The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-04-04
TWO PLACES
LEAD LIST OF
STATE JOBS
Director of State Highway
Commission and Executive
Officer of State Purchasing
Commission To Be Chosen.
MAY RETAIN CRAWFORD
BY PALLADIUM CORRESPONDENT

this week must give attention to two
of the most important appointments
he will nave TO make during his ad
ministration. This fact, together with
the fact that a great number of minor
federal appointments are to be made
still centers interest largely in the
field of patronage. While the names
of the important federal appointees
are now we'll understood and have
number of less important places avail
able and a great many Indiana Re-
publicans are expecting the lightning
TO strike in their vicinity.
Walter Wills, a labor man, has been
appointed an inspector in the prohibi.
ton enforcement department, but
there are still four of these inspector.
ships to be filed and they pay about
$2,400 a year. There are also some
thing like ITS minor places in the
office OF the collector of internal rev.
enue. There are also still good
many minor appointments at the state
house. particularly on the force of
Roy c. Couch, of Sheridan. who was
appointed custodian of the statehouse
last week. These places on the Gus
todian's force are customarily filed
by the suggestion of political workers
and it is up to the custodian to see
that the appointees deliver the goods
after they begin to work.
Two Big Ones Vacant
Two important appointments-aside
from the tax board vacancies-that
remain to be filled by the governor
are those of director of the highway
commission and executive officer OF
the state purchasing commission.
And it appears for various reasons
that these appointments are causing
the governor more trouble than others
that he has made. In the first in
stance both places are very important
from the money-spending standpoint.
The highway commission is probably
the greatest money spending body liz
the state and failure properly to al
minister the work of the commission
can easily give black eye to any ad-
ministration. In fact it Is the failure
to administer the office in what he
regards as a business-like way that
is causing the governor to insist that
the administration of the commission
be changed. His mind, it is said, is
made up that there shall be a new
director to take the place of l. H
Wright, and some believe that he will
accept the designations Of most, if
not all, of the members of the com
mission.
The governor is not likely to forget
that it was a report on the deficiencies
of this commission that was thrown
out to the public in the midst of a
legislative session when he was trying
to get through bills that he regarded
as desirable. In fact, it is said to
have been that report that caused the
decision on the part of the administra
tion not to ask the state Legislature
for a highway commission tax levy
After the report was made public il
was not regarded as advisable, 1t was
said, to stir up any agitation in any
way about the highway commission
AS it stands now the state board o1
tax commissioners must take the
highway levy and it is generally ad
mitted that this is not the most de
sirable plan.
Must Spend Millions.
The place of secretary Of the pur
chasing commission is important be
cause it involves the spending Of mill
ions of dollars a year for supplies fol
the state institutions and essentially
ItQuh cS d ndI1 " ~ Will C6dIo al
personal feelings or inciinations anc
in a cold-blooded manner make these
purchases in the interest of the tax
payers and not in the interest of an!
particular firm. Both of the place!
are also important and desirable or
account of the salaries they pay
$4,000 year each. Members Of the
state tax board who have an endles!
amount of tedious work to do and who
more than any other state servants
except possibly the public service com
missioners, are always subjected tt
public criticism, receive only $4,000 {
year. Four thousand dollars is alsc
the salary of the chief examiner of the
state board of accounts, who, everyone
knows, lies on a bed of thornS from
one years end to the next.
But It so happens that both Of these
men who are after the two places arr
classed as politicians Fred Robinson
of Indianapolis. and formerly of Craw
fordsville. desires the place with the
purchasing commission. and Lawrenc,
Lyons of Brook, is said to wish the
drectorship of the highway commits
sion.
Fear Criticism.
The opposition to the appointment
of these two men is said to come large
ly from close friends of the governor
who fear that the appointments nigh
result in criticism of the governor:
administration. The position of thes,
people, some of whom. it is said. hole
positions in the statehouse, is that tn,
mere appointment of politicians to tn,
two important places would let thu
governor in for a lot of criticism ant
also they fear that men who are in thu
habit of thinking in political term.
might not exercise the greatest wis
dom IN the administration of tn,
places. Both Lyons and Robinson
were active in the campaign for tn,
nomination of Governor McCray anC
were understood to be his managers
Lyons has extensive business inter
ests including concerns that Nigh
manufacture road building material
Robinson before he became active il
the management of the McCray cam
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