The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-01-24

where.
would fail. This legislature is over
run with eX.members, a majority of
whom are Democrats, who are here in
the capacity of paid lobbyists.
One OF the prominent Democrats
OF the house Of two years ago is here
as the paid lobbyist of the township
trustees organization and he is very
devoted In his efforts among his for
mer associates In behalf of a salary
grab" for the present township Of
ficials.
Fingers Are Itching
The township officials are not the
only ones interested in getting their
fingers In the public till. There is
scarcely any class of officials in In.
diana that Is not asking for more mo-
ney and maintaining lobby at the
state house and around hotel corridors
pulling for their measure. County
clerks, county sheriffs, county com.
missioners. county recorders, county
prosecutors. county judges. city coun.
cilmen, school teachers and city patrol
men are among those in whose in.
terest bills have been introduced pro.
viding for money.
| or course all of these bills are in.
troduced out of pure desire upon the
part OF sponsors to improve the quality
of public work and to secure a higher
grade of officials. The point is al
waysmade that at present the salaries
are SO low that good men and true
cannot afford to take the offices, but
the significant fact is that nearly all
of the men working for the good of
the public service are the men who
did take the offices at the present sal
airy and make hard fights to get them.
And be 1t far from any of them to ad-
NIT they are not qualified to hold the
job.
To prove that they are. they are in
cooperating In the bills the provision
that any raise in salaries must be eff.
fective at once SO as to benefit the
present incumbents. AS set forth In
the. letter of the township assessor
association 1t is understood that any
bill which does not provide for the
increases to take effect in 1911 and
1912. will not be satisfactory. This
Is the milk in the cocoanut.
A Penal offense.
So persistent have these lobbyists
become that Senator Carleton. OF
Evansville. who is editor of the Evans
vile Courier in his natural state. is
preparing a bill which will make it a
penal offense for any official to APP
pear before the legislature and lobby
for an increase in his own salary.
! Il am opposed to the salary grab
wherever found" said Senator Garlic
ton. from the halls of congress to the
township assessor. 1t is wrong in
principal. and nothing short of spe
cies of graft
| NO doubt as the state and cities
grow the duties of certain officials in.
crease proportionately and the salar
proportionately. But the practice OF
voting increases to men already in Of
flee, who knew what they would have
to do and the pay they would receive
before they ran for the office and
were satisfied enough to make the
fight for it,-that practice is vicious
and ! am against II"
| Il shall vote against every bill that
comes before the senate this session
which carries with it a provision fol
the increase of salary of any man now
in office. The flood of the bills this
session has been phenomenal to me
I do not believe there has been roll
call but that some such bill. often
more than one. has been introduced
II even half of them passed 1t would
be a state scandal"
These officials. or their paid rep
resentatives. lay in wait for members
,of the legislature at every turn to but
lton-hole them in behalf of their mea
surcs. They bother you when the leg
islature is in session. they watch fol
you In the state house corridors. they
stop YOU on the streets, waylay yor
4 In hotels and even attempt TO talk &c
]
They remind me of lot of hungry
buzzards."
/ Scarcely less vehement in the denun
citation of the lobbyists who are work
ing TO get their salaries increased is
Senator Shivelcy. of Marion. He ha:
/ a list of the bills introduced upon the
subject up to date. and they outnum
Der the bills introduced upon any
other subject. Bottle OF these sena
tors and Senator CRUDE. of Plymouth
have agreed among themselves t.
stand together against the attempted
raid upon the public pocketbook b,
patriots now holding office who wan
their salaries increased, and they hav,
also agreed to urge the passagesof |
bill which make lobbying for sucl
measures a very dangerous indoo
sport. They do not expect to get sucl
a bill passed. but they do expect il
the discussion of il TO give the thir,
house a lot Of free advertising that
may not relish.