The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-01-12

WV l.. L " thC 9A>ty
fourth General Assembly:
Gentlemen Of the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives:
The Sixty-fourth General Assembly meets
amid circumstances the most propitious.
For a considerable period Of years the State
has been In the full enjoyment of a large
measure Of material prosperity. The past
decade has been characterized in Indiana
by an unparalleled growth In industrial
interests; by a vast increase In farm val.
ues; by unprecedented development OF
means OF transportation and ntercommunl
cation; by the discovery and exploitation
Of natural resources ~rivaling In extent and
surprising in variety those Of any other
State in the Union.
what this statement implies, that in the
administration of her public affairs, In
diana has, during the past decade; com
bined honesty and economy. with eth
cheney and humanitarianism In q degree
unsurpassed by any other State In the
Union. And IL there Is need for j~ustifca-
ton In such a course more than the pleas.
ure and pride which comes with duty well
performed, there ought to be significance
and admonition to the party In power In
the fact that this is the sixth successive
Legislature In which that party has been
so long a continuous tenure is a standing
denial of the usual order OF things.
High Stewardship Demanded.
The best politics in public administration
Is the absence of politics as a controlling
motive; the best politics in legislation is
patriotic devotion on the part OF the Leg
Islator to our whole citizenship, without
regard to party. The time ought to come
when there is no necessity In our General
Assembly, which has before Ii for consid-
Grafton practically no questions OF national
and minority side, and when the only line
Of demarcation drawn should be the sell
created boundary between those who seek
II - ---- <h2 rr11f uvaal and
those whose purpose In public life is the
furtherance of ends inconsistent with the
general good.
Legislative Responsibility.
Upon no Indiana General Assembly gath
cred In many years has there rested SO
heavy a burden of responsibility as that
which deyolves upon you. Conditions are
such as to demand during the present ses-
sion larger provision for the increasing
number Of our defective and dependent
classes; the work of the coditcation COM
mission, involving a revision OF a consid-
cradle portion of our entire statute law,
In Itself presents sufficient subject Tor de-
liberation TO occupy the entire session, aho
beyond this two or three important cues
tions, moral as well as political in their
nature, and affecting vitality the future of
our commonwealth, press themselves upon
your honorable bodies for attention.
Foremost among these / place the preSer-
vation of the elective franchise from pollu-
ton
Protection of the Franchise.
l believe that l speak for the vast ma
FORTY of the people Of this State when l
say that the time has come Tor the appii-
plague of corruption which Is Fastening
Itself upon our public politics TO an extent
appalling to those who look forward to the
ultimate In the sort or progress that has
been made along these lines In recent
years .,, , ,oo,s,.
lion for the protection of the purity OF
the ballot, but the statistics Of political
debauchery in this State for the year 1871,
II 1t were possible to present them, would
be nothing short Of astounding. l am In
formed by unquestioned authority that In
a single county of this State, casting lii
1902 a total vote of little more than 5.OGo,
there were In the last campaign nearly
LOO voters regularly listed as purchas-
able, and that $4,000 raised by assessment
from candidates and otherwise was spent
by the contending political parties In the
EFFORT to control that county This c0un-
ty Is recognized as one of the plague spots
of the State from the standpoint or poIlti-
cal debauchery, but the situation there is
riyaied in other counties, and wherever
1t exists it REPRESENTS only the goal toward
which every community In TINS state Will
trend unless remedial legislation be effect
ed. Within the most recent years there is
appearing in connection with this evil a
phenomenon vastly more signincalt tnan
the sale of votes by ignorant and vicious
%A@
aud tempted to the sale of the franchise
by poyerty-and this Is the astounding dis
position manifested by many men fairly
prosperous to look upon a vote as q legiti-
mate subject of barter and sale.
Our present statute against the crime OF
suffrage prostitution Is nothing short OF
farcicai. 1t provides for the disfranchise-
ment Of any person selling ms vote. II
the theory that To impose punishment upon
both parties to the transaction would make
conviction impossible. :.
do well to give consideration to the ad-
disability Of requiring the gradual introduc-
ton of voting machines In all the, counties
of the State.
The Saloon Question.
The past two years have witnessed q
great awakening among the people OF our
State to the dangers of the saloon as Q
social and political factor. There Is
general belief that the State has failed to
hold the retail liquor traffic to an &C
c%ountability sufficiently strict. More and
ore as ! have looked into the personnel
Of the unfortunates who crowd our penal
and charitable institutions l am i'm
pressed with the large part sustained by
the liquor traffic In recruiting the poor
house. the insane hospital the }aa and
ute books Of Indiana a liquor law that
Is not unreasonable, but without failing
to note the fact that there are many men
engaged In the liquor tEdmC WIN drt
ready and willing to abide by the law If
it exists, my own experience leads me to
the statement that the general tendency
Of the retail traffic is in opposition to Its
enforcement. There seems to be no spe
cial reason why the saloon, being a legal
lied Institution, should not conduct itself
as any other business Is conducted, In
conformity with the laws Of the State and
the ordinances Of the corporation within
which 1t Is located. The growing indisposi
ton Of many of those engaged In the re
tail LIQUOR traffic to avoid placing the sa
q center of vice and crime may be cor
rected to a large degree at least by max
? rg the saloon keeper more directly re
{ sponsible to the public sentiment. of his
community. l suggest the .advisability OF
placing the onus Of securing a petition
for the granting Of q IL License ms I bearing aot tn.
Of a ward or township upon the applicant
for license.
The Divorce Question.
The statistics of our courts, showing
that In large and increasing numbers per
sons are seeking the dissolution of the OBJ
legations Of marriage, are q source o.
alarm to those who realize that the home
Is the institution which lies at the basis
Of any civilization worthy Of the name
The repeal of all our divorce laws would
cure the evil from a statistical stand
point, but in few cases would IT alleviate
the deplorable conditions OF which these
etatistics are Indicative. There Is q pom
marriage or Of its dissolution Is promotiv'
ef immortality rather than OF heaithml 90
nestle conditions
The State should exercise the right. how
ever, Of preventing the contraction o. ma
H1ago between persons manifestly unnt g
assume To obligations and perueuiaxr