The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-16
REFORM A CRYING NEED
STATE BOARD OF COMMERCE ON
COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP BILLS.
MIR. FOuIke Offers Evidence as to One
Evil of Selling Teach
ers' Positions.


Club assembly room, yesterday, was to
adopt resolution offered by William
Dudley Foulke, of Richmond, urging the In
diana General Assembly to pass the bills
now pending for township and county re-
form. The resolution was as follows:
1.-THE Indiana State Board of Commerce
desires to express as Its unanimous conVlc-
tion that there is no issue now before the
people of Indiana of equal Importance with
the proposed reform of county and town
ship government The evils from which the
public has suffered in many sections OF the
State in corrupt and improyidtent aIow W
roads, bridges and other public works. ex-
travagant purchases of school and other
supplies and IN the improper management
Of the public schools themselves call for an
immediate ana thorough remedy The bills
proposed by the present commission or
county and township reform, in our opinion.
offer q satisfactory remedy for the worst
evils which now infect our local government
and we urge the members of the Legislature,
without regard to party, to obey the calls
of patriotic duty and to unite IN the support
of these beneflcent measures.
Another step urged by several members
was the continuation OF the reform work
In the event of the failure of the General
Assembly to pass the pending measures
The general impression of a number who
spoke seemed to be that the bills would pass
without much doubt In the event they do
not the board will, as the executive COM
mittee may direct, provide for the formation
permanent
the reform that has been undertaken. 1t is
not the purpose to ask for further leglsla-
tion, but rather to secure the passage or the
laws that have already been submitted. II
they fail 1t is clear from the expressions
that were made yesterday that the hgnt
will not be given up and that efforts Wlll
be kept up until the next General Assembly.
There is a very strong hope, however, that
no such contingency will arise and that the
Legislature will at this time perform what
is described in Mr.. Foulke,s resolution
oIoOx ofVin H1If
All the more important commercial organ
izations Of the State were represented at the
meeting yesterday and those who spoke
testified that public sentiment in their local
tiles is aroused in favor of the reform. VII
liam Fortune president of the State Board
of Commerce, presided at the meetings yes
terday. While there appears to be spon-
taneous sentiment in favor of the board s
efforts resistance has been met from an or
ganization of office holders who are at
tempting to dictate to the people OF the
State what should be done. One of the i'm
portant subjects to be disposed of by the
present meeting he regarded as the question
how best the reforms could be brought
about. 1.-The system through which many
millions of dollars are annually collected
and expended in our State. he SAID, mas
been too long neglected and this neglect mas
encouraged abuses which have become so
grave that they cannot longer be ignored.
The reproaches which have been brouSht
upon the system through its deficiencies,
and through abuses of ii, have even unJustly
involved good officials, and we have reached
that stage where Petter f system Ten ,eIaF NIL pf
gives them as we'll as by the citizens whose
interests it protects and conserVes: 1t is IN
deed enough that the DEMENT'S to the people
will amount to millions of dollars. This is a
tangible measure of the Importance OF the
proposed reform, for somehow dollars ana
cents reach the common understanding bet
ter than anything else, but the pernlclous
influences which arise from the growing
evils of bad system are vastly more lmpor-
tant in their effects than the cost to the
10 IN do11 large
though that may be
Mr. Fortune strongly commended Charles
s. Hernly, chairman I, OF the nePeDlifbf tba
commission which has drafted the laws
now pending. at the request OF the State
Board of Commerce. In speaking Oh the ell
forts that have been made to bring about
the reform he mentioned especially Senator
New, aided by the Democratic leaders. A
nounced that Senator New had telephoned
him that the county bill had passed the
Senate by vote of % to IA. there was an
outburst of hearty applause.
E B. Martindale. president of the Indian
apolis Board of Trade, followed Mr.. For
tune, stating that If the bills were, not
passed at this Legislature they would be at
the next and that the men who were re
sponsible for their defeat would not again
be trusted by the people. The party that
carried the bills into effect and the men
who voted for them, Republicans or Demo-
Gratis would, he said, receive the continued
approval and confidence of the people.
Club d. NJ. Parry. president of the organi-
cation, welcomed the state board to Indian
apolis and complimented 1t on its work the
last year.
FOR A PEACE JUBILEE.
A resolution, offered by Mortimer Lever
ing, of Lafayette, providing for peace
jubilee in this city on the anniversary of
Dewey's victory at Manila, created much
enthusiasm, and his suggestion of a COM
ted faxy
committee, composed of Mortimer Levering,
Lafayette; J. v. Rush, Evansville; G. H.
Ehrmann, Terre Haute, and d. M. Parry,
F. B. Martindale and Russell M. Seeds, of
this city were directed to report at the
meeting to-day.
At the afternoon session a number of pa
pers were read and discussed. A. L. Mason,
in discussing the development of Local
Government in Indiana" said in part:
In presenting a brief sketch Of the devel-
opment of local government in Indiana 1t Is
proper to say that little or no public reward
is to be expected for those who labor III this
field Popular enthusiasm Is not aroused by
d consideration of economy IN the trustees
Office or the letting of contracts by the coun-
ty commissioners; there are no hurrahs for
the student of poor laws or for the adVo-
cate of economy in road repair.
Indiana has in general been hospitable to
law reform The student Of Indiana inst-
tutions discovers that the century winch we
are completing has witnessed a steady, ra-
tional and progressive growth in our insti-
tutions of local government. At the begin
ming of the century all power was vested in
q military governor. In the beginning In
diana Territory was divided into three coun-
ties. One of these counties comprised prac-
tically what is the State of Illinois;
another consisted of what know as the
State of Michigan, and a third county con-
sisted of what is now the State of Indiana.
The government of each of these counties
was vested in the beginning in q Judge but
almost Immediately there was created a
board of three county commissioners to
transact the county business, having sub
stantially the powers and duties of county
commissioners as they exist to-day.
''In 1852 one important change was made
i'm the conduct Of county business. Up to
that time all roads and road repairs were
in charge of the county commissioners, who
levied the tax and paid the bills out of the
tically surrendered to the townships the care
Of the poor and the care of roads and high
ways This surrender of power of the coun-
ty to the township marked an advance in
local f-goVernment. Yet the reform had
a string tied to IT. The county commission
ers still retained the power to approve the
levy for road taxes and poor relief made
by the township
HISTORY OF THE TOWNSHIP.
1.-THE township is of later growth and has
quite a different history from the counties
In the beginning the congressional grant of
lands to each township for school purposes
led 10 the creation of a board of three trus-
tees in each congressional township. which
had charge of the sale of school lands and
the care of school moneys. These three
trustees were plainly copied from the three
members composing the board of county
commissioners. Likewise there was a civil
township created, governed also by a board