The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-02-13
The Democratic Legislature,
Which Promised Results
to Public, Has Nothing to
Show Right Now.
ONLY PROMISE KEPT
HAS A FLAW IN IT
Not a Suggestion or Recon-
mendation of Governor
Nor Beneficial Laws Have
Been Passed Yet.
(ralladium Specially

(ralladium SpeciaD
Indianapolis, Feb. 13.-Just exactly
three weeks remain of the legislature.
What has been done? How many
platform promises of the Democratic
party have been redeemed? How suS-
gestions and recommend da tons of the
many laws have been passed of bene
fit to the people?
None.
Not even the repeal of the county
local option law is satisfactory, for it
contains a flaw which may make is
unconstitutional or at least unwork-
able, and an amendment to it has been
with the rest of the flotsam and jet
sam of the legislative wreckage.
Has the Democratic legislature with
a clear majority Of ten in the senate
and of twenty in the house redeemed
single one of its promises?
1t has not,
1t promised strong employers lia-
bility law, and none has been intro
duced by a Democrat, and the lobby
employed by the corporations to sit
in the aisles and seats of the legisla-
ture and issue orders has sent out as
surances that none will be passed.
1t promised weekly wage law, and
the corporation lobby crushed the life
out of the ones introduced.
4 child loh lay ~ q
only law of that kind that has made
any headway has not passed the house
where it has the most friends, so great
is the opposition to it. and it has yet
to encounter the opposition OF the cor
poration controlled senate. 1t has a
small chance.
No Labor Laws Passed.
It promised legislation for the rail
way employees, but the bills the senate
passed are held in the house and those
passed by the house are encountering
obstacles in the senate, while the iarg
est railroad lobby ever known, con
sisting Of every railroad attorney in
this part of the country and many sec
ret service men of the roads are boast
ing no such legislation will pass.
1t promised good roads laws and
none have been passed, and the lobby
assurance none worthy OF the name
will be passed.
1t promised labor much remedial leg
! islation-such as an an anti-injunctior
law, a law com mbining and strengthen
ing the departments of labor and fac
tory inspection and the appointment
of state mine inspector. 1t has no
even introduced bills to that effect
much less pass them. Even the bill
providing for sanitary workshops j:
hung up by the thumbs and subjected
to the jeers of the corporation lobby.
Nothing has been done to shorter
the hours of labor, as promised; t.
! labor and free labor. as promised: Il
compel the submission of labor dis
putes to a board of arbitration, a!
promised.
And when it comes to passing law!
| bringing the corporations under bet
ter control it is joke, a ribald joke
After the Proctor bill, preventing for
eign corporations doing business il
Indiana from doing anything not grant
ed them by their charters passed th,
senate. it took all the kings horse.
and all the kings men possessed b.
! the administration to keep il from he
ing recalled at the beck and nod o
the Republican machine in the senat
and slaughtered.
Who's Running the Legislature.
And this brings us to the secon'
chapter of the sad story OF the Demo
cratic legislature. During the cam
paign Governor Marshall frequentl
said. Give me a legislature and ! vii
show you,' or words having that in
port Now that he has a legislator
what is happening to it?
A minority Of the Republican minor
ity is running it, body, breeches an
soul The little clique OF Republica
senators who are always awake to in
terests of corporations are more i
the saddle in this Democratic legisls
ture tnan is the governor or the simon
pure Democrats.
The Democratic party will get tn
credit OF discredit Of this legislature
but a handful of Republican reaction
aries in the Senate are moulding tn
acts of the legislature as clay in tn
hands OF the potter In this they hay
the sympathy and active support Of
few corporation watch dogs upon tn
Democratic side. In the end the Demo
cratic platform and Governor Marsha
propose and the Republican reaction
aries dispose.
/ Of course there are sham battles III
On things that don't count. and muc