The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-27
FACING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

The sober second thought, or third
thought. of the Republican caucus has,
as it looks to the Journal, resulted in so
distinct an advance in the direction of
redeeming the party pledges relative to
the control of the benevolent institutions
that no one can doubt the final outcome.
The party is now facing in the right di-
rection, and whether it moves by long
steps or by short ones is of less i'm
portance than the certainty that it will
finally reach the objective point of re-
moving the institutions entirely from
the field of party politics. The caucus
resolution of Monday will not entirely
accomplish this. but it will do more in
that direction than has ever before been
attempted by any Legislature or by
either party in this State. The resolu-
ton is as follows:
Resolved, That the committee on benevo-
lent institutions be instructed to draft
six boards q three Ias each to
age the four insane hospitals OF the state,
the Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and
the Institute for the Blind, and that not
more than nine of such persons be of the
same political party. The trustees shall be
chosen from the two political parties f cast
tary Of State at the last election.
The embodiment of this resolution in
law, if it should contain no further re-
striction, will leave the Governor free to
decide how the boards shall be divided.
A literal compliance with the resolution
as it stands would permit him to make
three of the boards solidly Democratic
and three solidly Republican,, thus
leaving half of the benevolent institu-
tions under the control of one party and
half under the control of the other. It
is not likely, however, that the Governor
would exercise the appointing power in
that manner. even if literal compli-
ance with the law would permit him to
do SO. It would be a plain violation of
the spirit of a law manifestly intended
to bring the institutions under biparti-
san control, and a plain defiance of pub.
lie opinion. The Journa! has too good
an opinion of Governor Matthew's hon.
esty of purpose and mis- political sagac-
ity to believe that he would construe the
law in that way 1t is much more like
ly, in fact almost certain, that he would
execute the provision of the law requir-
ing nine of the members to be Republic
an and nine Democratic by making three
of the boards to consist of two Repub-
licans and one Democrat and three to
consist of two Democrats and one Re-
publican. This would make all the
boards bipartisan, and stablish.a pre-
cedent that no future Governor would
dare violate. 1t would virtually assure
bipartisan boards for all the benevolent
institutions, and thus, aided by civil-ser-
vice or merit rules relative to appoint
ments and removals. would soon result
in entirely eliminating party politics
from the management If 1t did not the
Journal entertains no doubt that the
next Republican Legislature would sup
ply the needed legislation to that end.
If the caucus resolution above quoted
should be enacted into law, public opin-
ion will hold the Governor to a compli-
This he can only do by appointing men
OF both parties, whose appointment he
can justify on the ground of fitness. If
he should appoint Democratic partisans
and Republican mugwumps, all or any
of them selected without any particular
reference to their fitness for the posi-
tions, he and his party would have to
management of the institutions, and Of
practically multiplying a law intended to
take them out of politics and bring them
under a merit system. The Journal does
not believe the present or any future
Governor would care to assume that re-
sponsibility