Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 November 1910 — GOVERNOR MAKES A PERSONAL PLEA [ARTICLE]

GOVERNOR MAKES A PERSONAL PLEA

Asks Voters to Ratify His Administration by Electing Democratic Legislature. HIS HANDS HAVE BEEN TIED j i - With Genera! Assembly' In Political Sympathy Could Enact Desired ; -Reform Laws. -I ’ ■ The elosing days of the campaign find Governor Marshall making an urgent plea to the voters of Indiana to ratify his administration by voting the Democratic ticket and to give him la chance during the remainder of his term by giving him a Democratic legislature and surrounding him in the State House with Democratic officials, j The Governor was loath to drtg his own administration into the campaign and did not do so until an attack was made upon the “Democratic administration U&der Governor Marshall” ny Finley T. M?unt, Republican [candidate for Attorney General, It ! was tbij Ujat. pl governor for the first time bpbhfed on nis opponents, denying the existence of any such thing as a Democratic administration, but pleading for one after the next telection. He began this plea in his ‘Richmond speech and is continuing it ■day by dhfr. • The Goevrnor*s line of argument is that a Democratic Governor and a Denrt&ratic Superintendent of Public Instruction do not make a Democratic State Administration. He points out that on all boards on which he serves ihe constitutes a minority member, the State Board of Finance being composed of two Republicans and the Governor; the State Board of Printing of three Republicans and the Governor; the State Board of Buildings and Property ■®f two Republicans and the Governor;. Sd bo on down the list Ho recalls kt the Secretary of State, Auditor of State, Treasurer of State, the Attorney General, Clerk of the Supreme Court, ’Reporter of the Supreme Court, State Geologist, State Mine Inspector, Natural Gas Inspector, Oil Inspector, all are Republicans. The State Tax Board I has but one Democratic member, •CoL C. C. Matson. The Labor Com- ■ mission, though bi-partisan, is composed of two commissioners appointed by Hanly. The Factory Inspec- ’ tion Department is Republican jthroughout. Even now, at the end of [two years in office, Governor Marshall finds himself surrounded by only 1 a few Democrats. Hampered by Division.

! The Governor Is recalling that the last Legislature was divided, the ‘House being Democratic and the Senate Republican. The House passed practically all the bills asked for by the Governor, but these bills were promptly rejected by the Republican Senate. Reform legislation, which had been promised by the Democrats in their 1908 campaign, therefore became impossible. The Governor is still demanding his reform legislation. He still wants to purify the ballot, to conserve public health, to reduce expenses, to reorganize the Labor Commission and the Factory Inspection Department, to do away with useless boards and commissions, to better regulate the admission of patients to the insane hospitals and of other institutions for unfortunates, to regulate salyjes, and thereby prevent extra pay tot-so-called extra services and to do numerous other things which a divided Legislature refused to do. The Governor wants a law empowering him uk remove public,, officers who fail to do their duty, and is counting oiia Democratic Legialature to give hlm'Xuch a law. He wants to extend the primary election IlAw to all offices and to all counties, gnff wants a simple law that will ‘prevent unlawful voting such as was permitted in Lake county two years ago. He wants the Oil Department reorganized and the vicious fee system under which it is operating done away .with. These reforms met with the approval, two years ago* of the Democratic House. They were rejected by the Republican Senate. "Give me a Legislature that will respect my wishes,” the Governor is declaring in his speeches, “and we will enact the reforms for which the people are clamoring. We could not do lit two years ago because of the mixed [political complexion of the Assembly. We cannot do it this winter unless the Assembly is politically in sympathy with me. Give me Democratic State officers to serve with me on the boards and commissions. Give us a fair chance. My feet and hands have been tied. A Democratic victory will give us a chance to show whether or not we are sincere. If, then, we do not make good, that is our fault It is not fair, however,' to put us in offive and then so handicap us that we cannot do the things we want to do.”