The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1916-09-15

: ernor, can detract from the credit I
? which II is entitled.
AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION
The proposed amendments to tn
Constitution Of the State, suggeste.
by Mr.. Goodrich, are not new, neithe
, Is he entitled to any credit for thei
, suggestion. II he should be electes
Governor he would have no part il
their adoption. The Governor Of tn,
State has no voice in the matter O
the amendment Of the Constitution
and proposed amendments are no
even submitted to him for approval
me legislature alone proposes amend
ments TO the Constitution. Mr.. Good
rich may himself be in favor of the
propositions he mentioned. but in the
past the members of his party in the
legislature have solidly voted against
these same proposals when offered
Upon two occasions, amendments tC
the Constitution giving the Governor
the right to veto specific items in ar
appropriation bill, making il unlawful
TO increase the salary of an officer
|
elected. and forbidding the lengthen
ing OF the term of public officer dur
Ing the term OF the then incumbent
have been proposed by Democrats in
the legislature and when thus propos.
ed If Republican voted for them
there is no record of it. They were
offered as Independent propositions,
but never did they receive the sup
port OF single Republican. Mr.
Goodrich may have had a change of
heart, but has his party experienced
such a change. Mr. Goodrich could
nave performed real service to the
people OF the State If he had gone to
the Republicans in the legislature
when these propositions were pending
before il and urged their support. Mr..
Goodrich was the leader of his party
and no doubt his counsel would have
been listened TO. 1t will not do to
| say, that these proposed amendments
We're coupled with others, because
each one of them was before the legis-
nature as an Independent proposition
and any one or more of them could
have been agreed to and the rest re-
jected.
BUDGET SYSTEM.
Mr.. Goodrich's idea of budget sys-
tenn is to say the least somewhat
novel. He says 1.-The budget system
In simple terms means that the execu-
tive lays before the Legislature a de-
tailed estimate of the amount neces-
sary to carry on the business of the
State, and while the Legislature has
full power to reduce the amount OF
any item, il cannot increase the
amount This proposition means an
amendment to the Constitution, and if
adopted it would be destructive of one
OF the very fundamental principles of
Republican form of government,
which is that the three departments
OF a government, the executive. the
legislative and the judicial depart
ments must be kept separate, and
one must not interfere with the pow
ers and functions of the other. This
principle has always been observed
In all the states The Governor has
by his veto been given a supervisory
power over the acts of the legislature;
further than this an executive should
not be permitted to interfere with the
legislative body. That body comes
directly from the people it represents,
and is answerable to them if it makes
mistake. An executive elected with
the power that Mr. Goodrich proposes
to give to him, and not in accord with |
the legislature, could absolutely block |
legislation and stop the progress of
the State. This power In the hands |
of governor who might be corrupt |
or weak might dc great injury to the |
people of the State. For myself, | |
nope the day will never come when |
such a power is placed in the hands |
of the Executive of this State. The |
power to appropriate the public |
money is rightfully in the hands of /
the legislature. 1t has the same or
even better opportunity than the
governor to know the needs of the diff
ferent departments of the State. The
concenscs of the opinion Of the $50
members of the Legislature would be
more nearly right than the opinion Of
one man. We have in Indiana today
a much better and much safer
budget system than the Ole proposed
by Mr.. Goodrich. Under our law the
Governor of the State, Immediately
prior to the meeting of the General
Assembly appoints a bipartisan
of three co members of
the legislature to visit the different |
departments and institutions of the
State, and to examine into their ordi-
nary and extraordinary needs This
makes a report to the Gov
ernor, who lays it before the Legisla-
ure. 1t is itemized, institution by in
department by department.
md the amount each department
needs for each and every purpose is
shown. With this report before it, ;
he Legislature then appropriates to
Zach department and institution the ;
mount 1t can expend, and the appro- | {
)riation to each is itemized. and
money appropriated for one purpose s
;annot be used for another This sys- |
EN- is much better and more effective I
han that proposed by Mr.. Goodrich
md it does not involve the danger {
us precedent of permitting one man {
o dictate legislation. We have had I
n the past in Indiana men in the Gov ]
rnor's chair who assumed the right l
o dictate to the Legislature what it c
hould do or what it should not do.
let us hesitate and consider very c
arefully before we, by our fundamen- 1
al law, clothe our Executive with |
his power II
NEW TAX LEVY.
When the Democratic party came =
nto complete control of the affairs of =
tate, it found there was an INSULT =
lent tax levy for the Benevolent and
duo /