The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-02
Anxiety for the Fate OF Some Pet
Measure Takes Them To Gov
ernor Durbin's ONCE.
RESUME OF THE WORK DONE
FIFTY-ONE BILLS HAVE BEEN
SIGNED AND THREE VETOED.
Railroad Consolidation Bill and Other
Important Measures 20 BE Acted
Upon This Week.

Any sum would be small compensation
for Governor Durbin if his duties fifty-two
weeks in the year required the same
amount Of discretion, skilled Judgment and
downright hard work that he will be called
on TO exercise during the next seven days.
The Sixty-third General Assembly OF In
diana is on its last legs and each day until
next Monday night at midnight, when ad-
journment will be taken sine die, scores OF
infant laws will be piled upon his desk for
his approval.
The proceedings of the two houses are
more or less spectacular and hold the at
tention of the people because of a dramatic
element in them, but during the final week
the eyes Of the people turn TO the chief ex-
ecutive as the one dominant figure in leg
islation. Few, perhaps, realize the vast
amount of mental and physical slavery to
which the Governor is subjected while the
Legislature is on the homestretch. He Is
the cynosure of all eyes. Not alone is he
occupied with the task of carefully going
through each bill-in itself a stupendous
labor-but to him enter every day anxiously
seeking audience, the lobbyist, the senator.
the representative, the state official and
the private citizen, each vitality interested
in the fate Of some measure to which his
best efforts have been given for the past
two months. Most of these the Governor
feels in duty bound TO hear. and large
share of his golden minutes are frittered
away, and often his most arduous task ap-
pears in pointing out, even 10 close friend,
the defects, constitutional otherwise. OF
pet bill.
! 1t is no exaggeration TO say that one hun
| dred lobbyists visit the Governor every
! day-lobbyists in the sense that they work
| for a particular bill. Many OF them refuse
to take no for an answer. thinking that IL
| they are unsuccessful il is through lack OF
pressure, and they send dozens OF their
friends to the Governor to argue along the
same lines Members of the Legislature
and state officials are especially persistent
! i'm their advocacy OF certain bills since hav-
/ ing labored desperately for weeks TO get
! bills through, they center their energies
on one last charge OF the executive battle
ments.
CONSIDERATION OF BILLS.
But in the detailed consideration Of bills
/ laid upon his desk the Governor finds per-
haps his most difficult task.
Coming to him by scores these bills rep
resent every conceivable form of legisla-
ton, general and special. Ii rs his duty
| to ascertain whether these bills are dam
gerous to public policy. whether they are
! unconstitutional, whether they are directed
through clever wording against some indi-
| vidual or corporation, whether they are
| merely useless as a proposed burden on the
| statute books, and in short. TO look mar
| rowIy into every paragraph of every meas
| ure laid before him, not only 10 searcn out
viciousness, but to Determine II tney are
| courts. When the statement is made that
the Governor frequently has 10 spend SIX
| hours in considering one bill IL is not diff
| Ii takes the patience OF Job. the wisdom or
Socrates, the astuteness of trained Jurist.
as we'll as a wide knowledge of local con-
ditions i'm every part of the State TO ois-
pose of these measures Justly.
There are bills innately bad which slip
somehow through both House and Senate
and which must be killed by the final au-
thority There are bills which look inno-
cent enough when defended by some SEN
afor or representative. but which the cool
Judgment of the executive quickly discov-
ers to contain an ulterior purpose. There
are bills the phraseology OF which Is SO
tangled ambiguous, complex ana even ab-
solutely unintelligible that the Governor
must necessarily disapprove them Senate
and House committees on phraseoiosy OF
| bills should have seen 10 IL that the Gov
| ernor be saved the work OF clerk In con-
| STRUNG them, but many bills which should
have been killed or recons,ructed py ,nese me-.
! ernor's time of the utmost value I'm the
| closing DAYS is therefore occupied largely
by purely clerical duties.
PERSONAL EQUATION.
: The personal equation is an awkward
thing for the Governor to solve. An old
! friend. one who has been with him in the
heat of political fight or in close business
association. will come to him and say:
..Goyernor. Ia like TO have you sign this
bill as a personal favor. While the bill
i'm itself may not be bad IL may yet be
illegally drawn. may reaci against other IN
| diyiduals or corporations and may do Things
, which even its advocate would not believe
possible. The Governor. seeing broadly and
far ahead, must close ms ears TO ms
: friends appeal and use his veto power.
This sort OF thing happens several times a
day and is but one of the multitudinous
+ difficulties Of the executive. AS 10 tne pow.
! erful influence brought TO bear by vested
} Interests and political parties little need
! be said in detail. The Governor must be
D deaf, dumb and blind TO everything save 10
! | the interests of the State
! Under the Constitution the Governor must
/ receive all bills passed by the General As
{ sembly up until Friday nlgn, al mlanlsn., sa -
sign. veto or send TO the secretary OF state
| his approval AS Is sometimes done by the
: / President the Governor may turn back
The hands OF the clock and consider bills
nassed later than Friday night at midnight.
: | if he so desire Governor Durbin said last
' | night that he does not intend 10 take adj
! vantage of this technicality. IL IL is possible
: to avoid H.
n | The Governor will start TO work this
], | morning with perhaps nfty bills on hil
n desk This number will grow rapidly dur
Z ing the first four days OF this week. 81
: ! both House and Senate viii put the finish
q ing touches on many measures within thai
= neriod Every one OF these he must con
slider but he has Els option as 10 bill
q nassed later than Friday night at nidnighs
A He will work day. night and Sunday. Az
e was at his desk yesterday for severa
! hours and next Sunday he VIII prooanl,
= | snend the whole day IN considerfng bills
= The Governor will have the assistance q