The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-18
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Two addresses were made by ~well-known
Democrats before the Conference Of Chart
ties on Tuesday evening at South Bend.
10th OF which commended the progress
made during the last ten years in the man.
agement OF the charitable. correctional and
penal institutions of Indiana. Unfortu-
nately. neither OF these gentlemen gave
any credit to the party which passed the
laws by which the various boards were
made nonpartisan and all the service in the
Institutions put upon a nonpartisan basis.
Both these speakers gave the State Board
Of Charities all the credit for these re-
forms. and yet It was only eight years
ago that a Republican Legislature, by a
strict party vote. enacted the first law
requiring that boards be composed Of men
Of both parties and that political or other
affiliations should not have any influence in
the selection of subcrdinates and employees.
The Journal would not detract from the
usefulness Of the Board of Charities. Too
much cannot be said in commendation of its
work. Much of the progress which has
been made is due to the prudent and I'M
selfish service Of members Of the board.
No one can object when the Board Of
Charities holds its annual conferences that
the exercises often contain much Of self
congratulation. but the Journal objects to
carrying mutual admiration so far as did
~ - ErTff-1, -1V,Ha Of tho hoard
when, in his extended address on Tuesday
evening. ne claimed for the Board of
Charities all the work which has been done
to improve the service and the morale of
state institutions during the last ten years.
In the phrase Of the day, there were 9TH
nave been accomplished without the pre-
vious work of the others-the Republican
legislatures of 1895. 1897. 1899 and 1901.
In this connection a brief review Of the
history of the legislation affecting the
States institutions for a dozen years is
necessary. Ten years ago there were but
three ~nonpartisan boards in the State
these of the Reform School, the Sol
diers' and Sailors Orphans Home and
the Woman's RefOrmatory. All other trus-
tees of state institutions were chosen by
the Legislature. 1t was the perfection
OF the spells system, which Mr.. Ellison so
vehemently denounced. When Claude Mat
thews became Governor he told the Demo-
cratic Legislature that the trustees of all
institutions should be appointed by the
executive. The Journal, to the best of its
ability, sustained the contention of Gov
ernor Matthews. A bill to that effect was
passed by the Senate in 1898. In the House
the spoilsmen in the Governors party were
| against the bill, but the Republican minor
ity voted for the measure and it was
passed. That was the first step in legis-
Iation, and it was made because Repub-
Iicans voted for the bill, without winch it
would have been lost.
The Legislature of 1895 was Republican in
both branches. Taking counsel of mem
bers of the Board OF Charities and Of the
progressive leaders OF the party, including
General Benjamin Harrison. a bill was
passed putting all the benevolent institu-
tions under boards of control composed of
/ men OF DOln PARTIES. Inc pun pooC VI tAC
progressive element was to make all boards
nonpartisan, but after three heated eau
cuses and hard and persistent effort by
progressive Republicans in aud out of the
! Legislature, the caucus adopted a compro-
mise measure by which all Institutions eX-
cept the two prisons were put under nom
partisan boards and the merit system for
the appointment Of employees was adopted.
That measure is Senate engrossed bill No.
$50 OF 1895. In the Senate the final vote
was taken March 8, 1895, a record of which
appears on Page SIS of the Senate journal.
against the bill. and in the list of those so
voting stands the name Of Senator Thomas
f. Ellison, of Allen county. That is, Mr..
Ellison, who, as a member of the Board of
Charities. claims that the board to which
he belongs has done all that has been done
against the bill which made nonpaTtisan
boards and nonpartisan employees in such
institutions possible. March 5, 1895, when
the issue was between reform and spoilsism
in State Institutions. Mr.. Ellison ranged
himself under the flag of the spoilsmen. He
has since seen the error or his way, and is
now eloquent in denunciation of "spoils
politicians for which the Journal con-
graduates him..
The Journal is a Republican newspaper
which for years has advocated the non
partisan management Of State institutions.
1t is proud of the record by which Re-
publican Legislatures made nonpartisan
and businesslike control of State institu-
tions possible. Proud of such achievements
it does not propose to allow the patriotic
work which Republican Legislatures ac-
complished for good government to be ig-
nored or appropriated even by the members
of the Charities Board, some of whon
fought against the reforms to which tn,
Republican party gave practical force.
THE PRESIDENT AND TRUSTS.