The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-04-01
Same Old Story

Well the members of the State Senate will get
their pay for acting as judges in the Dearth i'm
parchment.
With four exceptions, the members have swal-
lowed the insult to their dignity and have taken the
cash.
The vehement denunciations of The fact that
the appropriation bill passed by the Legislature was
not the same which signed by the Governor
and is now the law governing the spending OF the
peoples money have been echoed only by the jim
Cling of the dollars paid in salaries
Gone is the fire Of indignation and the deter
mnation that the power of the Legislature should De
recognized at last to the extent of having the laws
it passed go into effect as it passed them.
Instead of government as contemplated by the
Constitution of distinct legislative and executive de-
partments, we now have government by bargain
ing.
The Governor promises to go into that very
convenient contingent fund given to him for money
for the vegetable growers whose appropriation was
passed and missing, promises not to divert certain
funds from the Butlervile institution and, most
important to pay the Senators from the contingent
'und.
In return there will be no special session as
demanded by the fiery Senators who first believed
that they had been tricked Haunted
The change, very significantly, followed the visit
to the city of the leaders of the utility lobby who are
very watchful over government in this State and
who can always be depended upon to serve as
guardians in a crisis
The utilities did not want special session.
There was fear that some members who have been
home since the regular session might have heard
from their neighbors and been convinced that the
voice of constituents were more emphatic than the
.sira of he different
at home than they do in hotel rooms.
Likewise certain officials who escaped investi-
CATION by the Legislature were terrified by the
thought that perhaps special session would be less
suppressive than the regular meeting of the Az
sembly
All the powers of the utilities and the powers
of the professional politicians against special
sesson-and there will be no special session.
The only tangible result of the furore for a spe
cial session to legaze the appropriation bill and
make it conform to the will of the Legislature is
exposure of the nature the contingent fund given
to the Governor to be spent by him at will.
1t is now discovered that he spend it for
anything he pleases and no official opinions rise to
check him.
out OF that fund went $11 900 last year for at
torneys to act advisers for the grand jury which
was charged with the task of investigating State
officials The laws provide for payment for expenses
grand juries. Nowhere in the law does there
any suggestion that the Governor pay high priced
lawyers for matters in which his official family is
vitality interested.
In the payment Of the State Senators for the
impeachment the condition is absurd.
The Attorney General ruled that the impeach
ment proceedings illegal and that therefore
the State Auditor could not pay the salaries of Sena
from funds directly appropriated by the Legsla
ture for that purpose.
But there is no objection to paying the
Senators exactly the same amounts from the Gov
errors funds for a purpose which the Attorney Gen
eral says was illegal.
Just how payment by the Governor for an illegal
purpose can be reconciled with refusal to pay under
orders of the Legislature can be explained only by
Senators who took their pay in this manner.
To the ordinary citizen it would seem that if
it is illegal to spend State money for the impeach-
ment one fund, it would be illegal to spend it
for any fund.
Under the theory of Gilliom, the Senators meet
ing as impeachment Judges had legal
standing than gathering OF newsboys in back
alley for the same purpose.
Under his ruling that impeachment court simply
did not exist but a gathering of men without
official power and entirely in an unofficial capacity
They could have been elected by janitor had the
custodian desired.
But they do get their money from the Jackson
fund. If they can draw it, why not others?
Why should not the Elephants get some to con-
duct their meetings? What is to prevent personal
gifts to any whom the Governor might wish to
remember?
Same old story. When the politicians and the
lobbyists want anything they get it and there is
always way to crash into the peoples pocketbook