The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-25
a Most Desirable Reform.


trade journal, speaking OF the enormous
appropriations made by Tom REEDS bust
ness congress, says:
1t is a bad thing, unquestionably, that
congress is permitted to vote away the
money OF the people after 4 great proper
| ton OF its members has been rejected by
constituents in nominating conventions
or at elections. Ii only those had been
! permitted to vote who had been sustained
| by the people of their respective districts,
! the amount of money voted would have
been remarkably small this year. But
| there ought to be, without any delay,
come change made in the time OF electing
| members of congress, so that the men
| who are chosen in November shall meet
| and enter upon their duties in the first
week OF the December succeeding, and
shall not leave for full year the power
to make laws and to vote away money TO
those memoirs whom constituents have
put out OF place and pubic confidence.
Excepting the proposed change in the
| method OF electing L. S. senators, we know
of no reform which is more urgently de-
nanded by the public interests than that
which is indicated by the Commercial Bui-
letin. No legislative body ought to sit one
day after its successor has been chosen.
| Congress should assemble shortly after its
election, when its members are fresh from
the people, instead OF waiting more than
year, as is the rule now. The congress
which was elected last November should
have entered upon its duties in December,
| or in January at the latest. and the exist
| ence of the body which was so overwhelm-
ingiy repudiated by the people on Nov.
should have terminated at that time.
The Erening Post of New York, in the
course OF vigorous article upon this sub
| ject, says:
No party has, in the history of the coun-
| try. and indeed We think we may say in
| any country, ever received such mark of
| popular disapproval as was inflicted on
the republican party in the November
| election. No such vote IF want Of conf
| dence" is to be found in political annals.
| Only handful of the Legislators of lSS9-90
| got back to congress. In every legislative
| body either OF our time. or of any time,
| except the congress of the United States,
such defeat at the polls would have re-
| turned the defeated candidates instdnter to
| private life. 1t would have stripped them
| of both power and emoluments, on the
| dav on which the vote was declared. And
| this effect OF defeat is necessary, not only
! TO good government but to safe govern
| ment A min sterial officer may be safely
left in Office after he has received notice
oil dismissal, because his duties are defined
| by law, and nothing of importance is left
| to his discretion. But a legislative or
| Judicial officer cannot. A judge who mas
| been removed FOR incompetency or cor
| ruptiOn cannot be allowed 10 mount the
| bench again to pass on other mems title 10
life or property, and a legislator whose
| legislative work has been emphaticaIly
! condemned by the voters ought not, IN
like manner, to be allowed to go on legis-
lating.
All our state constitutions act on this
most wholesome and necessary rue. All
foreign parliamentary states act on it. It
| is only the congress of the United States
and this by a bungle in the matter of
| dates which is exposed every two years
TO the Eruption of horde of discredited
| politicians armed with full legislative
| power, for the manner of exercising
which they owe no responsibility to any
body. The house of representatives,
I which has been sitting since December
last and adjourned on Wednesday, had,
in fact, no constituents. Nobody could
punish it for misconduct; nobody could
call it TO account. 1t had nothing to fear
or hope from public praise or censure.
| And yet, such as 1t was, 1t had the legal
power to loot the richest treasury in the
world and divide the booty as it pleased.
Ii accordingly went back to Washington
and voted away over $500 200, 900, know
ing that the individuals of the majority
| would be out of sight, and most of them
out of mind, before the public got accurate
knowledge of what they had been doing.
1t is pretty hard thing, as experience
has shown, to get the constitution of the
United States amended. But the effort
should be made to secure, at the earliest
possible date, amendments to that instru-
ment providing for the election OF Z. s.
senators by the people and for the death
of the house OF representatives upon the
election of its successor.
One OF the most valuable features Of the
new city charter is that which provides
that the council shall enter upon its du-
ties Immediately after its election. Under
the old charter councilmen were elected
in October and did not take their seats
until the following January Meantime
the old councilmen continued in office,
and those who had not been returned
were, as a rule, inclined to reckless and
vicious courses. In 1889 the republican
council was repudiated by the people, but
before the new council came into exist
ence the old council, which had ceased in
any sense to represent the people, gave
away a valuable street railway franchise,
made scandalous gerrymander of the city
and did all the mischief in its power.
1t is not in accordance with the princi-
pies of popular government that this sort
of thing should be possible. The press
should agitate such an amendment to the
federal constitution as will make it impos-
sible in the national government
Lawrence Barrett.
1t is scarcely too much to say that there
is no man or woman on the American