Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1911 — THE GOVERNOR IS IN CONTROL [ARTICLE]

THE GOVERNOR IS IN CONTROL

Wise, Firm Hand Guiding the Indiana legislature. FilS WISHES ARE RESPECTED In Matters Relating to the Democratic State Platform Pledges and Democratic Theory jof Honesty, Efficiency and Economy in Office, Governor Marshall Is Exerting a Fine Influence Upon the General Assembly* Indianapolis special: The Indiana general assembly began the second week of its actual work, with every condition indicating that Governor Marshall is in control of the situation, and that his wishes will be respected air along the line in the matter of legislation. Committee chairmen with Important measures under consideration have consulted the executive on all such bills before reporting them back for action in either the house or the senate and in the great number of bills thus far reported back none have been recommended contrary to the governor’s wish. In whatever influence the governor is exercising over legislative matters, he is being guided by three things—the Democratic state platform, the Democratic theory of honesty and ~ economy in office, and the welfare of * the party. In the last consideration a redemption of campaign promises in matters legislative is the controlling idea.

Platform Measures in Hand. Most of the Democratic platform measures are in and the machinery well oiled for their being enacted into satisfactory laws. The bill amending the county option law so as to make the township, the incorporated city, and the part of a township outside of an incorporated city the unit, is ready for third reading, and will probably become a law this week. Seven bills have been introduced providing for workingmen’s compensation acts, and arrangements have been made to hold a public meeting on the question involved and then turn the seven bills over to sub-com-mittees to be framed in one bill embodying the ideas of the governor and the party leaders. Such a bill will probably come into both the house and the senate this week. A bill intended to conserve the public accounting law, while strengthening it as concerns a number of objectionable features, is . in the hands of the governor, and will be introduced this week. Bills for the proper construction and maintenance of public highways have been introduced, and an effort is under way to relieve the land taxpayers of the unjustness of the present laws by requiring that such corporations as railroads be required to pay their road tax, in cash, instead of letting the taxes out under contract to be “worked out.’\ That such a provision will be enacted’into a law is a foregone conclusion. Registration bills to protect the purity of the ballot are under way, with the chances very much in favor of their being merged into an acceptable act and passed Child labor bills and bills providing for sanitary condi r tions in workshops are in the hands of committees and will be reported this w’eek for passage. The weekly wage bill has been reported for passage, as has the bill providing for a readjustment of the department of mine inspection so as to provide for the appointment by the governor of some applicant endorsed by the miners and operators of the state. Honesty and Economy in Office. All these are platform measures, arid the majority in each house is adhering to its pledge to the voters, and in spite of whatever opposition may arise from outside sources, will speed ily enact them into laws, if the pres ent program is carried out. As concerns honesty and economy in office, the legislators are also adhering to their campaign promises. Nothing ever done in Indiana has so conduced to honesty in public office as the public accounting law, and this the majority is upholding. The report of the legislative visiting committee, made public several days ago, provides for an aggregate reduction of approximately $3,000,000 in total appropriaktions in comparison with the total expenditures of two years ago, when a Republican senate overrode the wishes of the Democratic house and by juggling with the appropriation bill, held

It up until midnight of the last day of the session, when It was passed with an increase of a half million over the recommendations s>t the Republican visiting committee. Governor Marshall was confronted with the choice of signing the bill or calling a special session,' and signed it because it involved less expense than the other course. There is an expression in both houses to the effect that the recommendations of the committee ought to be carried out, and it is not probable that It will do the state institutions much good to come to Indianapolis and begin lobbying, as they have done in the past.

Following a Wise Program. For the first time in the history of the state, the provisions of appropria tions have been prepared in two bills one providing for the regular main tenance appropriations, and the other for specific appropriations, or appropriations for new buildines etc. This was at the express wish of the governor who desired the regular appropriations'out of the way early so as to clear the ground for the specific considerations and to give him an opportunity to vote the specific act if not in keeping with the Democratic promises of reform and not within the ability of the state to pay the amounts appropriated as was the case two years ago, until the state debt sinking fund was transferred to the general fund, and the state treasury stripped of all its savings that were being held in preparation for paying the state debt of SBOO,OOO in 1915. The majority in each house is inclined to meet the governor more than half way, and there are strong indications that both bills will be introduced this week and passed at an early date.

Redeeming Campaign Pledges. , Never did an Indiana legislature display such evident honesty of purpose in preparing to redeem its campaign and platform pledges. For the first time in the history of the state, a joint committee has been named to prepare and consider bills drawn on the platform promises, and these bills have already found their way into each branch They will be considered In caucus, as some of them have, and their provisions agreed on there Aside from a half dozen Democrats in both houses, there is no disaffection with the program, and these half dozen are not possessed of sufficient power to make their objections worthy of notice. The redemption of the campaign pledge to elect John W. Kern to the United States senate, which was done last week, has set the legislature squarely before the people as beim willing to carry out its promises. The election was brought about without a caucus, the leaders agreeing that the promises of the campaign took the place of a caucus agreement, and that with the promises extant, there Was no occasion for considering the question behind closed doors. In a short speech delivered on the ratification of the vote in joint session, the governor told the legislators that their redemption of that particular campaign pledge was sufficient to show to the voters of the state that the Democratic party in Indiana was a party of principle and that It could be trusted to carry out a promise when once' made. He reminded the members that there were other promises to redeem, and told them he was pleasd to obsrve that they w’ere making every honest effort at their command to redeem these other pledges, just as they had redeemed that made in connection with the candidacy of Mr: Kern. The governor’s words were cheered to the echo.

Accepted In Good Faith. Democrats throughout the state have accepted in ‘ good faith the indorsement of Governor Marshall by Thomas Taggart for the presidency in 1912. The part the governor is playing in the present legislature, the success of his movement to have the state convention indorse Kern for the senate, and the redemption of the pledge' by the general assembly, his efforts to assist in redeeming every platform and campaign pledge, and the high place the party has suddenly assumed in the consideration of the people of the state by its evident honest effort to make.good, are said to have induced Taggart to see in Marshall a real leader, able to control the Indiana situation in 1912, and that Taggart’s political shrewdness saw; that with the state behind the governor he would have more than a fighting chance for the presidency in the coming contest.' The indorsement of Taggart will give Marshall an undivided delegation to the national convention. , With the Democratic party in the state making a record for itself in the redemption of pledges, and with it doing all in its power to relieve the state from the ill effects of continued uninterrupted bad party rule by the Republicans, the average Democrat in the state cannot see why Indiana 1 should not go to the national convention with a strong bid for national fa vor. ;. -