The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-06

/ Win WHICH county IuilUS are expended III
! some counties is the outgrowth of follow
1 ing presidents on the ascending scale. At
/ tCTneyS employed by commissioners in coun-
! ~ litigation are not infrequently paid fees
! five times as large as would he maid for
! like service rendered to an individual client.
/ Judges Of the court are often exfravagan n
! in their allowances. My attention has been
called TO the disparity in such allowances
| by different judges for like service me
| people should be kept informed as to the
! expenditures of their public servants. me
! expenditures al the contracts of the town
/ ship should be so guarded as to give 10 the
! people complete information as to the official
| acts of all persons who have them in charge.
| Governor Chase, in his message to the Leg
| islature spoke of three township trustees
| who. to his personal knowledge, in two
! years expended $4,000 for township sup
! plies the one-half of which was spent for
articles of no benefit to the schools lot
| which they were purchased" The eXpend-
lures of the township officials last year for
outdoor relief amounted to $50 200.s2.
| This enormous expense is startling, and re-
veals the dangerous methods and lack OF
proper regard for public moneys The Sys-
! tenn in vogue in many townships rosters
| paupeFsm and puts a premium upon Va
grancy. The township trustees appoint Ine
! road supervisor, and upon the ability or TINS
official in large degree is contingent ROAD
| Improvement.
The forthcoming report of the state statis-
! tician will reveal in township government a
great disparity of costs per capita, IoWn-
ShiEs similarly situated vary in the cost 10
the Inhabitants several hundred per cent.
! The same report will show difference IN
the total county expenditures that varies
from 70 cents to $1516 per capita, or dis
parity of nearly 1900 per cent It shows Il
county of a little more than 32JO nnapl-
tants eXpends for county purposes hVe times
as much money as another county OF more
! than 20 090 inhabitants. The cost or enforce
ment of criminal laws varies from ) cents
! per capita to % cents. Ihe expense OF eIeG-
lions, etc, repairs, and all other eXpendl-
lures varies from 81 cents up 10 %o.oz per
! capita.
/ CT situated reveals the nee0 OF
| change The people have right to know
! that these differences exist, and they nave
! a lust reason to expect q change. believe
1t safe to conclude, if proper safeguards are
! placed about these offices, wise, business
| and economic methods adopted by counties,
! courts and townships, there could be a say
I ing of 20 per cent. of present taxes for coun-
! ty and township purposes. The people qe-
| mand a reform that will lessen the burden
! of taxation and not a miSnCmer thal VIII
| augment expenses.
Any effort to reform that multiples officers
and increases salaries will not meet with
Lynchings.
The good name of Indiana has been dis
honored by a lawless mob that took from
the jail in Ripley county and lynched five
men charged with burglary. Even if these
men had been by a court found guilty as
| charged the punishment would have been
| imprisonment and not death. All sense of
justice and safety revolts against the mob
as tribunal for prOnouncing judgments or
administering punishment Governor Atkin-
son. of Georgia, in his message TO the Legis-
| lature presents at length the dangerous ten
! dency of mob violence. In the course of his
argument he says: The mob judges with
out full and complete hearing from both
sides. It's members are not the most cap
able of judging. 1t decides in passion, ana
too often in whisky. How can 1t tail to
| make mistakes ana sacrlhce me nNeS "a me
innocent? | feel" he says, the more deep
| ly upon this question because from the best
! information | can secure believe That dur
| ing my administration there nave been IN
this State several men lynched who were
not guilty of the crimes with which they
were charged. How many can never be
| known, for their tongues are huShed ana
! they are denied an opportunity 10 prove
| their innocence. ] am informed that one
man whom the mob believed to be guilty
was shot down. A question then arose as
| to his identity, and he was sailed down like
| a hog and shipped to the location of the
! crime and found to be the wrong man-tin
In the Governors severe arraignment of
| mob violence he found some palliatlon for
| these reprchenSibe acts that has disgraced
his own State in the fact that Indiana had
| lynched five men for burglary.
Contempt for Courts.
1t cannot be argued that lax enforcement
of law justifies manifestation of contempt
of courts and disregard for the law. Any
county that can organize a sentiment TO
prevent lynchers from being punished can
also organize against crime and punish
criminals in a court of justice. Where
| lynch lawIessness obtains, there justice is
| dethroned and courts are myths. The Con-
stitution and laws of the State would there
| be trampled under the bIood-stained feet of
! brutal and lawless men. If mob violence is
! to so unpublished, then hate and malice Will
| sit enthroned and passion, fired by intoXi-
| cation and governed by spirit OF revenge,
| instead of evidence, justice and the law,
! will render insecure life and property. The
! Anarchist would welcome such conditions
! and would then feel licensed to proceed TO
| even up things according to his dWarfed
sense of equity. In my efforts TO remove
! from the State the odium attached to its
! good name by the lynchings that occurred
! in Ripley county, every available means
| were invoked to find out the guilty parties
! and bring them to account. The report OF
! Hon. w. A. Ketcham, attorney general OF
! the State will reveal the difficulty or con-
! victing participants in lynchings in the
! county where these crimes are committed.
| Every person charged with crime has the
! right, under the Constitution and laws OF
| the State. to a fair and impartial trial. For
! awaken more lively interest in the coun-
! ties against lynchings and Wmtecapplngs,
making 9aRiiiiie ~ the ' county responsible for
! such conditions and liable in a
| civil suit for damages; In the case
! of lynching the nearest of kin should be au-
! thoriZed to institute the suit, and for the
! Offense of whitecapping, the aggneVed party
| should have the right to recover damages.
|
| taken from his custody by a mob should be
| required by law to forfeit his office. Lax en-
fOrCement of laws eventually results IN the
people taking the law into their own hands.
| All good citizens should feel keen interest,"
! in the enforcement of the law. They should
| be willing and ready to testify before the
| grand jury or in court or to sit upon Juries;
| The Judge who will allow technicalites ana
! dilatOry motions to delay or thWart justice
! is in some degre responsible for the terrible
! crime of lynching, and the judge who con-
| dones this crime and by word justitieS such
| lawlessness has not the proper regard for the
high functions of his office and Is not tit TO
| sit upon the bench. Quite recently me good
| name OF Indiana has again been disgraced
| by a lawleSS mob, who took from the Scout
! county Jail a prisoner who was soon to be
| tried by court of justice.
! There are no palliating circumstances con-
| nected with this brutal murder Indications
! point to a conspiracy against this mans life
| for the purpose of sealing his lips in death,
! lest damaging disclosures in trial might re-
! veal the wickedness and crime of others.
This atrociOus murder appeals with new
| force to the legislators Of Indiana for the
! enactment of a law that will forever stop
| this mockery of justice.
Revision of the Judiciary.
| There is a growing necessity for a revision
| of the judiciary of the State. With each
meeting of the Legislature efforts are re-
! newed for the creation Of new court dis
tricts. In some instances there seems to
! be need for relief to the courts, but for
many Of these demands there is no justfca-
| ton 1t is true that there exists great in
! equality as to the amount of business trans
acted in these judicial dlstrcts-in some,
! too much business for one, but not enough
! for fv-o courts n tba1, districts the anOunf