The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-05-31
supreme Court Expense.

was contained what professed TO be state
ment of the expenditures ordered and
made by the present Supreme Court. The
statement was wiIfully false and exceed
ingiy unjust. The very first statement
that the judges of the Court are j. L. Wor-
den, OF Fort Wayne, John Petit, OF Lsfa-
vette, A. @. Downey. of Rising Sun, and
s. n. BuskiIk. of Bloomington, emitting
any mention OF A. L. Osborn, OF La Porte,
a late member OF the court, and Repub-
lican, who is the peer OF any man in the
state for integrity, and who participated
from January, 1873, 10 January, 1875, in the
labors and expenditures of the court; sod
emitting, also, any mention of his success
sor, the Hon. ii. p. Biddle, who has been
on the bench from January l, 1S75-clearly
demonstrates that fslsehood, and not truth,
was the primary object of the publication.
The judges, whose official conduct has
been impugned, desire that a full state
ment shall be given to the public as to
every item of expense incurred and have.
therefore. united in request to the
auditor of state that he make a statement
of all such expenses. aud they have given
assistance to the auditor that the st ate
ment might be complete. This statement
is made to cover all the time from Janu-
airy 3, 1871, to May 1, 1876. which is as
far down as the entries on the
auditors books would afford any
information. The statement cover.
the amounts allowed by others than the
judges and charged to Supreme Court ex-
pens:s." 1t ought to be borne in mind
that the building corner Washington and
Tennessee streets, in this CITY, was erects sd
when Gov. Baker was In offics and uuder
his superintendent. The second story
was designed for the use of the Supreme
Court, and wss planned and Constructed
according TO suggestions from the iud yes
then in Office, all Republicans. The
result was that there were constructed
courtroom for the public sessions
of tire court, library room, a cousulte
ton room, room used by the reporter
and five rooms for judges chambers. The
court room is in the part of the building
fronting on Washington street. Through
the part OF the building extending back
from the court room Is hall, on one side
of which sr5 the library room, consulta-
ton room, reporters room aud closet. On
the other 81 1e OF the hail are the Judges
rooms and a stairway entering from Ten
nessee street. The reason for construct
ing the chambers, or rooms, tor the
judges may be found in the fact that the
state is divided into districts for the cleo
zion of judges, and only one of the judges
can reside at the capital. 1t was essential
that these chambers, or rooms, should be
adjacent to the court room, consultation
room and library. That it was intended
that the judges should use their rooms as
lodging or sleeping rooms, no one having
any Information on the subject can pos
sibly doubt. Accordingly, the preceding
JUDGES, with the exception of the one who
resided in Indianapolis, so used them.
Wnen the present judges came in Office in
1871, they found the rooms, with the ex-
ception mentioned, supplied with bed
steads, etc, as dormitories. Before the APP
pointment of fifth Judge one of the rooms
was occupied by the librarian. Afterwards
small room was partitioDed off in the
consultation room tor his use. The sheriff
has no room or Office. When Judge o.
born, the fifth judge, came upon the bench
in the beginning OF 1873 he though bit 1t right
to furnish his room in the same style as
that of the other judges, and Judge b ddle
still USE the same. There has been no
expense iucarred by the assailed judges
for the purpose of rendering their rooms
comfortable that was not in kind and
quantity shared, concurred in, or sp-
proved By these gentlemen. When the
present judges came upon the bench thew
found in position under appointment from
their predecessors, sheriff, librarian, a
Jsnitor and jsnitress, and for time
these persons acted in these posi-
lions under the present judges. They
paid their sheriff salary of one Thousand
dollars a year. The present sheriff
is now allowed 81 200, an increase on &C
count OF increased cares and lsbors. VIVA,
fHawv fhnfr ,~fo 90
tress we do not care to. nquire. Those
acting in these positions now do their
work well and caro- what they receive.
The Librarian keeps the library open till 10
o'clock at night, generally for the use OF
the judges aud the accommodation OF at
torneys. The janitor comes to the build
ing at 5 O'Clock in the morning
and remains until night. The janitress
hi @ the care OF tie judges rooms,
tbers p)rbeI's and lihrarian's rooms Tod the
hall. Sne cleans up the rooms, makes tie
beds and washes for the rooms of the
judges aud librarian.
AS we can not 10 single number of our
paper insert the full statement of the aud
ltor, we content ourselves Tor the present
with the publication of a summarized
statement, showing the sggrega.e amount
of expenditures and the different heads, or
divisions, under which the same are
classed:
STATE OF INDIANA, s. s.,
UFFICE AUDITOR OF STATE,
INDIANAPOLIS, May 70, 1875.
l. Ebenezer Henderson,, auditor OF state OF
the state of Indians, certify that 1 have
caused TO be carefully examined the allow
anees and vouchers on file in my Office charged
to expense of Supreme Court from January 3,
1871, TO May ], 1916, and that the aggregate
amount of such allowance is S62,U33 a.. L
further certify that the said expenses may be
classified as follows:
First-Debt of former court paid by
present court ......... - s4,2i5 50
Secoud-Improvements and repairs OF
building. .... 1926 t6
Third-StOves, fuel lights and lce..... IL, To OIL
Fourth-Carpets and furniture 1897 20
Fifth-Law library $3.50 OF
Sixlh-Salaries OF sheriff, librarian,
janitor and janitress....... 1851 "A
Soventh-Expen of postage and sta
t1Onory 1857 Al
s, bIoJms, soaps,
matches.......... ....... -........... Isl s.
Nil th-ClerAs l2n9 I'd