The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-06-24
The Next Move

Under the laws the city council may impeach any
emp1cye or official other than its own members, on
charges of malfea5ance in office
people of this city have registered their opin-
aon or the present city government in rather en-
phatss terms
It is inconceivable that after such verdict this
city should be oficered and directed for two more
years by its present head and mayor
1t can hardly be by accident that the special
ecutors discover such indications of fraud and graft
oil the part of the major appointees that charges in
the Criminal Court becoming about as staple as
news as the market reports or the baseball score
II is not the best advertisement for this city that
III head stands charged in the Criminal Court with
having violated laws to obtain his office and that
there seems to be no evidence the part OF his at
torneys to obtain speedy judicial determination OF
{ that charge.
III The courts, of course will eventually decide upon
his guilt innocence
But there arc acts in his administration whch
hrs So outrageous in their character and SO mon
so,s in their nplc2ton3 that the council can hard
My fail to recognize them.
When the mayor and his brother -in-laW both
financially interested in the establishment OF daily
newspaper in this city, hand out subscription oahkS
to hremen policemen and other city employees with
orders to become solicitors the limit has about been
reached.
There can be no more reason for their in this
manner than there would be If the mayor oroereo 'e
policeman to become his valet at his home, another to
sch oil stock bootleggers or sent hremen OUT 10
pedde pies in vending machine
Had the mayor used the city employees TO estao-
fish for his own profit and interest new department
store the merchants of this city would very properly
protest
The use of public employees for private profit is
about as gross mafeasance in Office as can be
imagined
Yet it is exactly what might have been expected
when the history of the political machine of this
city is remembered
THAT is exactly the theory of the machine poll
4 tican. He looks upon public Office power to
be used not as an opportunity to render service
The ueope of this city robbed of their rights
To an immediate city manager system when the state
machine forced through amendment to the law
nnder which Mayor Duval elected which pro-
vdes that no change may be made until the end
of his term.
Duvall was elected under implied contract,
then part of the law to get out if the people voted
to adopt this system Of government.
His friends changed that part OF the law. Inc
Governor gave his approval over the protest OF the
decent citizens Of both this city and Evansville
Since the people have very definitely indicated
what they desire and since the mayor has very den-
nitely shown that he looks upon city employees as
his private servants the council should not hesitate
And if the members of that body take the same
view the law provides for charges by citizens Ihose
who are now devoted to redeemng indianapolis could
do much worse than file some very definite charges
against the mayor and other employees and get some
immediate relief from an intoerable situation.