Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1909 — Having Squabble About State House Chambermaid. [ARTICLE]

Having Squabble About State House Chambermaid.

{The democratic governor and the republican secretary of state and auditor are at war regarding the appointment of the custodian, or janitor of the state house. The law provides that the three shall comprise a board to make the appointment, As a result of a partisan riot during the closing hours of the legislature several years ago the original copy of the law in question was not filed in the secretary of state’s office, although an exact copy of the law was. published in the acts with the other laws. The attorney general of Indiana says the law is valid, and the board makes the appointment. The governor declares he will make the appointment himself and wiU install his man with the use 1 , of the state militia, if necessary. This hot-headed' expression leads the Marion Chronicle to say editorially;:

' “Governor Marshall seems‘to have momentarily lost that fine judicial poise, for which he has been much admired, in his attitude toward the problem of who is to appoint the captain general of the papitol force of floor scrubbers. We judge from his ultimatum that he proposes to wade through gore ankle deep, if necessary, in order to enforce the validity of his claims relative to the appointing power. This question certainly can be settled without the aid of the militia. If the governor makes a valid appointment to the custodianship, and the appointee sues for possession of the office, the courts will doubtless give him the job in due coiirse, with salary dated back to the time of his appointment. We should dislike to see the blood of our soldiery reddening the green grass of our capitol grounds in the settlement of this question of who is to direct the spittoon cleaning of a soverign state. 2.