The Lake County times., 1907-01-10

Tic ACNCo0AlS VI III NuC ulGlU~
DDS of handling and caring for the
public funds. Sums of money varying
in the aggregate from $4,000, 900 to
5000. 900, are constantly in the
hands of public officials of Indiana
state, county. city, town and township.
AT the present time these funds are
not and for years past have not been
IN the vaults of the several public
treasures, but are and have been
either on deposit in the banking and
financial institutions Of the state or
loaned to individuals OF corporations
by the officers having their care and
custody for their personal profit. The
system has led to many abuses. some
OF which have been criminal in char.
acter- The whole system. from be-
ginning to end, is so demoralizing and
ruinous that the public conscience has
become thoroughly aroused and the
| people, without regard to party afalia.
| ton, expect you to enact legislation
that will destroy it.
Insurance Leglslation.-The estab-
lishment OF strong. well-equipped in
surance department is essential but
no fair-minded man can read the re.
| port of the committee investigating
insurance conditions in this state and /
| believe that the establishment of such
department will be of itself sufF. /
cient to correct the abuses which have
| characterized and still are Character
| izing the management of certain In.
diana companies. Something more /
than that is necessary. There must |
be remedial legislation of a character
to reach the root of the abuses and
put an end thereto. Taken all in ALI
the matter of remedial insurance lep.
islation is perhaps the most important
subject that will come before you dur
ing your deliberations. 1t deserves
painstaking study. thoughtful consid-
Grafton and dispassionate discussion.
You have in the time and circum-
stances of the present legislative ses-
sion a rare and unusual opportunity
to save Indiana life insurance compa-
nies from the weaknesses and follies
of those who manage them. You can.
IL you will, provide opportunity for
them to become strong and safe and
great. The people expect this legisla-
ton at your hands. In the degree you
fail to enact it, you will fail in the per-
formance of your duty.
Temperance LeglsIatlon.-The Sixty
fourth General Assembly amended the
law relating to the licensing and sale
of intoxicating liquors by authorizing
the filing OF a remonstrance, signed
by the majority of the legal voters OF
a township or ward, against the retail
traffic in such township or ward, and
making successful remonstrance eff
fectiVe for two years. This amend
ment has been sustained by the SUI
preme court, and is proving most ef-
fective means Of restricting the traffic
Since its enactment 1S9 townships and
eighteen city wards have effectively
used it's provisions. The legalized
traffic is now excluded from the ter
ritory within such townships and
wards. Within this territory live 421,-
750 people. BY affirmative action
these people have driven the business
from their midst It is important that
Illicit sales by unlicensed venders
shall cease throughout all territory
| CONSICu ny SuCCSbSIu1
Death Penalty.-The law in Indiana
still permits the infliction of the death
penalty as punishment for murder l
am opposed to capital punishment In
any form. Society can be protected
from the man who commits murder,
by life Imprisonment quite as effect
ually as by taking his life. Life inn
prisonment is adequate punishment.
1t is a greater deterrent than the
death penalty. 1t should be the limit
of human law. In the Indiana state
prison the death penalty has been
executed eleven times in the last five
years. AS I read this message four
men await execution in the death cells
of the state prison. You have power
to prevent these executions by repeal
ing the law that compels them, and
authorizing the executive to commute
the death sentence to life imprison-
ment If the sentence is carried out,
you must assume the responsibility.
AS the executive I appeal to you to
save the executive officers of the pris-
on and of the state from the further
infietion of such a penalty. If you
fail to do so and the executive can
find substantial fact or circumstance
in either Of the four cases upon which
to predicate executive action, ! shall
commute the sentence; and IL you fail
and | can find no such fact or cir
cumstance, l shall find, God helping
me, somewhere and somehow, the res
olution to stay my hand and permit
the unholy sentence of the law to be
3 done. but to my dying day l shall be
? unable to acquit the law which i'm.
| poses the uncalled for burden upon
i me.
: Other Recommendations gov.
ernor recommends an effective stat
n ute for the removal of public officials
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