The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-21
THE LEssOS OF THE RAY CASE.

THE LEssOS OF RAY CASE.
The case of George NJ. Ray, who has
finally been sent to the penitentiary from
Shelby county. suggests some reflections.
In fact, Rays course for some years past
has been little more than a series of object
lessons illustrating the defects of our laws
and their administration We are great
local self-government, but our method Of
administering it leaves some avenues of
abuse and fraud very wide open, as our
method of administering law in general
does some well-trodden ways of defeating
justice. Instead of assuming that our
methods are perfect we had better recog-
nize their defects and try to reform them.
For years George NJ. Ray plundered the
people in various counties of the State by
taking advantage of a loose system for
furnishing school supplies. The viciousness
of the system was due primarily to the
Legislature. whose members, elected to
pass good laws and safeguard the interests
Of the people. often fail to do it. 1t was
further due TO the carelessness of the peo-
pie in electing township trustees who were
accessible to corrupt influences. Ray took
advantage of a faulty system to work dis
honest trustees to his own advantage and
to the injury of the people and the scandal
of the State. For this he was indicted in
several counties, but by the aid of shrewd
lawyers and sharp practice he escaped con-
vicfion i'm every casa The amount of harm
he did in the way of corrupting weak and
dishonest trustees can never be known.
When the avenue for fraud by furnishing
school supplies was closed Ray turned his
attention TO working the commissioners of
Shelby county by means of eXorhitant
printing contracts. To work this scheme
required, as In the other case, the co-opera-
ton of officials elected by the people. and
even then il could not have been done un-
der a system of local government provided
with proper checks and balances The
spells luea and the theory of official ire
sponsibility to the people furnished a basis
for a practical partnership between Ray
and the commissioners under which they
plundered the people numerically. Finally,
thanks to an honest prosecutor and jury.
Ray was indicted, tried and convicted.
Then he began to kick and buster and
other civilized countries convicted law
breakers are not allowed such privileges.
Ray talked about persecution. denounced
the judge and jury and abused the people
he had plundered. To add to the infamy Of
the spectacle the sheriff of Shelby county,
a political partisan and chum of Rays,
sided with him and treated him as an inno-
| cent martyr instead of a convicted Law
breaker. Under the patronage of the sheriff
Ray became a local hero. When the sheriff
accompanied him to a neighboring county
to apply for a writ of habeas corpus it was
| a pleasure trip. The sheriff seemed proud
| of his company and mission. When the
writ of habeas corpus was denied the
| sheriff continued to treat Ray as an hon.
ored guest until he was actually scared by
the Governor into carrying out the sentence
of the court and taking his prisoner to the
penitentiary. Thus, after years of delay
and many defeats, justice has at last tri-
umphed.
Nothing of all this could have happened
in any other civilized country. 1t could not
have happened here if our laws were care
| fully framed and rigidly administered
Making every allowance for the dishonesty
OF Ray and the officials who at different
times co-operated with him, it is obvious
that without defective laws and nerveIess
administrator of them Rays long course
of personal dishonesty and official corrup-
tion would not have been possible. Is 1t not
possible that we can profit by studying the
methods and initiating the example of
countries where such things do not occur?