The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-14

tans are those needed for the support Of the.
State and its institutions and the passage Of tho
general and specific appropriation bills should
not be left to the uncertainties attending ths
close OF the session. To provide for the public
wants of the State 10 the paramount duty OF the
Legislature This was not thu course followed
by this Democratic General Assembly. The
entire regular session passed without consider
ing the general or specific appropriation bills in
either house. In the House OF Representatives
Mr.. Sayre the Republican member from Wa
bash, moved to take it up at an early day In the
session pat was promptly voted down by Demo
cratic votes Then sacred compact was formed
-IOO bills were to be discussed by counties, and
each county, as its name was called eager to
further its own little scheme disregarded the
general good, and permitted the appropri-
alton bill 10 60 by. Again and again were Eff
forts made to consider it. twice moved in the
Senate to take it up but each time was voted
down by the Democratic majority-the first time
because they said the motion was premature;
the second time, only few days afterwards, be-
cause they said it was too late. No effort was
spared TO postpone the necessary legislation and
render imperative the calling of:an extra session,
at an expense of about 1000 TO the people
Six dollars a day was too much to be resisted,
anu the people must pay Disgraceful as were
the affairs of the Knightstown asylum there was
no person IN the entire House of Representa-
tives to take up that bill in preference to the
trifiing legislation which the members from the
revenue for the construction of the new State
house, during the regular session, and the speci-
fic appropriation BILL wholly failed for like rea-
son. If the Democratic Governor of the State
was right when he declared that to provide for
the public wants was the paramount duty of the
Legislature then the Democratic majority OF
the Legislature was strangely recreant to its
first great duty"
CONDITION OF THE STATE TREASURY
eve were told" Senator Foulke further said,
lin the message of Governor Porter-and the
committee of the Senate expressly found it TO
be true-that the funds of the State were in
secure and that there WAS safe place to keep
the States moneys The matter was proposed
for legislation, but there was nothing done ex-
cept to increase the penalty of the Treasnrers
bond. 1t was said by Democrats upon the floor
OF the Senate that interest had been received
Tor many years upon the moneys of the State,
contrary to the law, by the Treasurer These
moneys belong to the State. Every intelligent
man in the State knows it. Yet the Democratic
majority made effort to stop the abuse
Large amounts of the States moneys were lost i'm
the recent failure of banks in indianapolis.
read the certificate showing that $1300 had
been deposited in Fletcher 81 Sharpe's Bank.
proposed to show, if the committee would per-
nit, that 500 900 had been lost in Harrson's
bank. Yet the Democratic majority on the com
mittee and on the floor of the Senate would not
that all the facts stated il Governor Porters mes
sage in regard to the Treasury were true
Yet, even after this the Governors accusations
were denounced as false and calumnious. The
majority alleged that the Governor had been der
elicit In lot making an examination of the
Treasury himself We offered to call him be-
fore the committee to state what he had done,
and the reasons for his course, and what he knew
in regard to the Treasury. The Democratic ma
jority of the committee would not permit it to
ha An ion net Do
ter, where the proof is suppressed by the party
making it, should not be believed by intelligent
men, The funds counted by the committee
were open to the gravest suspicion. Ninety-six
thousand dollars were deposited within two days
prior to the examination. Forty-fve thousand
dollars bore date on Sunday. In vouchers pur-
porting to be several months old, the ink was
fresh. Seventy-four thousand dollars consisted
OF doubtful county orders, OF which $4,000 were
long past due and unpaid The entire amount
of cash on hand was only 81, 700. The affairs OF
the Treasury appeared in the most critical con-
dition 1t was said by many that the Governor
would order an investigation. Two months have
passed and nothing has been done The people
of the State will hardly believe that the Demo.
cratic majority exercises the proper care over
the States funds, but they will rather judge that
their only efforts have been to preserve from
discovery the shortcomings OF q Democratic
Treasurer
Another subject upon which there was gen
eral demand by the people was the enactment Of
a just and equitable fec and salary bill A re-
form Legislature ought not to have permitted
the regular and special sessions both to pass
with nothing done. Yet, although various
propositions were made, mono of them were
acted upon Senator Youche's bill for reducing
the per diem of the county clerks was defeated
by Democratic votes
1.-THE party Of equal rights ought not to have
denied 1t to their wives, mothers and sisters.
yet when bill was introduced abolishing the
civil disabilities which marriage entails, it was
voted down by the Democratic majority in the
Senate. The bill introduced by Mr.. Jameson in
the House, even more conservative in its proyis-
ions, was defeated there"
POLITICAL PLUNDERING OF THE INSTITUTIONS.
''The course pursued in relation to the benev-
olent institutions not altogether faultless,#
wassuggested. 'There is much was the remark,
ito be said about it. Two years ago, for the
purpose of acquiring little more political
plumber the benevolent institutions of the State,
as we'll as the Soldiers Orphans Home and
Asylum for Feeble minded Children at knights
town, were taken from the control of The Govern
or, under whose supervision the affairs had
been satisfactorily administered and put up for
sale at Democratic caucus Disregarding the
rights of those wards of the State and the welfare
of the institutions themselves, over whose
thresholds the steps Of political intrigue ought
ought not to pass, the Democratic majority saw
nothing but few more Offices within their grasp
and the pillage went on until it could go no
further The infamy at the Knightstown
Home was SO outrageous that men dare not
speak of it in the presence of woman. The
leaders of the Democratic party knew what was
going on early last fall yet they kept silent lest
it should injure the party in the election. They
did not dare let these outrages be brought to the
knowledge of the people. Even when the mat
ter was presented to the General Assembly, the
first effort was to stife it, since Democrats
wanted Goar to resign, and were willing to give
him a certificate of character IL the cloak OF
silence should be cast over these nefarous trans-
actions. This could not be done. Then an
effort was made to confne the investigation to
one man, and some of the Democrats in the
House-Kellison, Patten, Williams and Cory
endeavored to stifle the Investigation at this
point. In this they failed TO the credit of the
committee, consisting part of Republicans and
part of Democrats, be it said they conscien-