The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-12-31
MOVEMENT IS
PUBLIC SPIRITED
Sixteen Planks Proposed By Associa-
ton Deal With Reforms That If
Adopted Would Be Grand Thing
For Business Men and Taxpayers
All Over the State.

The merchants platform, proposed b.
| the Merchants Association of Indian.
apoIis, and endorsed by civic and com.
mercial organizations all over the state
including the Hammond business Mems
club and Gary's civic organizations
VIII propose enough good Legislation
In the coming session of the legislature
that by the adoption of these measures
alone, the legislature would be a rmosl
creditabIe one.
The movement is public-spirited, alb
solutely nonpartisan and fathered
and promoted by the business interests
of the state.
The merchants platform has sixteen
planks, all of which would be appli-
cable in every county in the state, with
the result that many of the offices
would be placed on a business basis.
The sirteen plans are as follows:
The Sixteen Proposed Planks.
No. 1. To provide a uniform system
of county, township and city accounts,
and centralize their supervision in the
state auditor.
No. 2. Require the governor to make
stated examinations of the books of ey-
cry county and city office.
No. 3. Require the county auditor to
audit before making settlements
No. A. Pay to the county commits
sioners appropriate salaries and require
them to give bonds.
No. 5. Require the county auditor
to give an adequate bond
No. 6. Cut off extra allowances to
public officers.
No. T. Forbid public officers profit
ing from public contracts.
No. 8. Require county officers to
keep a public fee book
No. 9. Require sheriffs to feed pri-
oners at actual cost.
No. 10. Require the state auditor to
audit the school funds.
No. IL. Compel the collection of fines
and forfeitures due to the school fund.
Put Prosecutor ON Salary.
No. II. Put the prosecuting attorney
and his deputies on salary.
No. 10. Compel the payment of all
fees into the public treasury
No. IA. Require the courts to be re-
sponsible for the drawing of Jurors.
No. Is. Require preliminary exam
ination of jurors for special venires.
No. 1e. Authorize grand jurors to
make a presentment to the governor
when the conditions warrant, and re-
quire the governor to institute special
investigation and prosecution in such
cases and to present the facts to the
legislature
The planks are all important, but
some are even more so than others.
Roughly, they may be divided into two
classes: those affecting the public funds
and those affecting our courts and
the dealing out of justice.
Among the latter, plank No. 10 is
one of the most important. 1t would
make the office of the prosecutor and
his deputies a salaried office.
The fee of the prosecutor under the
present law is fixed, not on the inves
tigation of crime nor on the trial of
but only on conviction And
that fee is identically the same antnnt
where conviction is secured after weeks
of trial in a single case in the Grim,
lnal court and in the police court
where scores of convictions are often
secured in a single hour. The prose-
cutors fee for a months trial in the
criminal court may be nothing if no
conviction is secured. And the chance
Of conviction is very much less in the
important cases where stubborn defense
Is made. But the prosecutors fees in
the police court may amount to hun
ireds of dollars in an hour. The pres
ent system, therefore, furnishes an in
sentive to prosecute minor offenses TO
the neglect of matters of public inter |
est. And in large cities is greatly over
pays the prosecutor