The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-29
Opportunities of legislatures


Opportunities Of Legislatures
Our esteemed friend Mr.. ZIMMERMAN
d ssents 10 our readers this morning hi.
VI ews Of the failure of the las, legislature
bu while in the abstract his argument
ha certain plausibility we cannot agree
ell her with his theory or with his appli-
ito n Of il to the facts. There is, of course
as reat difference in the opportunities OF
me- q and OF legislatures. but there is also
q reat difference made in the uss OF
OPP ortunities. GRANT believed that the
way to conduct war was to fight. He
mao 70 the opportunity if none came 10
him 1t was his aggressiveness that gave
him the opportunity to win every victory
from I Belmont TO Vicksburg, that gave
him steady promotion to the point where
the president and the nation recognized
hiI & as the great leader. The difference
be- tween the legislatures of 1889 and 1893
is that the one improved It's op-
DO rtunities and the other did
no b Leaving out of consideration
the ballot Law and the school book law
th, legislature of 1889 still did more and
bet ter work than any legislature that pre-
Gee ed il. and far more than the legis ature
of 1898. and we think that il Mr.. ZIsiMER-
ma will examine the record more closely
he will admit this.
he state board OF charities law is one
of the greatest reform measures ever
pas sed in this or in any other state. 1t
has served as great bulwark of defense
TO he management OF the institutions
and to the democratic party from all IN
just charges made against them. II has
KEEP the institutions pure and wholesome.
IL IS allaved the fears of the people. 1t
has improved the whole administration of
corr ections and charities IN the state. IL
rev Eed the laws for apprenticeship of or
pha ns, provided laws for humane in
spec tors. boards of children's guar
diar Is, homes for INDECENT old
won Ten, and for the prevention of cruel
ty to animals. L! prohibited the sale of
tobac, . TO children under sixteen years of
age. IT provided for night schools and
free indergartens. 1t reorganized the
state ! library and put it on an equality
with Il lose of our neighboring states. 1t
passed the eight.hour labor law. 1t
passed a wholesome lsw for the inspection
of miV 90 and the suppression of pluck
me stO res" Ii repealed the outrageous
reDuhl lean "intimi dation law of 1881
IL psss ID the anti-P inkerton law. exclud-
ing the Sc msrcenaries from Indiana. Il
created the 1--we stock sanitary commission.
1t refuI lded the school bonds, saving the
state 81 1900 per Annum in interest. 1t
sternlY refused to "whiteuash" anybody
or anyt ling. both in the Raw Carpenter
contest ana the Eastern insane hospital
investis alton. Where is another Iegisla-
Fture tbs ! made such a record?
Did tt o legislature of 1898 have oppor-
tunitiesi Did IL improve them? The
dsmocra tic state platform of 1892 Endorsed
the tax | aw and promised its influences to
secure Ia taxation of RTeenbacks and of
interstate commerce.. The state board of
tax com missioneTs recommended that
congress be memoralized as to both. and
the ieRis lature did nothing. The state
board OF ak commissioners, in obedience
to law, r. commended certain amendments
to the tar law, and the senate smothered
the bill II ! committee after it had passed
the hous 9. The platform Endorsed the
Australia ballot Law and declared In
favor Of maintaining it intact" The
legislature made one dangerous amend
ment of il and smothered In committee
the "watO hers" amendment, which was
not eepecIi lily Objectionable. The platform
declaed"s lnswerviDg devotion 10 the inter
ests of pul )lio education" including the
higher ins titutions of learning and free
public libr aries. and the legislature man.
ifested It's ievotion by cutting the pur-
chase fund OF the state library in two. The
platform " az specially explicit as to labor
interests. Recommended Organization of
the indusi rial classes" and declared its
intention : n all future contests to stand
by the Rreg producing mssses." II told
WorkingmsI that the democratic partv
had given them the eighthour law. tne
Law to Drevs Mt blackisting. the law pre-.
venting 'plu ck-me stores the law for the
protection OF miners. and the laws that
make it i'm possible for Pinkerton de-
tsetives to az rest and slsy laboring men in
Indiana" very one OF these laws was
passed in 10 50. In the legislature of 1898
tho ieutenan t-governor and the commit
Tee refused to- allow the senate to vote on
labor laws until the railroad lobby ap-
proved thent A primary election law
was much iIsedsd. None was passed.
These thinis were demanded - were
pledged. In addition 70 them a legisla-
ture might reasonably discover some
needed refornn for itself
Mr.. ZIMMEh MAN partially recognizes the
evil in his remarks about the lobby.
How does lobby control lsgisIaturs7