The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-10-18
One More Reason

each day an added reason for special session
of the Legislature to end the PRESENT farce in
Indianapolis and restore to it's people the right
to install the City Manager system for which
it voted.
IL the committee of outstanding citizens
who made the demand upon Governor jackson
failed to impress him with argument, the mayor
should certainly convince the Governor with
his fantastic antics.
One day he proposes to march mob OF his
''organized boys" upon the Indianapolis Times
for merely suggesting that committees OF prop
erty owners try to persuade him IN person OF
the necessity of his resignation.
The next he appeals to the city council to
investigate the acts of Lewis Shank, scarcely
cold in his grave, and try to show that the
members of his boards were corrupt and venal.
No one would object Of course to an in
vestigation Of any administration, but it may be
suggested that there is something grotesque in
the selection Of the time and the investigating
body by the mayor.
He waits until Shank never noted for his
lack of response, is dead and then turns the job
over to city council whose controlling mem
bership is even more discredited than the con-
victed mayor.
It requires little bravery to attack man in
his grave. It calls for imagination to believe
that any investigation by the city council
which has so conducted itself as to call for
grand jury inquiries, which is as friendless as
possible, would convince any reasonable person
of anything.
If the former administration did things call
ing for inquiry, the mayor has had months to
present facts to grand juries, and to the pub
lie. For brief period he had his own news
paper in which to reveal those facts. For a
much longer period in the past and for great
er one in the future he has The Times which
will be glad to print any facts of public import
which can be proved by evidence acceptable
in courts.
The Times, it may be remarked, has never
printed any story which it was unable to prove
in any court 1t has never been called upon
to retract single detail Of any statement it
has made concerning any public act
1t is true the Governor denied one story in
it's entirety, but he asked for no retractien and
the truth or falsity Of the published statement
will be established when the Governor goes to
trial.
So it may be remarked that the mayor is a
trife late and certainly misguided when he
waits until the death Of former Mayor Shank
and then calls upon the council to investigate.
The mayor misunderstands the situation. He
is now convicted in the Criminal Court He is
declared by that court to have been ineligible
to have ever held his office. His case is in the
courts.
Whether the Supreme Court will look with
complaisance upon his Importation Of preachers
of hate to stir up mobs and anger while his
case is pending remains to be seen.
What the mayor does not recognize is that
he has reduced this city administration to
chaos. The bankers attorneys say that he>has
no authority to sell bonds. That means that
they believe he has no authority to do anything
whatever.
He is under sentence of JAIL He is adver-
Using each day the bad government of Indian
apolis. He is continuing liability to the city.
Instead of threatening to organize mobs, he
should be preparing his resignation.
Instead of demanding investigation by
discredited city council, he should be asking
the people for suggestions as to any successor
who may be named to take over the admin
istration
The Governor should reverse himself on this
special session if for no other reason than the
actions of the mayor.
The people of this city have been chained
to this government by the Legislature. The peo-
pie of the State bear part of it's reflected shame
and troubles.
Perhaps renewal Of the demand on Gov
ernor Jackson for that session, backed by per-
sonal appeals of the civic clubs, would convince
him that he was mistaken.
If he remains obdurate, the appeal should
be carried to the members of the Legislature
themselves They might convince the Gov
ernor that they wish to make amends for the
wrong they did this city a few months ago.