Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 April 1919 — GREATEST” LEGISLATURE MAY HAVE TO CORRECT ERRORS [ARTICLE]

GREATEST” LEGISLATURE MAY HAVE TO CORRECT ERRORS

Indianapolis, April 16.—The errors of ommissioni and commission of the recent legislature which Governor James P. Goodrich rushed headlong into print to describe as the “greatest session in the last 50 years” and “absolutely unique in covenant keeping, etc.” are coming to the surface so rapidly that it is highly embarrassing to the governor and his administration. A special session has been averted by Attorney-General Ele Stansbury reversing himself about 100% in less than a week. In order to get away from a special session the attorney-general has been called upon to“ rendei’ an opinion which is to be forced upon the county commissioners and the township trustees the same as though it was the law itself. It is well known that the opinions of the attorney-general, given for the ! various state departments, are no ( more binding in character than the opinion of any other lawyer. They have no more standing in court than the statement of another attorney, but to save the face of the Goodrich administration, after its boast regarding the efficiency and economy of the regular session, the attorney-general is called upon to make over a law.

Less than; two weeks ago Stansbury gave Gilbert Hendren, chief of the state board of accounts, an opinion that, because the legislature failed to include .the house emendmlents in the county highway bill the county commissioners would be compelled to employ men to snipervise the township roads. Here is what would have happened if that view of the law had been followed: The 92 counties would have been compelled to Expend at least $2 00,000 annually for supervision of the township roads while the trustees would, have been paid to do the ■work. ’ . The absolute inefficiency of the

Republican legislature which the governor declared was the “best In 50 years’’ would have cost the taxpayers an enormous amount, which it is considered that the trustees would have been paid for work they would not done. Although there were reports, printed daily here for a month prior to the adjournment of the tegular session that contractors and material men were trying to defeat the county highway law’, not one of the Republican officials has I moved to fix the responsibility for | the failure of the senate to include the house amendments which should have been included. Governor Goodrich, in his proud remarks about the “best legislature in 50 years,” spoke glowingly of the highway laws and insisted that the responsibility belonged to the Republicans during the session and that the credit is also theirs. According to his own estimate the Republicans must assume the responsibility for the breakdown resulting in the failure to enroll the house amendments and which came so near resulting in a special session. The responsibility has been fixed by the governor himself, so there is no way for dragging the Democrats into the ugly mess. At the same time <t should be said tbeie is no likelihood of a grand jury investigation. Immediately after the governor gave out his statement cidiming the legislature to be the “best in 50 years” his associates at the statehouse issued a financial statement to show that the legislature cost $25,000 less than the average session in/ the past 20 years. They

'have been using these figures to 'Prove that the Republicans are jmore efficient and more economical than the Democrats, yet before the acts of the regular session are published it is almost necessary to call I another session to correct the errors of the “greatest session in the last 50 years.” The attorney-general’s second and last opinion is to be sent to the county commissioners and township trustees and is to be regarded as the law of the state which it is not unless the courts so construe, The gist of the attorney-general’s last ruling is that while the county unit law provides for supervision

of all county roads bj the com- ( mieslonera the Beardsley law provides for the supervision of the township roads by the trustees and that the latter must work -under the direction of the commissioners. 1 No more involved situation could be imagined and It Is likely that it] will result in many delays and bitter controversies among county and • township authorities —all of which, • it Is conceded, might have been ’ avoided If there had been good. 1 level-headed management of the regular session by the Republican leaders instead of so much quarreling among the leaders —and sg much boasting about their efficiency and money-saving ability. There -is a deep-seated conviction that the governor and other Republican leaders actually desired a special session to correct errors in the "great tax reform law" unde* which real estate is to be boosted on an average of 50% throughout' the state. Already it seems evident that this “great reform,*’ so pro-] nounced by the governor and other Republicans, will not place on thel duplicates the millions of dollars worth of intangible property that' was to reduce the burdens of the owners of real estate. This “great ] tax reform” will not be the issue in Indiana next year if the Republicans can avoid it. The special session has been averted for this week, but there is a next week—and still a next and a next.