The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-04
THE INDIANA RES

We regret to obs erve that the bill pending
in the Legislature to provide for the
Strengthening of the Kankakee river fails
10 make provisions fer taking the kinks out
of its naIne.-Lafayette Courier.
The Democratic minority in the Legisla-
ture IS clasnorous to get to vote for any
measure that will deplete the State treas
ury. The Republican majority is showing
its good sense in defeating all such meas
Eres.-FoWler Republican Era
Indianians desire cheap insurance, but
they demand that it be good insurance. and
if insurance men of the State cannot sue
c~essfully compete W ith the so vent comp lnies
of other States, without discriminating en-
actTnent in their favor, they should aban-
don the field to their foreign rivals.-Wa-
lash Plain Dealer.
The township trustees of Indiana who are
holding on by reason of an act of a Demo-
cratic Legislature which extended their
terms of office, are largely Democratic and
would be the same faith. If they must
hold until August the power of eleeting
county superintendent should be taken
away from them.-Hartford City Times.
One thing that causes hard times and high
taxation is the system of county govern
ment, not only in Indiana, but in almost
every State in the Union. Our county gov
ernments are full of corruption and oflcers
are dishonest and extravagant in the eX-
IRENE. These are not 'howls," they are abb
solute facts corroborated by statistics and
all independently papers III the ldl lie
absolutism of county commissioners is fatal
in the Observation-Disclosures Sun.
The Wishard bill so far as Montgomery
county is concerned comes nearer the con-
stitutioral requil ement than does the Mel
endy bill. We have not made comparisons
in all the districts but 1T is suspected that
the Wishard bill Is the fairer of the two.
What the people demand is a fair apportion-
ment. one that will makeseach representa-
unit as possible, regardless of how it will
make the district stand politically. The Re-
publican party has educated the people TO
this standard and the people will expect the
party to do its duty and fulfill its promises
though the heavens fail.-CraWfordsville
Journal.
The excellent effect of the tramp whipping
remedy in Anderson is made more appar-
ent by the fact that our neighbor, Muncie,
is absolutely cverrun with the vermir.
School buildings are broken open and as
many as a dozen of the lousy. impudent
scan1ps must be driven from a building each
II orning. The jail is full 10 overlooking with
them. People are terrorized and pleading
for relief. The press is intimidated by the
politicians and the tramp IS rolling in the
clover of natural gas heat and jail grub.
He now has the long end of the situation.
He knows his presence in Anderson means
g. sore head and a licking out of the city.
Anderson Bulletin.
Section nine, of the Nicholson bill, the
local option section, is not wisely provided.
If there is to be local option it should be
by ballot ard not by petition and remon-
| STRANGE. The secret ballot is now incoroer-
ated in our electoral system and sanctioned
by the wisdom Of al honest and intelligent
people. There is not a single argument that
f fhnt De does aay not app IN iM with as as a ms Sefr1 force paii3 ia
a case like this as it would in any general
election. What is wanted in any election is
the honest, unbiased, unprecedented, unfn-
Inundated, unbought verdict of the people.
If there is to be local option at all It should
be determined by ballot and not ty petition.
Il and GaZafte-1rih
rLe.
The criticisms on the Legislature that it
is not doing anything, that twenty days, a
third Of the session, has elapsed, and moth
ing to show for it, and SO on. are misplaced
and unjust. Necessarily the work at the
outset must be done in committee. and very
properly and wisely will not come before
House and Senate to any large extent. be-
fore the last half of the session. Besides,
the work of a legislative BODY should not
| be judged wholly by the number of bills it
passes, but rather by the number Il kills.
And a very large proportion of them will
be and ought to be killed in committee,
which means that they are recommended for
rejection. But all have to be considered and
| reported on and this takes tIue.-New AL
| bany Tribune.
Our Legislature is investigating the meth
DDS of building and loan associations doing
business in this State, and it is a. fruitful
Il field for needed legislation Quite a num-
Der of our citizens have shares in various
foreign companies and receive catering re-
ports as to their condition and dividends de-
| clared. In these reports they fail to tel, the
| common everyday shareholder how much
the officers are getting out of it. These COM
panies must be making money very rapidly
for themselves. We have examined the con-
situations of some of them that create an
expense fund by the infinitestimal(D levy
of one-tentn of 1 per cent. on the capital
stock per month. This sounds to the pro-
spective victim, who hears, 1t like a very
small amount, but when they come to. fig
I GER on 1t they md that 1t Is Simply taking
12As per cent. of the amount they pay in.
In some of the companies the amount. thus
derived reaches the enormous amount of
from $50, coo to $4,000 annually. This is a
neat sum to divide among a half dozen Of
icers.-GreensbUEg Standard.