The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-01-21
TIMES BUREAU
AT STATE CAPITAL.

indianapolis, Jan. elf a BILL in
PRODUCED in the senate yesterday by
Senator Ralph Kane. republican, of No
blesville, becomes a law the governor
will have the power to remove any
prosecutor IN the state who may fail
to do his duty. The bill is a part of the
program mapped out for reform legis-
lation by the merchants associations
ard other commercial organizations
organizations over the state, and they
consider it one of their most important
measures.
Under this bill whenever two mem
bers of a grandjury notify the COVER
nor that a prosecuting attorney has
failed to enforce the law properly in
the county in which he has jurisdic-
ton it shall be the duty of the COVER
nor to at once make an investigation
OF the facts. If this investigation re-
veals that the prosecuting attorney is
guilty of the charge made against him
then the governor shall remove him
from Office and place the Office under
the direction Of the attorney general
who shall appoint a deputy to con-
duct the Office under his direction
In support of this proposition it has
been pointed out by the merchants
and other of its supporters that in
some of the counties of the state the
prosecuting attorneys wink at the vio-
lation of the law or at least they
have heen negligent in the enforce
ment of the laws. SO numerous, in
fact, have been these complaints, that
those who undertook the task of OBJ
tanning reform legislation at this ses-
81 -
thing to improve the condition. They
found only one course open, and that
was by giving the governor power to
remove those who fail in their duty.
That was why this bill was introduced.
Long before the session opened the
merchants made a canvess of the mem
bers of the legislature and found that
nearly all of them, regardless of party.
were in favor of its passage, so it is
believed that it Will pass
Senator Bowser introduced a bill
that is of interest to all of the little
towns of the state. He proposes to
change the law so that all members of
the board of town trustees and the
town marshall shall be elected by the
direct vote Of the people. He saws
that in many towns where under the
present laws the marshall is elected
by the town board, it is not unusual
for the town board to discharge a
marshall and the one of the members
of the board takes his place as mar
shall And in some instances, says
Senator Bowser, it has been known
where the marshall and member OF
the board have exchanged jobs. This.
he says. make the Office Of marshall a.
political football to be kicked around
as the town board sees fit.
Good Friday viii be a legal holiday
50 far as the commercial paper is con
cerned if a bill introduced by Senator
Fleming of Fort Wayne becomes a law.
He says ne introduced it at the request
of number of bank clerks of Fort
Wayne. They say that several states
have a law of this kind and that #
would be much more convenient to
business all around if Indiana would
declare Good Friday a legal holiday.
Thus far during the session four
bills for the erection of monuments
have been introduced, but it is believed
to be doubt full If any of them pass
The first bill of this kind was for the
purpose Of erecting a monument or
statue Of General Pleasant Hackelman
at Rushville. Gen. Hackelman was the
only general from Indiana killed in the
Civil war, and the people of Rushville,