The Indianapolis journal., 1891-02-21
The Audacious System Of Robbery Pursued By
the Majority in the House in Amending
the Fee and Salary Bill.
Niblack Puts Manacles on Those Favor.
ing Immediate Effect of the Measure
There Will Be No Reform Where II Touches
the Interests Of the Party in Power
The Senate Proceedings.


Garroters to Enrich Democrats.
''Now you're up and now you're down.
This applies with force just now to the con-
tineent in the House who wanted the fee
and salary bill to 60 into effect immediate
ly. They were triumphant Thursday night,
but went home defeated last night On
Thursday they had the assistance of the
members who wanted another whack at
the bill for partisan and personal reasons.
Yesterday those people had their whack,
and then deserted Co the other side. 1t was
supposed that the fee and salary bill would
be . non- partisan measure-in fact. it was
hard to see how it could be otherwise. But
trust Indiana Democrats to make partisan
advantage out of anything. If they had
the revision of the Lords prayer the Re-
.pubicans would be left out of the plead
ing. In the shape that the bill stands the
only reform 10 in the counties with Repub-
licans in Office. Democratic office-holders
are hurt little or none by it.
Upon opening the House in the morning.
the Speaker asked its pleasure in regard TO
the bill. which was mp for amendment or
engrossment. 1t looked for o moment
as though the fight of the night
before was to be repeated, but
Mr Glessner got the floor and moved that
the House revise the bill by counties. and
that the roll of counties be called so mtm-
bers could suggest any amendments they
might wish to have made. The purpose OF
this was to throw the responsibility for the
salaries in each county upon the Repre-
sentative of each county and thus make
him responsible to his constituents This
was in tho nature of q postponement of the
main question, and Mr.. Hench, OF Allen,
wanted to reopen the question of when the
bill should take effect and settle 1T before
the revision by counties began. He had
friends in the Offices of Allen county. IL
the bill was to go into effect at once no
wanted 1t to stand. If it was 10 be SOM
nolent until after the next election he
wanted various reductions. Mr.. Alder ia
vored Glessners motion, his followers
dropped into line and the motion prevailed.
Nobody cared to raise the question OF
% the county uni ' amendments M It was bad
enough for each member TO take
the responsibility in regard TO his own
county without going on record in regard
to the Others. 1t Is true that later on the
honorable and eloquent Mr.. Kelley, of De
Kaib. made frantic appeal to the Speaker
to put the members on record by calling for
the yeas and nays, but Mr.. Kelley was
pushed aside. and the work of reform was
carried on with from ten to fifty of the re-
formers voting upon each section. What
few reductions were offered were adapted
without trouble, and whenever q raise was
suggested in q Democratic county it went
who tried to help out the officers of Re-
publican county to q reasonable extent
The bill was framed with the purpose Of
making office-holding Improbable for Re-
publicans and the members had no idea or
allowing 1t to be changed.
CHANGES BY COUNTIES.
The treasurer of Adams county was raised
from $1,000 TO $4,000. In Benton 500 Was
taken from the sheriff and given to the
auditor, making the treasurer's salary s. 500
and the sheriff7s $1,000. Boone county's
sheriff was cut down from $500 TO S2500
In Carroll the clerk was raised $500 to
S2,4OO, and the treasurer 500 TO s2,l0O. with
out protest from the reformers. Cass coun-
ty being reliably Democratic her officers
were raised all along the line. the clerk
from $1,000 TO S., 6n0, the auditor from Is. 200
to S3. 500, the recorder from 81, 100 10 e. 400.
the treasurer from g, 600 TO s. 400 and tho
sheriff from 5000 to $500 Clay county,
having a penchant for Republicanism, was
disciplined. The clerk was cut from % 600
to 81 700. the auditor got the same amount,
81 400, the treasurer from 81. 400 10 81. 800
and the sheriff from 1900 TO -. 40C. By
some great oversight an amendment to the
Clinton county schedule was allowed TO
slip through making the following, in
creases: Clerk, from e., 400 to q, ,006; auditor.
from g, 200 to 81 900; recorder. from ii, 200 to
81 zoo; treasurer, from 81 200 20 IS. 200. and
sheriff from $500 to 5000. When reform
err Ader discovered this fact during the
noon hour he arose in wrath and began to
hunt for q sharp stick. "0ur Republican
friends are doing altogether too well in
this thing" said he, .'and that Clinton
county list or salaries will be amended this
afternoon if / live long enough"
flart,
ford is q reformer with the true Alliance
trademark blown in the bottle. He wanted
another horizontal reduction OF 500 IN the
Crawford county salaries. which are al
ready ranging between 81 900 and q. 200.
His amendment was about the only reduc-
tion suggested that did not go through.
Then began again the boosting OF Demo
cratic friends of the Sol0ns. ln Dayiess
county the clerk was raised from g. 400 to
SS. 900. the auditor from s2.7OO to 5000. the
recorder from q, ZOO to $1,000. the treasurer
from &. 200 to $4,000 and the sheriff from
s., 400 to 5000. The Dearborn county clerk
was raised from $3.50 81 to Goo $500 and an
600. The gentleman from Dubois
had but one friend in the
"court-house ring" the auditor, and he was
raised from e. 400 to $1,000. As the ever
cheerful Democrats have strong hopes OF
wiping out the slender Republican margin
of 30 in Elkhart county they permitted an
amendment 10 60 through. making the fol-
lowing increases: Clerk from $500 to
s.. 800 auditor from 6. 500 TO 8, 600, and re-
| corder from $1,000 to S2.l00 in Fayette
| 500 was taken from the clerk and given TO
| the recorder making their respective sal-
| aries 50 800 and Sl,l00. In Gibson the re-
| corder was cut from 81, zoo to 81 900 and the
extra 500 given to the treasurer. making
| his salary 81. 400 The Republican majority
| in Greene being rather slender Mr.. Huff-
| man ventured to suggest a few modest in
| creases. but farmer Work arose and ex-
| pressed his surprise and Indignation at
| this effort to make Republican offices
| worth having. aud the amendment was
| promptly voted down. Mr.. Haggard, OF
| Hamilton, failed to take warning by this
| example and tried to get few raises in
| his county. but the Democrats could not
| see it that way. Dr. Troy is a good friend
| of the courthouse crowd at Greenfield. At
| his suggestion their stipend was raised all
| along the line. the clerk from &. 100 TO 81
| 500. the auditor from &. 100 to $500. the
| treasurer from 81. 500 70 e. 400 and the sher-
| i'll from $1,000 to S2.400. In the Harrison
schedule a misprint giving the recorder
| 81 600 was changed to 8 200 and the sheriff
| was cut from &, 600 TO 8, 800.
Mr.. Parker offered an amendment TO the
| Hendricks county schedule. emitting the
| sheriff from S2.5O0 TO $1,000. This was IN
| the nature of a sop to the Democrats IN the
| vain hope that they would let the others
| alone. but reformer Ader swallowed it ana
| promptly howled for more. On his amend
mept the awful Republican ring' OF Hen
| bricks county was cut right and left-the
/ clerk from 50 500 to =. 500. the auditor from
20, oaFf fhn fraa M