The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-09
THE ADVANTAGE OF NONPARTIsAN
CONTROL.

The two Investigations started early In
the legislative session with such hamboy-
ant assurances have ended and so ended
that those who are responsible for them
are sorry they were begun. Even those
spiteful persons who wished to get even
witt officials with whom they had differ
ences or by whom they have been dis
charged. after telling their stories for pub
~lication, must feel. now 1t is all over. that
all they have obtained by the Investigations
is the position Of discredited witnesses. Re-
viewing the occurrences about the State
house the past few weeks recalls the Juror
for investigation that prevailed about the
Legislature for a few days at one time.
Everything was TO be investigated, whether
there were definite charges or not. If the
managers of state institutions had done no
wrong they had had the opportunity. and
to some men the opportunity is equivalent
In their cases to wrongdoing. The sensa-
tional press helped to make the Juror. It
gave charges signed by nobody and which
came from no committee. In the Senate
the Democrats undertook to investigate the
Soldiers Orphans Home and the Reform
School for Boys. There were no charges
against either institution except vague re-
ports of extravaganza. Fortunately for the
State and for those who would have started
the investigation the Republicans disposed
of the resolution without debate, and then,
after a few days. the Juror began to di-
minish. 1t died before the investigators
had completed the testimony for the de-
Tense.
1t was said at the time that the investi-
cations proposed were by the advice Of a
gathering of Democratic leaders who felt
that something must be done to deprive a
Republican policy for the %nonpartisan man.
agement of the States institutions of the
credit to which it is entitled. If such adj
vice was given it was very poor advic0
since there is no capital to be made, from
a political point of view, by making a
general assault upon the management of
the States institutions. On every board
there is one Democrat, and on half of
them, where the trustees are men, two.
There was talk of investigating the Insti-
tuition for the Feeble-minded at Fort
Wayne. but when it was discovered that
two of the trustees and the superintend-
ent were Democrats the suggestion was
abandoned. If the hospitals for insane had
been investigated the Investigators would
have found that three of the four superin-
tendents were selected when the boards
were entirely Democratic. Taking the Jes-
fersonville Reformatory. two of the four
trustees or managers are Democrats, and
Democrats standing high in the party's
estimation. If it had been found that SUI
perintendent Hert had committed Illegal
acts, those Democratic trustees would have
been involved by sanctioning his alleged ir-
regularities. And so with other institu-
tons; the nonpartisan policy has so di-
vided the responsibility of management
that no political capital can be made out
Of Investigations. That is a great gain.
since the practice of Investigating, except
on grave charges coming from responsible
| quarters, is mischievous in the extreme.