The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-11-07
GOVERNOR PORTER AND THE STATE
FINANCES

The Journal is evidently trying to create
for His Excellency Governor Porter boom
"a reputation based upon a profound regard
for the financial welfare of the State of In
diana, whose Governor he is by the grace
and godliness of the distinguished Republi-
can, S. w. Dorsey The Journal is everlast-
ingly engaged in creating booms. 1t was the
Journal which placed Arthur in the Presi-
Dental chair by the act of God"
and all of the booms It manufac-
lures have the same cranky character
istics. They are essentially Giteauish, wild
visionary. fantastic, dreamy, quixotic, dam
phooIisms which make people laugh. To
make Governor Porter appear colossal, to
give him undue official breadth. thickness,
height and weight, the Journal writes mass
of homogeneous swash about the failure of
the General Appropriation bill in the last
legislature" AS matter of course, the first
thing to do, before Governor Porter's stale
financial boom could be made worth hill
of beans, it is necessary to show that he is
entirely innocent of the financial troubles
which now embarrass State officials.
But, as is always the case with
the Journal, it makes matters
worse instead OF improving them. A Demo-
cratic Legislature passed the required gen.
eral appropriation bill. II failed TO become
a law by virtue of Republican disregard of
official duty; because of lack of Republic
can fidelity to official trusts. But it may be
said in extenuation of this disregard of
official duty that Governor Porter was under
no special obligations to any one but Dorsey,
since it is well known that that distinguished
liar and thief has been credited with carry
ing the State for Porter and Garfield in
1880, and it may be said without the
probability OF successful contradiction
that Dorsey would have approved of Repub-
hcan methods for killing the general apprc-
priation bill. They were sufficiently hagi-
tious to have won the applause of those Re-
publican high officials who, according to
Hon. "Pink" Fishback, "conniyed' at such
crimes as ''bribing election officials to stuff
ballot.boxes and falsify election returns"
And, be it said, Hon. "Pink" Fishback is
himself high Republican authority. A Re-
publican official elected by such methods is
not expectedto entertain any very exalted
opinions of the rights and interests of the
people. Their allegiance is naturally to
those who carried them into official posi-
tons. At any rate the Journal makes a
sad mistake when ii seeks TO make Governor
Porter a sort of a financial autocrat, who will
do certain things law or no law. The Jour-
nal, after exhausting its stock of old plati-
tudes, falsehocds and fabrications, proceeds
to exalt Governor Porter as follows:
Governor Porter was importuned by prominent
Democrats. not less than by Republicans. not to
call an extra session He yielded 70 what he be.
lieved was the win OF the people He is not hot
headed partisan or man addicted to resentments.
He is now, we know determined not to call an
extra session unless It becomes entirely impossible
to conduct the State Government without enc, or
an overwhelming and irresistible expression OF