ought to he built for that money in addition to what might be derived from the sale of the lands and buildings, which the new one was designed to replace. Tile reference is. of course, to the new ,!eaf ami dumb schoid which tip to date has cost $1,050.000. and is stil’ with;-nt 1 takers-, laundry, hospital or home for the superintendent. The money s fai spent on this institution would he ehougb to provide every pupil hi the school with a separate house; worth 96.000. If that is not extravagance it would he hard to define the term. But it is Republican extravagance. (lover nor Marshall .had nothing to do with it. It was the necessity ,nf completing this building, among other things, that forced the state hoard of finance to ask for author* itv to take money from the sinking fund to pay current state expenses.

But this is not all. Under the ! Manly administration the state | began the construction of the ! Southeastern Insane hospital and the Girls' school, the former costing $1,500,000 and the latter $750, ] COO. These, too. were inheritanjces'from a Repiiblican ad.ninis--1 tration. Mr. Mount's idea seems to be that those who incur the obligations are guiltless provided they are Republcans whle those who find themselves forced to meet them are if they be Democrats, criminally extravagant. But. really. Mr. Mount ought to have known something of the history of the last general assembly. When, Governor Marshall assumed office, he found that the 3-cent sinking fund levy had been restored and that as a consequence the general levy was only 9 cents instead of 12 cents as it had been. There was a large current indebtedness to be cared sos. So it Was necessary to ask for power to compel county treasurers so settle in advance and for authority to transfer the sinking

fund money to the general fund ! Both these things were done. | Governor Marshall told the legislature just what the condition vva- ami, urged. it to limit its ap- \ propriations to the state’s ability :to pay, • The Democratic house | cut El .000.000; from the appropria lions, but the Republican senatI stood pat. Finally, when it be ’came clear that the Governor • w* uld not call a special sess'on, j or that, it he did, the Democrat.L o.' mid refuse to consider or vote ■ui anything except appropriation | r.dlK the Republicans consented to -ome reductions. Governor | Marshall summed up thus:

There Is the history of the apprppriation hill ,in the last general assembly, blocked at every -tag.- of attempted re(Suetlon by a Republican senate, Until the Democratic majority in the house put an end to their attempted extravagance. The records are in the statehouse. open •v< ryho'!y. If you cannot believe me. you can see for yourself. So Mr. Mount has his answer. The < iovernor has stood firmly, and for the most part alone, and against extravagance, as when lie fought the attempt to raise salaries by granting special allowances, In one case the plea was made that this "had always been done.” We do not believe that t ere will be any more attackon the Marshall "administratipn" ■in the ground of extravagance. There would have been none from Mr. Mount had he taken pains to inform himself. In political campaigns it is always wise to keep a sharp lookout for boomerangs.—Indianapolis News.