Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1919 — GOVERNOR GOODRICH’S LAWS UNDER HOT FIRE [ARTICLE]

GOVERNOR GOODRICH’S LAWS UNDER HOT FIRE

.State Tax Board Assuniew Dictatorial Power*—Local Government Jh-utroyed. Indianapolis, July 16.—The opening gun of the attack on the present Republican state administration’s widespread plan to destroy completely local government for Indiana cities, towns, townships and counties, has been fired here by the officials of the Hoosier Motor club, an organization extending into every township of the state. The action is due to the determination of Governor Goodrich’s state tax board to sit here as a be ar of works, supervising all of the plans for improvements throughout Indiana. When the last legislature passed the tax law It was not understood that it gave the state board such tremendous powers as It is now exerting. This board, which Is an important cog In the Republican machine, now assumes to tell every city, town,- township and county what It shall spend for Improvements and how the money shall be spent. A point has been reached where the local coimmunities have nothing whatever to say about their own affairs. The ire of the Hoosier Motor club was aroused over the decision of the state board not to authorize the Issuance of bonds for the building of more roads In this county this year. Several petitions were presented and a few granted. It is well known that the roads of this county—particularly those leading out of Indianapolis never were in such a deplorable condition,* yet the state tax board, for the purpose of making its own law work out, has put a veto on the urgent demands for better roads for this county. The situation has become so bad that the officials of the Hoosier Motor club have protested publicly through a statement sent to the Marion county commissioners. “It Is high time that the citizens of Marion county through you, the representatives of the people, force a progressive road program to a successful conclusion, secure for the county a unified road system that will be a credit to the county, and by every bit of co-operation possible with the state tax board enable you to complete this program,’’ says the club. “The Hoosier Motor club stands on the premises that the state tax board should not block or Interfere to any great extent in a plan that will enable the county to complete main city apprJSches under the three-imile law and county unit plan.” The good roads organizations are now demanding “home rule” for cities and counties. The state board seems to take the position that it is warranted in turning down requests generally for funds for Improvements in order that Its position on the new law may be vindicated. Reports ■ are coming to Indianapolis from many cities and counties indicating that the people are aroused over the ursurpation of the powers of the local governmental units by the state tax board, which can not go into the merits of the requests for funds for improvements, but rather acts on the theory that It is justified in turning down such requests in order that the new tax law may not become even more unpopular than it is.

However, the state tax board is not alone in squelching the timehonored idea of local self government. Jesse Eschbach, head of the state accounting board, within the past week turned down a petition of the authorities of Gibson county for permission to expend $4,000 for a celebration in honor of their soldiers. Eschbach held that $2,000 was sufficient, although the people of Gibson county were merely seeking to spend their own funds. The decision of Eschbach is in line vgith many of the decisions of the tax board, denying the people of communities authority over their own expenditures. It is not surprising that the people are becoming alarmed over the discovery that control of all the cities, towns and counties has been lodged in the hands of a few departments by the present administration. It would not be surprising under the circumstances if some one should demand at the special session of the legislature repeal of the odious tax law and . the adoptlonofameasure law and the adoption of a measure curbing the powers other boards have assumed here.

The Indianapolis Star, organ of the Republicans of Indiana, cour-

ageously defends the president for vetoing the bill to repeal the daylight savings law. Every Republican in congress from Indiana, except one, voted for the repeal of this law. The Star says: “The president’s veto ,of the agricultural appropriation bill in order to rescue daylight saving will meet with general approval for two reasons. Many are convinced of the soundness of the president’s argument as to the economic advantages of setting the clock ahead in summer. And practically everybody in the United States is thoroughly out of sympathy with the vicious practice of tacking wholly irrelevant measures to appropriation bills as riders. “The pernicious practice of tacking riders on the appropriation bills should be stopped, aside from the merits of the daylight saving question, and the public generally will applaud President Wilson for having the backbone to hold up tem-porarily-the agricultural appropriation in order to kill such a rider. The enemies of daylight saving knew their plan could not go through on merit so they had it coupled up with an appropriatlcws bill that is urgently needed. It is an old trick, and a cowardly expedient that should not be tolerated.*’