The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-03-28
Finish Something

Ordinary citizens may be pardoned for lack of
are led to think that something is about to happen
and nothing finishes.
Two years ago the highway commission
investigated and indictments returned against
officials and junk dealers charged with conspiracy to
defraud the government or the people out of huge
sums of money.
The people were led to believe that here was
something which concerned them and which would
be followed by drastic action.
And at the end of two years the indictments
are dismissed, there is not apology to the
officials and the public statement is made that there
evidence against those who had been under
criminal charges for two years.
No answer is made to the question to why
indictments returned when there evil
dence to convict and the people given only
guess as to the truth of the charges by those in
dicted that they were framed by public officials and
that the bringing of charges a sinister misuse
of official power for the purpose of terrorzing
officials.
Just how much this incident added to the pub
lie fund of confidence in government is a matter of
speculation. Any guess is as good as another
Months ago the attorney general of this State
charged that the head of the dry forces of this State
had nterfered with the orderly processes of gov
ernment, had menaced the usefulness of courts and
brought law into contempt by his attacks upon
court decisions and judges.
The people were led to believe that here was
something that would redeem the State and relieve
it from any danger of being quietly overthrow by
invisible government powerful than elected
officials.
The attorney general said that the actions of
this dry leader and political power constituted con-
tempt of court.
Month after month passes and the people have
yet to learn whether this dry politician brought
the court into contempt exercising his rights
citizen when he criticised it's decisions and its
action.
over in the local court a grand jury last fall
spent eleven weeks listening to evidence of cor
ruption lack of it.
The State told that this inquiry would
either lift the burden of disrepute from the State
or bring to the bar of justice any official who had
betrayed his trust or misused his power.
At the end of the long inquiry, for which the
Governor paid two special attorneys from his con-
tngent fund, the of $11 900, the jury returned
no indictments, but did clare that peculiar cond.
tons existed within its body and suggested that
some other grand jury take up the task
The suggestion may be pardoned that these IN
eHOrlS, lneSe tnlngS Wn1ch are started and
never ended this State of uncertainty contributes
to the bad repue of the State and brings in into
disfavor.
Unfortunately the Legislature, at its regular
session, did not find it convenient to once and for
ever take off the lid and make sweeping nvestiga-
ton of all the incidents and charges that initiate
against the growth and progress of the State.
1t is unfortunate because such an inquiry would
have forever given the answer to false charges and
forever corrected any evil condition which is now
magDifed perhaps in whispers
Indiana is too fine a State to be handicapped
by this blanket of doubt uncertainty and suggested
scandal.
Possibly special session, if one be needed TO
egalize appropriation laws and other measures
which seem to be queerly changed between the
legislative halls and the executive chamber might
find the time to finish one inquiry and give
at least one answer to some question.