The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-04
FEES AND SALARIES.
The Views o. the Il ,n. Charles KeIlison ct
NJ .rshail County.

NJ srshail County.
To THE EDIToR-Gir: On the 18th Of
this month wrote ana mailed a communi-
cation to The SENTINEL in reference TO
several important measures pending in the
legislature OF this state. and dated that
letter on the day it was written end
mailed. namely, on the 18th of February.
It was not published until the 18th inst,
six days after it was written and dated,
and the date OF the article was, inadver-
tently or otherwise, changed by TIE SEN
TINEI from the 18th to the 18th of the
month.
The date OF letter sometimes is i'm
portant, and this is particularly true in
the present case. Had this commnnica-
ton been published as of the date in
tended, tbs writer would have nothing to
complain OF or correct.
At The time the letter was actually writ
ten the fee and salary bill was being con-
sidered in committee of the whole house.
When the letter was published that COM
mittee had fnishe its work on the bill,
and. as the writer understands, If had
been referred 10 special committee OF
the house and that special committee had
reported It to the house with a new section,
which provided that the bill should not
apply to officers elected at the last general
election.
The publication OF my letter. after the
bill had been thus amended and other
wise changed, placed me in false posi-
ton and might and probably did have the
effect to cause those VINO read the com
muuication to be ieve that the writer
favored the measure in its then emascu-
lated condition. Nothing could have
been farther than this from his thoughts.
The bull as thus changed is bare-faced
political fraud AMI an insult 10 every in
telligent democrat in Indiana.
If any republican orator or paper had
asserted, during the late campaign in this
state, that the last democratic state plat
form on the subject OF fees and salaries
meant that the democratic party was in
favor OF fee and salary legis alton that
should not fully 90 into effect until 1856
when ID per cent. OF the voters and tax
payers OF 1890 were IN their graves every
democratic paper and speaker would have
pronounced it a wicked and malicious re-
publican campaign lie.
And it would have been such. for there
is not a sane man in the state that be-
lieves that the thirteen hundred or
more representative democrats that
composed that convention ever had
such an understanding OF the Platform
adopted BIZ them. More than this. if
anv democratic speaker had stood before
the people last year and given such con-
structon to that platform his reception
would have been decidedly chilly among
the democratic masses, for there was moth
ing in that platform OF principles that
met with the hearty approval OF the agrl-
cultural and Industrial classes OF our peo-
pie SO much as did the no and ringing
words in which the democratic party de-
manded fee and salary reform at the
hands of this general assembly.
But We are now told by certain demo-
cratic leaders that The democratic party
was not in favor of reform iii 1891 We are
informed that the platform meant that 1t
would be in favor OF reform some future
time. to wit: In 1892 or 1894 If II lived
that long and did not change its mind
ANY man who can be persuaded TO &C
eept such drivel as that for argument,
ought TO be committed to the asylum Tor
feeble minded.
The craftsmanship that commits a great
political party to such policy is more con-
temptible and ludicrous than that OF
Sancho Panza in the government of the
island of Barataria. Ii the writer owed
the devil a million frauds, and he would
not take the political sophists, who are
giving the platform such a construction,
in discharge OF the debt, he would believe
that his satanic majesty was losing his
reputed good sense ana business shrewd-
ness.
The writer believes that he expresses the
Of I'll faar n ffa
democrats of this county when he says that
the democracy OF this section expected
a reform that was TO be inaugurated in the
near future, and not the empty promise
OF reform that will never be realized I'M
der the proposed measure. Ii the bill is
enacted into law in its present form IT
could not possibly effect anything until
after the general election OF 1892.
III the next legislature should be n re-
publican body the law would probably be
repealed before it goes into effect, and in
that event the people would be farther
away from the desired reform than they
now are.
The remarkable craftsmanship that can
project its far-seeing vision into the
shatiowy mists OF futurity and see the
fruits of such mOckery OF reform, must
be possessed of as much patience and fol-
w as that which characterized the cele-
brated philosopher OF the island OF Laputa.
who laboriourly and confidently conduct
cd a series of scientific investigations for
seven long years, IN the vain eDdeavor 10
extract suubeams from cucuInbers.
II the democratic party expects to re-
tain its present prestige in Indiana, IN the
name of the fathers and founders of
democracy, let US have no more of this
cucumber statesmanship.
CHARLES KELLIsoN.
Plymouth, Ind, Feb. %.