The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-14
THE LEGISLATIVE RECORD.
A History Of Partisanship, of Imbecility,
OF Broken Promises and Scandal.
of the General Assembly deliberately Re-
viewed-A Fine Political Document
A REVIEW OF THE RECORD.
Some of the Infamous Legislation for which
the Democratic Party Is Responsible.


Some of the Infamous Legislation for which
the Democratic Party Is Responsible.
The record of the General Assembly was the
subject of an unusually interesting talk, some
what in the nature of an interview, ELECTED from
Senator Foulke by Journal representative
after the final adjournment yesterday "The
legislation" Senator Foulke remarked, ''of the
present session will show the results of Demo
cratic rule at its very best In reviewing the
record that has been made it will be found that in
the very frstact of the Democratic majorty-the
election of officers of the Senate-appears evil
dence of the character of that reformation of
abuses in the public service so loudly proclaimed
in the Democratic platform By a system of
trading and bartering secretary and an assist
ant secretary were elected, one of whom was
forced to resign as dishonest and incompetent
by the same Democratic caucus which appointed
MIN; and the other was permitted to remain,
although charges almost Identical were made
against him. Each drew his pay for the whole
session long before it was due; each overdrew
his account; each claimed that it was mistake;
while the assistant secretary drew the pay of
employees and even Of senators without authority
Senate by the report of its Democratic COM
mittees and the statements of its Democratic
employees. Such were the officers elected by
the Senate to the highest positions within its
gift, and such were the first acts of Democratic
reform in Indiana"
ITS PROMISES AND ITS RECORD.
"The Democratic party" Senator Foulke con-
tinued, "had majority of about two-thirds in
each House. as we'll as Democratic Governor.
1t has had the absolute power to carry out any
plank in its platform that it desired TO- The
Democratic party, at its last State convention,
solemn!y ard officially made certain declarations
of principles to the people of the State for the
purpose of securing their votes Among others,
it favored a reduction Of the number of hours
in the days labor upon the public works, State
and municipal What bill has been enacted for
this purroseg The party has contented itself
with harmless resolution incapable of enforce
ment. 1t favors the establishment of bureaus
of labor statistics, State and national What
additional facilities for the collection of labor
statistics has been furnished by any act of this
General Assembly? 1t favors, as far as practi-
cable, the use of prison and reform labor so as
not to compete with the labor of the honest citi-
zens upon the outside What has been done to
the accomplishment of this endl Indeed the bill of
the senator from ST. Joseph, Republican, in
troduced for the purpose of accomplishing this
result was amended by Democratic votes so
that all its vitality was destroyed. 1T favors
the enactment of such laws as will prohibit the
employment of children under fourteen years of
age in our manufactures, mines and workshops
Yet this Senate, with its two-thirds
Democratic majority, struck from the
limitation of fourteen years prescribed in the
platform of the party, and the bill finally failed
altogether. What is the inevitable inference
from these facts? That the Democratic party
does not mean what it says and will not perform
what it promises; that these provisions were in
serted in the platform bait to catch the vote
of the laborer. After that object is accom-
plished ne is turned overheard say nothing
of the wisdom of these provisions in themselves;
some of them are wise and some are not.
would only speak of the hypocrisy which
prompted their insertion by men who never
meant to perform them. The laborer who
trusted the Democratic party now finds that he
has been made dupe of its broken promises.
They further say in their PLATFORM We deem
it of vital Importance that private interpretations
shall be prohibited by law from watering their
corporate stock There is no law in which it
has inserted this prohibition They say Laws
should be passed to prevent the ownership of
large tracts of land by corporations No Demo
GRAFT introduced bill to prevent this ownership.
They say again: The Democratic party de-
mands reforms in the civil service that will
again result in the employment of those who are
honest and capable, and that honesty and capa-
bility shall again be made condition Of public
employment Yet when this identical reform
was proposed by Republican member, by
which honesty and capabity should alone be
made the conditions of public employment, and
when every Republican member on the floor
supported it, they defeated it solely by the
agency of Democratic votes They say: We
approve of the action of the late Democratic
Legislature in preventing a partisan Governor
from politically revolutionizing the benevolent
institutions of the State. This is in
commentator of the act of the last
Democratic Legislature by which the
Soldiers Orphans Home was placed under
that pure and admirable management which
they themselves have characterized upon the
floor as "a stencil in the nostrils of the people.
They say again: We favor all measures that
will elevate and purify municipal governments,
and make them protective of the interests of the
people rather than of the party which for the
time being happens to be in power This, if it
means anything, refers to metropolitan police
laws. One such, they did, indeed, introduce and
pledged it their support in caucus, but, false to
their own theories they afterwards reversed
their caucus action and defeated the bill by
their own votes, because it would be objections
BILE to that part of their own party which hap
pened to be in power in the city of Fort Wayne
and they made this reversal the consideration
of the purchase Of two Democratic votes for
their gerrymander of the State / am not
speaking of the merits of the metropolitan pc.
lice law; am only speaking OF itfrom the stand
point, from which they view it as expressed by
the official act of their own party in convention
assembled"
CHARACTER OF THE LEGISLATION.
The subject of the character of some of the
legislation was suggested, and it gave the inter
view fresh start "The resolution" Senator
Foulke remarked. requesting Congress to place
Grant upon the retired list was tabled in the
House by the Democratic majority, thus dispos-
ing of this resolution without even an opportu-
nifty of discussion. The Reporter of the Supreme
Court derives an income from his Office gener-
ally estimated at over 900 per year. Bills
were introduced in each House to substitute a
liberal salary and to cheaper the price of the
reports, but because this Office was part of the
general Democratic plumber all efforts to reduce
its emoluments failed The majority in the Sen