The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-01

sparinglysas your present Governor. He has
withhold his hand a hundred Times, for public
reasons, franz f~ardons, where his heart, hint for
those reasons, would have constrained him to
setfrBe the prisoner. There has been no corn
plaint from amy source that the parfl0ning
power has been dangerously exercised. Who
composed these moosg Ihaves reason to believe
that, insgreattpagt, fgoed,and peaceable aandlaW4
reyeEiltg citizens composed them. Under
my tdiHeotions the A4-toRneysgeneral, mot
long since. appeared before the grand jury
in a county in which one of these mobs haasoc-
Cured and obtained leave to summon before 1T
and to- examine manysgo0de~c citizens, who, it was
believed from their situation, could give some
clew regarding thesPersoRs who had composed
this unlawful aesemhlage. BUT all mouths were
sealed. No elew could be reached. 1t was evil
dent that what the mob had dome was sustained
by.the general sense of an nntelligent and peace
full community. What is wrong in our criminal
laws, ,or i'm the mode of adm i-nisteringfthem,
thattshonld make quiet. peaceful citizens openly
break laws and erect glbbets IN orderto take the
lives of men whom they fselieye ITO ibe public
malefactors? / confess that / should
like to see q body of our
wisest ~citiaens, selected by the people
for their known wisdom. assemble to solve this
most grave question and to plaeein2fheiC~ onstitu
ton some provision to reconcile the peace and
good order of society with the administration of
criminal Justice.
But when anyone dares to talk abontaso grave
a subject, Mr.. Voorhees,, who is always pfofuse
IN ms pfauSe on tine p6UNfB ana OF IhRiaaAllbYJ 10
choose agents who will most wisely serve them,
sayslTake care now wiIat you do, for however
carefully you may do this thing. some poor tel-
low just returned from q temperance meeting,
may spring cut Of ambush ami capture theeon-
yention.
When j came into my present office ] thought
that whatever a amendments of the Constitution
were needed could well be- made by
submitting them through the Legislature.
But InOw think that such amendments are
nnn1a1 DC Pan11i1sn in the not ifSn1f 4nf FRAMING
them, grave and prolonged consideration by
nnen1 ohaaen for wisdom and Knowledge, and q
strong sense of justice, and proper conceptions of
the new conditions 'of society. And think
that these men should fbe. separated, ms far,as
possible, from the business and excitement of
politics. mention. IN this cannec-
ton, the subject of taxation. j be-
lieve that half the personal prop
erty an this state, including IN this uiurHse
debts owing to taxpayers, escapes taxation.
And it is SO IN other States. The
sense uf the people will not tolerate the in
quisitorial methods necessary to ascertain the
amuunt,ofit, and no inqHisitariaa methedslean
bring lt4al to light. 4 believe that the heavy
weight of taxation in this State is borne by the
farmers and the owners of small homesteads
Their farms and their homesteads and the yisi-
BILE property thereon generally represent about
their whole possessions 1t lis all EXPOSED to
open view and laidbareto theassessor. Rennsyl-
vania does not tax lands for State purposes,
New Jersey, I believe, taxes them very lightly.
Corporations are.made, in these two States, to
contribute to the revenues more largely than
with us, in return for their valuable franchises.
/ do not pretend to say hat is the best
mode of taxing. But it would be well
if wise men, chosen by the people, and expert
enced in affairs, could meet to deliberate IN a
constitutional convention c0n these questions,
and on other questions not less grave, in which
the-peuple are vitality interested.
Isetns befrank abont this Constitutional it
is. 1t contains much that is good and a good
aealthat is very bad.