The Indianapolis journal., 1899-01-18
STATE PRESS OPINION.

Speaker Littleton starts out with the right
notion. We think that the Legislature
ought to get down to work. He is opposed
to adjOurning from Friday until Monday.
We congratulate the speaker on his business
notions. There is no reason why the LeglS-
lature should not get down to work and
stay down until the necessary legisla ton is
enacted.-Richmond Palladium.
The determination of Speaker Littleton, of
the lower house of the Legislature to pre-
vent any more adjournments of the House
from Friday to Monday and to endeavor
to hold two sessions day is enc which is
commendable and which will receive the
sanction Of all the citizens. TO fool away
time now and then be rushed for time at
the close of the session is rot good business.
1t results in important bills being jamned
through without consideration or left in the
pigeon holes of the committee rooms. 1t
also results in bills that should be killed,
rushing through unobserVed. Sixty days is
not long time, but it is sufficient to con-
duct the essential business if the Legisla-
ture will get down to business.-Richmond
Item.
The rapid increase in the number of di-
vorces in Indiana and the facility with
which they are obtained in the State are
the cause of apprehension at home and un-
favorable comment abroad 1t is in the
memory of persons not past middle age
when a suit for divorce in Indiana was a
rare thing; now they come in sWarms, sean
"
time OF the courts and creating the impress
sion that there has been a distinct decline
in the social purity OF our people. The diff
Guilty is principally with the administration
of our divorce laws rather than with the
laws themselves. The need of divorce re-
form in Indiana must be evident to every
intelligent and right-thinking citiZen.-Shel-
byVille Republican.
The list of possible candidates for Gov
ernor given by an Indianapolis paper shows
that almost anybody may consider himself
as a gubernatorial quantity. There are
some names mentioned in the list which al
most sicken one when he thinks of them.
Some of them have been successful in poll
tics and while it is true that they perhaps
have sense enough to go in out of the rain,
yet it is known generally, or ought to be
known, that they are better qualified to be
statesmen or something less than for the
governorship of a great State like this. The
Chronicle does not care to mention names
for the reason that it believes the common
sense of the Republican party will promptly
turn down number of the bumptious in
diViduals who have but little to recommend
them but excessive NJ fassurance.-Marion
Chronicle.
We seriously hope the Republicans will
find a successful way to curb the trusts.
The party has promised the people to do
the best it can in this regard and is now
working with devotion and zeal to that end
But it has most difficult task. The trusts
of to-day are not in one sense combinations
though they serve all the purposes of COM
binations; they are great single Institutions
1t may be an easy matter to declaim
against trusts-and properly so, too-but it
is another thing to make law that will
curb them as they are now and one that
will not at the same time stife private and
wholesome enterprises. Again, let us hope
the Republicans will solve the perpleXing
problem. And If they do let us give them
full credit. At any rate, let us not fore
damn by saying the task they are under
iG q q a lsW Ar n n HoTscD cD91
Herald.
1t is said the county officers will fight
any measure that they think is not to their
personal interest" Knowing, then, the aim
of this proposed measure, we ask the county
officials why they oppose it. Is it against
their personal interest that the taxpay-
ers have voice in the government of their
county? Is it against the personal inter
est" of the township trustee that the tax
payers have voice in the government of
his township? If by their actions these Off
cials confess that honest local governments
are against their personal interests what
must we conclude concerning their per
sonal intereStS?" Personal interests indeed !!
Has it come to that? Must the personal in
terests OF township trustees and county
commissioners in Indiana stand between the
people and honest and efficient local gov
ernment? We should think that such an
announcement on the part of the county
officials and township officials would arouse
the people to action. We do not know the
position of our own local officials. We hope
and we believe that they are not antag-
Onistic to this reform measure. But we do
know one thing, and that is the taxpayers
are in favor of it, and their interests are to
be considered before any one else's The rep
resentatives of Wayne county in the Legis-
lature cannot do q better thing than to sup
port this reform measure, promised by the
Democratic and Republican parties and sup
ported by the present leaders of those par
ties with the great mass of people at their
back-Richmond Item