The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-26
B. WILSON SMITH.
'He Did Not Charge warden Harley
with an Illegal Act.
To the Editor of the 1nalanapolls journal:

10 the EoltOF or the Indianapolis journal:
In your yesterdays ISSUE under the cap
ton Warden Harleys House Papering' 1
note you quote one of the prison directors
as saying that B. Wilson Smith is said to
have first called the Governors attention to
this illegal act" l wish to deny public
ly that 1 never called the Governors at
tention to this as an illegal act" / am
not the law officer of the State-nor charged
with the duty of watching infractions of
the laws. Neither does the fact that have
spoken of this matter to some one change
its character in the least. l do not know
who the director of the prison is who said
l wrote the law which clearly gave Mr..
Harley the right to paper the deputy
warden's house. but l am astonished at his
astuteness in the Interpretation of that part
of the general appropriation bill. He
quoted on Page sol for outside and inside
improvements. including barn and warden's
house, $1,000" Does Outside and inside
apply to house and barn. or something else
As the bill came from my pen it read, For
outside Of the walls, improvements, etc., -
but by an unfortunate blunder which l can
not account for, the typewriter copy and
printed bill made it read, for outside and
inside Improvements, including barn and
Warden's house" l did not discover the
error till too late to correct it. The reason
why l could not have written outside and
inside" Improvements is very plain. Every
Item OF the appropriation for the Northern
Prison was Sharply contested. The joint
committee of the House and Senate for the
Prison North asked for $4,000 for repair OF
the barn and the warden's house-mot the
deputys. that was new, not year Old
The committee on ways and means gave
$1,000 The same committee asked for so 900
tor repair OF buildings inside of the walls.
The committee on ways and means gave
$4,000, but the House and Senate raised
1t to $4,000 Besides these several appro-
priations there was $500 appropriated for
general repairs available annually after
Nov. /, 1897 The slightest reflection makes
it absolutely apparent that outside means
outside the walls, and inside" had 1t been
originally written, would mean inside the
walls. 1t could not have reference to the
interior and exterior of a building. ! know
that Messrs. Harley and Nebeker will not
controVert this construction. But since a
certain director of this prison, while so
triumphantly constituting this law, took oc-
casion, without prOvocation, to say | was
both the first critic and the lawmaker. /
have construed it for him that he may see
his mistake and govern himself according
the ''wardens house? Certainly, the one
in which he then lived and which his pre-
decessorS had occupied for twenty years.
They could not have understood the deputy
wardens house, for this was neW-les than
a year Old and no one thought of repair
ing 1t. The appropriation was meant Tor
has been repaired the house reprinted and
slightly repaired, and l understand the
warden and directors have about 500 or
this appropriation left to be covered back
into the state treasury. have not crlu-
cised any one for these legitimate repairs
nor accused any one of violating the late
appropriation law. Neither do | appreciate
being dragged into these matters without
my knowledge or consent The contest
over the appropriation for the Northern
Prison was sharp and spirited did all
of my contrasting in an open ana many
way and said much more on the floor OF
the House than / did behind doors. what
I did 1 did in the interest of the people
and the taxpayers of the State. and with
my increased knowledge ] would fight
harder and appropriate less money than we
did. But l have not said to any one that
had violated the law. Nor did l speak of
the affair to the Governor as violation
of the appropriation law, nor call it 10 MS
attention for any such purpose, as ne VIII
attest at the proper time and place. AS to
my cheese pairing in the appropriation
bill / can well Oxford to leave my v1ndica-
ton to the taxpayers Of Indiana when
they pass sentence upon the committee
which appropriated 100000 less than its
immediate predecessor and still provided
for seven hundred more inmates or
asylumS, homes refOrmatories and beneVo-
lent institutions and still appropriated more
than was necessary, if a wise, comprehen-
sive and intelligently economic adrllnistra-
ton could be secured in every institution
supported by the State. / expect every one
who guards the avenues to the state treas
ury to be buffeted but a general appro-
priation bill that saves a half million dol
lars to the people and provides $2,OO0,0O0
for the state debt without increasing the
taxes one mill is certainly an aegis broad
enough to shield it's trainers from criticism
for Guarding its provisions and looking
with an interested eye on its unfolding and
enforcement. Such is the opinion and nKely
to be the action of the late chairman man.,
B. WILSON SMITH.
LAFAYETTE Ind. June a.