The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-05-06
When the Indiana Railroad
Commission Is Reorganized
There Will Be Grand Rush
For the Pie.
employees OF BOARD
GET GOOD SALARIES
W. J. Wood, Who Is to Be Re-
appointed, Is the Only One
Of the Original Members of
The Commission.
Especial Correspondent

Especial Correspondent.)
Indianapolis. Ind. May eff the In
diana Railroad commission is reorgan-
lied along the lines that were stated a
few days ago, it is quite likely that a
lot Of good jobs will be thrown open
to the hungry horde of place hunters
before long. The commission has
nine employees, to whom is paid annu-
ally $12,7SO in salaries.
The story printed several days ago.
was that the members of the commits
sion have come to the conclusion that
Governor Marshall is right in his con-
tention that he has the right to reor-
ganize the commission whenever he
wishes to do SO. The governor has
said all along that since the roilroad
commission was organized under the
act of 1905. and the original members
appointed and commissioned under
the act, they had no right to serve as
members of the commission since the
act of 1907, amending the original act,
was passed. And he holds that since
they have no right to hold the places,
the governor is authorized to appoint
their successors. He expounded this
theory during the campaign and has
hammered at it ever since, and 1t is
now said that the three members of
the commission have come around to
his way of thinking, and that a reor-
ganization is to be the result.
Wood to Remain.
Commissioner w. ]. Wood of Evans
vile, the chairman of the commits
sion, will be reappointed when his
term expires on May Is. He is a
democrat and the only one of the orig
inal members of the commission that
is still serving. For time it was
thought his head would be chopped off
at the end Of his term and that a sue
cessor would be appointed. but the OBJ
jections to his reappointment have
been wiped out and he will stay on the
commission.
Judge John F. Mcclure. of Anderson
republican member appointed by
Governor Hanly to succeed Union B.
Hunt, when the latter resigned last
fall to become the head of the insur
ance department Of the Knights OF
Pythias at 5000 year, with head
quarters in Chicago. He is a republi.
can. but he has agreed that Governo:
Marshall's position in the matter is
correct, and he will receive q new COM
mission at the hands of Governor Mar.
i shall. H. M. Bowling, of this city,
| the third commissioner, is also a re-
publican appointed by Governor Hanly
His term will not expire for three
years, but he has agreed that the gov
ernor has a right to reorganize the
board. SO he has agreed to resign his
commission the first of next January
This will give the governor the oppor
tunity to make q third appointment tc
complete the reorganization Of the
commission. This appointee will be 3
railroad engineer, according to state.
ments made by Marshall during hi:
campaign last fall, and he will proba
bly, be Jack Cullen, the Monon engi
neer of Lafayette.
Commission Salaries.
The employees Of the Railroad com
mission and the salaries they receive
are as follows: secretary. $500: clerl
800; tariff clerk. 5000; chief inspec
tor, $1,1OO: two inspectors, 81 .5O(
each; one stenographer and reporter
$500; two stenographers. $72O each.
OF course. there may not be an!
changes in this lineup, but 1t is pre-
sumed that when the reorganization
is completed, there viii be at leas
l no hA .
crowd Of job-hunters looking for place
that will undoubtedly overwhelm tn
commission. There is one thing tina
the applicants will do we'll to remem
Der, however, and that Is that any nev
employee who goes into the office o
the commission will find that the pres
emit staff set q pace for him that b
will have hard time to follow. tn
railroad commission office is bus
place and everybody works like tn
very old Harry. The present force, o
a large part Of it, has been with tn
commission ever since the commission
was created. and the members under
stand thoroughly every detail of tn
work. In fact, they have establishe
the work and have planned everythin
in that line, and, therefore, might b
expected to understand the work OF tn
office better than any new person POI
sibly could.
The Indiana Railroad commissio
has become one OF the most importar
departments In the state government
! t has done q great work in such q wa
IS to win the respect Of both the raj