Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 70, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 December 1914 — 34 INDICTMENTS ARE RETURNED [ARTICLE]

34 INDICTMENTS ARE RETURNED

Against Members and Employes of the Last Legislature BY MARION CO. GRAND JURY Which Was Recently Asked by Gov. Ralston to Investigate the Illegal Passage of Certain Bills. t One of the greatest sensations that has occurred in Indiana in a long time was that of the Marion county grand jury report in the legislative scandal of the 1913 legislature, which it was asked to investigate by Governor Ralston several weeks, when criticism of the irregular passage of certain bills had become so harsh that the governor felt that the matter# should be looked into by the grand jury. This was accordingly done and a very exhaustive investigation made, with the result that 34 indictments were found against thirteen members and employes of the last legislature, including Lieut.-Governor O’Neil, the speaker of the Senate, and Homer L. Cook, speaker of the House and recently elected secretary of state. The other eleven indicted were: Mason J. Niblack, parliamentarian. George C. Stelhorn. Paul C. Hill, assistant clerk of the house. Samuel M. Quillen, clerk of ”■ the house. Douglas Bolser, house doorkeeper. John D. Shea, doorkeeper of the senate. * George Raab, assistant secretary of the senate. Wade Free, secretary of the senate. L. P, Harlan, of the senate plunder committee. J. J. Keegan of the house plunder committee. George W. Sands of the house plunder committee. There are seven single and four joint indictments against Cook, and four single and one joint indictment against O’Neil. The indictments all have to do with the making out and presenting for payment of false claims, under Sec. 2586, R. S. of Indiana, and on conviction the penalty is imprisonment in the state prison not less than two nor more than fourteen years, and a fine of not less than $lO nor more than SI,OOO. The grand jury was unable to fix definitely the responsibility for the passage of the bills in question or to find that there was any law to punish any of the lawmakers who were in any way responsible for their passage, but it found that there were many employes of the 1913 legislature in excess of the number prescribed by statute; that some $50,000 or more was paid out without any authority of law for such employes, etc!, etc.; that officers high up in political circles l»ad lobbied before the legislature and had received large sums of money from the interests they represented, and many other things that will be an eye-opener to the people of Indiana.

It was the certifying to the illegal payrolls, etc., on which the indictmexits are based. Whether or not a conviction can be had remains to be seen, but it is said that a test case will be made of some one of the indictmentsand it will be vigorously prosecuted. All the indicted ones were released On their own recognizance until further action is taken in court. Concerning the lobbying charges, the report of the grand jury, which is am extensive one, says, among other things: ‘‘The evidence in this investigation discloses a situation that calls aloud for penal legislation upon the subject of what is called ‘lobbying’ about the legislature. It shows that men of great political influence, on account of their position in some instances, and their relation.to party organization, do not hestltate to demand and receive large sums of money, running into thousands of dollars, to influence and control the legislature of the Btate. * * ♦” ‘‘Among the men so demanding and receiving large sums of money at the last legislature was the chair-

man of the deniocratic state central committee, Benard Korbly; the present mayor of the city, Joseph E. Bell, who is well known to be in close relation with the political organizations of county and state, and Mr. Ruckelshaus, who was at the time a member of the republican state central committee, and a man of ho small political influence.” •‘lt is the wise policy and the law of the state at this time that no man may receive pay for endeavoring to influence votes at an election,” “Lobbying is far more reprehensible than for a private citizen to receive pay for endeavoring to control the election or nomination of offlers." 'Such conduct (lobbying as described above) upon the part of socalled political lobbyists thwarts the very purposes of political parties and destroys their efficiency and all aims thereof, that are laudable or for the public good; destroys the confidence in the men who are elected to office on party tickets; destroys the confidence of members of political parties in their party and causes them to feel that it is not worth while to attempt to take part in their party affairs or take part in the affairs of government In any way.” “Very large sums of money were unlawfully drawn out of the treasury of the state during the session of the legislature of 1913, under the claim that it was due to persons who were called employes of the house and senate, respectively, and for other unlawful purposes.” “The evidence shows that recommendations for appointment of employes when made by Thomas Taggart and W. W. Spencer, that the applicants .wer regardless of whether thdß> was an opening or not.” “The evidence shows great liberality on the part of Senators Fleming and Curtis with the state’s money. They introduced various resolutions by which SBSO of the state’s money was unlawfully given to various employes in excess of the amount which the state, through its law, has fixed

as their salary. Every resolution so adopted was in the face of the statutory provision on the subject.” It will thus be seen that a member of the republican state committee is almost as guilty in this respect as Democratic State Chairman Korbly. We say almost as guilty, as Ruckleshaus would not, of course, have as much power to influence members of the legislature as a state chairman. The illegal employment of needless party workers as assistant this and assistant that, etc., has been practiced by both parties for years, although the democrats last year seem to have went every other legislature one better and then some. In fact, it was apparently as The Democrat charged at the time it was in session, the rottenest legislature that ever convened in the state. This investigation, while in the nature of a boomerang lor the state administration, it having been made at the earnest solicitation and petition of Governor Ralston, should have a very wholesome effect, and we may reasonably expect a little better record from the coming session than that of its notorious predecessor.