The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-31
INDISCRIMINATE ABUSE.

Journal has been more or less victim to it,
but its injustice and danger to the good of
popular government is so apparent as to need
no emphasis to thoughtful and honorable
men. There is much truth in Mr. Rorison's
address to the expiring Board of Aldermen,
when he said:
'"The interest of every citizen of Indian
apolis is more nearly affected by the acts of
his representative here than by those who
represent him in the Legislature, or even in
Congress. Why, then, are only younger men
occupying these positionsY Why is it that
such prominent names as Wallace, Wiles, Eos
ter, Coburn, Layman, Chandler, Hamilton
and others no longer appear on the roll of
this board9 The newspapers, the guardians
of the public, ought to consider that question.
of self-condemnation. The best and most ex-
perienced business men are needed here. But
men whom experience has taught are slow to
become members of body which the press
holds responsible for all the acts of individual
members"
Not only is this true of the Council boards,
but it is true also Of the Legislature, and, to
some extent even of Congress. Ithas so become
the habit of the press to speak by job lots of
men in these several legislative bodies, and to
denounce them unsparingly for the sins of in
dividual members, which they may deplore as
much as anyone can, that it is next to i'm
possible to induce the best class Of
our citizens TO become candidates for
and to hold positions in the legislative coun-
ellis. AS consequence, these bodies are too
largely made up of inexperienced, Indifferent
or case hardened men, men selishly ambi-
tious, or who are too morally obtuse to be in
fuenced or wounded by attack. That the
public suffers from this goes with the saying,
and in the interests of the public good the
rule should be reversed as far as possible; the
good that is done conscientiously commended,
and the positive or negative evil charged spe-
officially against those who are responsible
for it.
indianapolis needs higher grade Of men in
its Council Marion county and the State need
higher grade Of men in the General Assem-
bly,; but they will not be secured so long as,
without proper discrimination, these bodies
are denounced and scandalizod, their members
charged with bribery and corruption, and
their entire service DETAINED. Take the Coun-
ellis of the city, which are now functus officio,
as a. sample. Not little they have done
and have not done is and has been
just cause for proper and intelligent criticism.
Much of the objection to it's acts of omission
and of commission, however, we recognize to
be based upon difference of judgment in
which the majority are as likely to be right
as their critics. The Journal could wish that
the Councils had done some things different
ly, and had done some things they have not
done. We could wish that Bowling had been
expelled; but it is just to say that he was
branded by decided majority vote as dis
honorable man, yet there were enough men
of his party faith to prevent his expulsion,
and for whose votes the majority were in no
wise responsible. We could have wished that
some decided action had been taken on the
several occasions on which two or three mem
bers of the Council have appeared in their
seats under the influence of liquor. But we
recognize that it was not within the power of
the majority who, doubtless, deprecated the
unseemly exhibition as much as any one
could, to expel these unworthy members, and
we also remember that it has been publicly
charged that such exhibitions have been
made on the floor of so high and
honorable a body as the United
States Senate, and even there the offending
members were not expelled We are not
defending these unseemly things; we are stat
ing them broadly to deprecate them, but at
the same time to exonerate the majority of
the Council from improper and corrupt con-
donation Of the offenses.
But we turn from this side of the record to
summary of the Mayor many causes for COM
mendation of the late Councils, especially when
it is remembered that they were hampered by
a few members of whose inefficiency and
valuelessness there can be no Question. The
hospital addition, the new market-h house, the
State ditch enlargement, the new bridges and
sewers, are among the works of permanent i'm
provement, about and connected with which
there has never been the flavor of job They
have been undertaken and so far completed
with clean hands, and with great prudence and
economy. Considering all the circumstances,
the increase Of the saloon tax to one hundred
dollars, whereby the revenue of the city
is increased, and great principle
established of the future relation of the
saloons to the public, is long and creditable