The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-03
THE FAILURE OF APPROPRIATIONS.

With a faulty as stupid as it is men,
to remove from the Democratic party the
stigma of defeating the general appro-
priation bill in the last Legislature. 1t
is hard to understand why the Sentinel
should do this since that paper conspicuous
ly stated in its editorial columns that 1.-THE
Democracy determined to withhold the ap-
preparations in order to bring the Governor
to a sense of his position" The Sentinel
gloried in the fact that "the Democrats de.
termined to withhold the appropriations"
and that is the record of history. In order
to show the absolute truth of the Sentinel's
statement that it was the Democracy
which withheld the appropriations"
we give condensed statement
of the successive steps taken in the Legisla-
ture with the appropriation bill, and with the
metropolitan police bill, to force which
through the General Assembly before its
constitutional time the Democratic party
deliberately and purposely left the State
government without the necessary appro-
prations.
The metropolitan police bill was presented
to the Governor when a large number of
other bills were in his hands for considera-
ton, and when most of his time was en-
crossed with the business of distributing the
State relief fund for the benefit of the flood
"a - II ho;r
man of the committee appointed to dis
tribute that fund, The constitution gave
him three days for considering the police
bill. If he should not return it within
three days Sunday excepted) it would be-
come law without his signature. He re-
turned it on the last of the three
days Sunday excepted) with his
objections. Before he returned it
the general appropriation bill had been
passed through both houses of the Legisla-
ture But on the second day after the met
him, the House of Representatives reconsid-
cred the vote by which the general appropri
alton bill had passed that body. This was
done with the avowed purpose of compelling
the Governor to return the metropolitan
police bill on the second day after it had
been presented to him or of causing defeat
of the general appropriation bill. This OBJ
ject was openly avowed and confessed by the
Sentinel in the language we have quoted.
The Governor would not yield to a menace
On the third day Sunday excepted) as we
have said, he returned the police bill
with his objections, and it became
law without further delay.
The Legislature deliberately refused to pass
the appropriation bill on the last day of the
session for the passage of any bill, except
bills vetoed by the Governor. Only two
more days of the session remained after the
adjournment on Saturday night, and the
constitution ordains that mo bill shall be
presented to the Governor within two days
next previous to the final adjournment of
the General Assembly," The last two days
of the session are set apart by the constitu-
ton for receiving bills previously presented
to the Governor and returned by him If he
returns bill with his objections within
these two days, which was presented to him
more than two days before the end Of the
session, the Legislature may pass it. not
withstanding his objections; but it can pass
no bill within those two days which has not
been thus returned.
The non-passage of the general appropria-
ton bill was discovered by the Democrats TO
have been great blunder and they were
appalled, by it. They did not know what
course to pursue. Finally, the desperate res