Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1915 — The General Assembly Convenes Tomorrow. [ARTICLE]

The General Assembly Convenes Tomorrow.

The Indiana general assembly will convene for a regular 61 days’ ses- „ sion at the State House in Indian•apolis tomorrow at 10 o’clock. Following the usual custom of both the House and Senate and the •appointment of committees to wait upon the governor notifying the chief executive that the legislative’ departments are duly and properly organized and awaiting the pleasure of his excellency. Then Governor Ral 7 ston will accompany the committee composed of senators and representatives to the House chamber, where he will deliver his message. It is not believed that this legislative session will burden itself in framing as many laws as have legislatures in the past, but~that, instead, it will sit 'steady and attempt to atone, by its acts, for the bad record left by its last predecessor. Tonight will be held the democratic caucus at which candidates for of--1 ces of both House and Senate will be selected. The Senate caucus wilt nominate a secretary, assistant sec-

retary, doorkeeper and floor leader At this time it appears that Senator X’anNuys of Madison county, will be selected as floor leader. This office carries with it the leadership of the senate. It is not only a high honor but it is a post of/ grave responsibility and calls for real generalship.' i . Fhe House will caucus on candidates lor speaker, clerk, assistant clerk and doorkeeper. The candidates for speaker .are J. C. Brannenia"n of Jackson county, F. L. Feick o: DeKalb county, Mason J. Niblack of Knox county and C. IL Bedwell 01 Sullivan county. The indications are that Bedwell wil be chosen.

It is indeed to be hoped that the members of this legislature will, both individually and collectively, so conduct themselves that we will not have the disgraceful aftermath that characterized the 1913 legislature. The trouble seems to be, generally, IhaL-themembers are surrounded by a bunch of what are usually •termed ‘good fellows,” who buy them drinks and cigars and take them to the theaters-—and perhaps some other [daces that they would not care to have their families know about—and they" forget all about the “people back home,” who elected them to’ represent- them in our law-mak-ing body. They imagine that these “good fellows,” these lobbyists and petty lobbists, who are laughing in their sleeves while they grind their axes, are the only people they should endeavor to please, and as a result some mighty bad laws get onto our statute books. The members responsible for this as a rule, do not mean to do anything wrong, but the rascals who are in the pay of the special interests ingratiate themselves into their good graces to such an extent and have such unlimited nerve that they really almost do the voting for these weak members instead of the members doing it themselves. It is the yielding to these influences that brings our legislatures into such bad repute, and is a weight on the party in power that it cannot long bear up under.

The Democrat believes that a law should be enacted requiring every lobbyist of either* high or low degree, to register his name, stMe what interests he is representing, and making it a misdemeanor or felony with a fine or improsonment for failure to comply with the provisions of the law, and that a list of such lobbyists be furnished every member of the legislature as well , as published in the newspapers- of the capitol city so that the legislators as well as the people may be'put on their guard. . It has reached a stage, not only in Indiana but in the legislatures of other states, where the people have more fear from the corrupt lobbyist than almost anything else, and it is time that some means were taken to protect the public from these leeches who would'sell their brains and in-, fluence to whatever interest will pay them the most money.