The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-05
Former Richmond Editor
Calls Body Just Adjourned
One Above the Average
in Honesty.
CITY ATTORNEY IN
INTERESTING TALK
Gardner Comes Out for Per-
manent Improvement of
Streets and Gives Warning
as to Franchises.

At meeting Of the Young Mems
Business club last evening at the Ma
sonic building, a very interesting talk
from non.partisan standpoint, on
the last session of the legislature,
which shed much light on the work
that was done. and which gave local
men "a glimpse Of the inside workings
of that important body in the state
government. was delivered by J. Ben
nett Gordon. formerly prominent
Richmond newspaper man and now as
sociate editor of the indianapolis
Sun.
City Attorney, a. NJ. Gardner also
made short talk in which he made
q plea for the arousinS of public scnti-
mcnt to demand the permanent i'm
provement of city streets instead OF
the macadamizing system, now follow
ed. lie declared the city had been
wasting money for years in this man.
ner.
Address by Gordon.
Pronouncing the last legislature one
that was above the average in hon
tally, Mr.. Gordon said it had passed
more good laws and fewer bad ones
than any legislature for years. He
said neither party could make much
political capital out of the legislature,
for the Democratic members did not
pass the best laws until forced by pub
lie opinion and the governors big
stick" to come across in the last ten
days, while the Republicans helped
to kill all the good legislation that
was killed and voted for the bad laws
that did get through. Party lines cut
less figure than for years.
Mr.. Gordon gave careful review of
all the legislation affecting business
and manufacturing interests. and told
of some of the methods used to Kill
bills or to jam measures through.
After reviewing the work of the
legislature in an absolutely nOn-parti.
san talk. Mr.. Gordon advocated the
employment Of u legislative reprcsen.
tative or lobbyist" by the club to at
tend the sessions of the legislature
and study the bills from the stand
point of the average business and
manufacturing concern.
Had No Information.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
legislature passed laws affecting the
interests Of every industrial and COM
mercial enterprise in the state. but
comparatively few of these concerns
had any one at the legislature to rep
resent them or to keep them inform
ed as to the bills affecting their inter
est that were introduced.
1.-TWO extremes are always repre-
scnted at legislative sessions-the
highly organized and powerful corpo-
ration--as the traction syndicate or
the United States steel plant at Gary
and the labor unions. These interests
representing the extremes in our mod
crn industrial world. have their well
paid legislative representatives on
hand throughout the session to watch
every bill that may affect them and 10
use their influence in getting Segisla-
tion or i'm preventing it,. AS Il rule
these interests are antagonistic. and
legislation reflects the wishes of one
or the other faction.
But the business interests, as gen
orally understood.-the average mcr-
camille establishment and the average
manufacturing concern. which consti-
tute the great bulk of the business in
Sestments of the state-and represent
the great middle class industrially
have no one on the ground to keep
them posted regarding proposed laws
or To express To the Legislators from
their community their wishes.
Why the Surprise?
''Is il any wonder. then. that after
che legislature adjourns business in
teres,s find laws upon the statute