The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-20
REFORM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
IN INDIANA.

REFORM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
IN INDIANA.
The State Board of Commerce has
done well in taking up the subject of re-
form in township and county government
in Indiana. 1t is an important subject, and
the present is a good time to open discus
sion of it in order that some intelligent plan
of reform may be evolved before the next
Legislature meets. 1t has been agitated
and discussed in a desultory sort of way
for years past, but no definite action has
followed. Meanwhile, the old system, never
the best has been built Onto extended,
amended and patched until its original de-
fects have been multiplied and intensified
They gre felt and realized more than they
are understood. The people know there is
something radically wrong, something that
makes local government too cumbersome.
costly and inefficient without knowing just
what it is. They want reform without
knowing on just what lines it should be-
1t should be the object of discussion to de-
velop these lines, and, by disclosing the
defects of the present system, prepare the
way for the adoption of a better one. In
diana ought not to rest, as It now does,
under the imputation. made in a work on
Local Constitutional History" of being
inferior to other Western States in the form
and administration of its local govern
ments.
The drift of the discussion on Tuesday
night pointed to the conclusion that the
present system is defective, first, in not
securing proper division of powers, and,
second, in not locating responsibility. 1t is
a fundamental principle of good govern
ment that legislative and executive powers
should be kept distinct and vested in sepa-
rate departments or hands In the national
and state governments this is carefully
done, as it is also in the up-to-date city
governments, like the Indianapolis charter.
In our county and township governments
there is no such division or separation of
powers They are run on the. hodge-podge
plan. The power of levying taxes and that
of expanding money are very distinct, and
should never be lodged in the same hands,
yet under our present system of local gov
eminent they are. >>Mr. Mason, in his ad
dress Tuesday night, emphasized the evils
of this system and suggested a line of re-
form- He said:
Suppose that the county legislature. con-
siSting of a representative from each town.
ship, was charged only with legislative du-
ties, chiefly the fixing of tax rates in the
county for the ensuing year, as well as the
appropriation of money for expenses. Sup
pose, too, that the county auditor act as
controller, whose duty 1t is, before the
commencement of any fiscal year, to pre-
a ~ N a q
of appropriations which he recommends to
be made for the ensuing year. Let the
power of the county board be restricted to
reducing the estimates OF the controller or
of approving them made. On the strength
of these estimates let the county board
pass an ordinance making the specific ap-
preparations for each item of county ex-
pense. Further, let all contracts and pub
lie work of the county, of every nature,
be placed in the hands of a county board of
public works, which has nothing to do
with the county legislature and can expend
only such money as has already been APP
propriated for the particular purpose by
the county legislature. Let the charities
and public institutions of the county be I'M
der control of this board of works, with
which has already been appropriated by
the county legislature In this way the
levying of taxes and expenditure of money
are separated and placed in different hands,
each body being anxious to make its own
record and Watchful of the other. When
ever the same man or set of men have the
power to levy taxes and expend the money
which is raised by the levy the door of
temptation is opened and public extrava-
gance begins.
From a different point of view but on
parallel line, Mr.. Craig favored more CEN
tralization Of authority in the management
of county and township offices and more
definite location of executive responsibility
This involves the other idea, for executive
Ia IaG ok tod
until it is entirely divorced from legislative
power. Mr.. Craig went to the gist of the
matter when he said: IF centralized au-
thority and fixing responsibility in the ma
tional government and in city governments
are wise and effective, why would it not
also be proper in county government? ?"
The question answers itself The princi-
in all government
Agitation of this subject should continue
until some definite plan of reform is evolved
that can be laid before the next Leg
islature. To this end it might be advisable
for the State Board of Commerce to pro-
vide for the holding of a delegate conven-
ton and the appointment of commission
to investigate the subject and report There
is no better way to bring public sentiment
to the crystallizing point and give definite
shape to a variety of suggestions. A no.
table instance of this is the action of the
monetary commission, which is having such
a marked effect on public opinion through
out the country. The report of a carefully
selected commission regarding a new sys-
tenn of local government for Indiana would
be very helpful in the direction of reform
CUBA IN THE HOUSE