Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1915 — THE LOBBY QUESTION. [ARTICLE]

THE LOBBY QUESTION.

Tin- “Boss” Murphy-Peterson axe has fallen on two more postmasters • £ ; v ■ v in *Ws district, Charles Daughertj at /(,'rQWn; Point and John Call at Garr;' 4«)'tk "of whom have been removed on the usual charges where the places is wanted for a llenchman of the party jrnpo\ver. . Daugherty’s commission would not have expired lor years yet. and Mr. PalVs commission runs out June ,*>, 19l 6. At this writing no recommendation has .been made for the place at Crown Point, imt Henry B. Snyder gets the plum at Gary, which is one of the best paying offices in this district, the salarjf being $3,500 per year. The Democrat still believes that it has been mighty poor politics to oust all these postmasters in the 10th district before their com-

missions expired, as it is contrary to former precedent of both democratic and republican administrations, and we fail to see where the appointees vwill profit any by ’it, for it is as certain as fate that when a change in administration occurs—and this is bound to come sooner or later—-the; party coining into power will surely retaliate and will probably do so at the earliest possible moment. Whereas, had the reVubliean incumbents hern allowed to serve out their terms, the new appointees could reasonably have expected the same generous treatment that had been accorded by tlie deano- < rats. Especially, in view op the fact that this has been the policy heretofore of both the great parties. But now they can only anticipate' the same "sauce" that has been given their opponents,

The senate yesterday adopted, with practical unanimity, a resolution offered by Senator Ballou, declaring it to be The sense of the senate that, in spirit at least, the provision of the anti-lobby bill apply to state officials and their appointees, the heads of superintendents of benevolent, correctional and educktional institutions of the state, and their appointees or persons under their control, and ■that their attention be respectfully called to said act.” We think that the resolution should also cover all political bosses, whether they -are public officers, or officers of political committees or not. In other words, the members of the legislature, as representatives of the people, ought to act on their own initiative, subject only to the dictates of their own conscience, and In the light of their own intelligence. They are not sent to Indian-

apolis to register the will of arty man or interest. It is not the will of the people of Indiana that the state should be controlled by a local machine. We do not go to the trouble and expense of nominating and electing legislators in order that they may put their power in' pawn to the bosses. Were that our wish we should have made it known. This pulling and hauling of mej. who would like to. he free and independent, notably in evidence at this session of the legislature, and who can not serve the people unless they are, must cease. Men who hold no "Mice. and Who therefore are charged with no responsibility, must be made to realize’that the legislature does not belong to them. The trouble '■nh representative government in this country is, not that it does not represent, blit .that it so Often represents the wrong people. There is no legislative body jii. the world that can not, if it will, be true to its rightful constituency. The people can help greatly, by remembering the men who betray them and by punching the traitors. The evil against which the Ballou resolution is directed is a. great and growing one. We trust that the resolution will also be adopted by the house, and that the legislature will construe the antilobby law in the spirit of its own expressed opinion. For there is certainly nuich yet to be done to relieve the situation that is last, from the people’s point of view, growing intolerable.-—lndianapolis News.