South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-07
THosE .PLrNDERr CAsEs.

THOSE PLUMBER" CASES.
Lieut.. Coy. O'NeiH is quite right in
his demand for an immediate trial on
the indictments found against him by
the Marion county grand jury, this.
that his case may be cleared up for
good or for III. before the coming ses-
zion OF the legislature. II would, in
deed. be embarrassing to be called up
on 10 preside over the upper house Of
that body with the shadow Of a half
dozen indictments for alleged Official
corruption hanging over his head.
And with the disposition Of the case
against O'Neill Will probably pass the
disposition OF the others
The indictments having been found,
It is matter now to be settled in the
courts. The public has a larger inter-
est in the affair, however. than the
conviction or acquittal Of the accused
men. The system Of appointments by
which they got into their trouble must
be disposed of. The legislature must
take a lesson from 1t and pursue some
course that viii assure to that body
the necessary organization in the way
Of clerks. secretaries and door keep
ers. and stop there
The system in vogue perhaps wasn't
so bad at former sessions when mem
bership in the assembly was more
evenly divi5ed between the political
parties Generally the control by
either the republican or the demo-
case the ''plunder" committee. usually
the product Of the small majority.
could provide most of its seventy-six
or a few more partisans with a bit Of
pap" and not get more than thou
sand miles off the track When the
1913 assembly convened, it was diff
ferent IN this there were 1876 dem
Ocrats in the two houses, and with
each of them demanding their plum"
or nearly SO, it is easy enough to see.
the difficult position in which the
''plunder" committee found itself 1t
simply didn't have the backbone TO
say no" and virtually every mem
Der Of both houses being in on the
appointments with some of their
friends. they couldn't very we'll refuse
TO appropriate the funds with which
to pay the bills. The only reason that
former assemblies have never had $50
employees is because they. didn't have
1876 members of any one party in the
two houses
The courts Will settle the question
OF the effect of the law of 1895, and
upon that largely. will depend the le-
gal guilt of the thirteen men under in
Gictment. We doubt the right of one
legislature to tell the next how it
shall organize, or the NUM- er of door
keepers. clerks, secretaries. etc, that
il may have but be that as it may,
Indiana does not want any more OF the
abuse OF patronage that is responsible
for the raising of the question. There
is an economic side to-the proposition
for statesmen TO solve. as we'll as a
legal one for the courts 20 solve If
the law OF 1926 does prove Ineffective
then a constitutional provision should
he placed on foot, that will DE effect
i've
For il is positively certain that the
mass of taxpayers in Indiana will
henceforth object mOs- 5trenuOusly
TO paying out their good money To buy
pap" for partisan henchmen, at
least, beyond the point of their ser
vices being essential 60 some branch
90 the public welfare. 1t is up to the
democratic party, at the coming ses-
sion OF the legislature. 10 follow up
the initiative taken by the Marion
county Crane jury. and we have only
70 regret that it didn't do so two,
four or six years ago-taking the int-
tiate itself instead of following re
publican example. and setting into
this trap.