The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-31
LESLIE ENTERS
new YEAR With
HARD PROGRAM
State School Aid Chief
Problem Confronting
Indiana Governor.
BY DANIEL NJ. KIDNEY

Governor Harry G. Leslie enters
the new year with many major adj
ministrative problems remaining I'M
solved and with the prospect of no
legislative help unless he decides to
call a special session.
Outstanding among the problems
awaiting solution is the state aid
for schools to which the Governor
already has assigned a fact-finding
commission.
Others are the continued unem-
ployment in the coal fields with
armed truce between union and nom
union miners, new taxation schemes
and increased cost of government,
crime and the penal problems Of
parole, traffic and construction
problems on state roads, particularly
in regard to policy of maintenance.
Not Good Feeling Era
Governor Leslie took over the
administration on. Jan. AZ 1929, sue
ceeding former Governor Ed Jack
son. It was far from an EZRA Of
good feeling" in state politics.
He entered a StatehouSe where
major departments and department
heads had furnished him absolutely
no support in the primary campaign
and, previous to his election, were
stating openly their discomfort with
his being head of the ticket.
The legislature was in session. In
this quarter the new Governor was
assured of considerable support, par
ticularly in the house of representa-
tives. Having served twice as
| speaker, Leslie was looked upon as
zone Of ours" by his former COL
leagues. He had demonstrated the
possibilities in landing as chief ex-
ecutive from the Speakers chair
and caused hopes to rise in other
hearts.
Leslie had won by a very Slight
plurality, furnished largely by Lake
county, despite the huge vote cast
for President Hoover. The cam
paign had been intense and many
things had been promised.
Certain Of these the Governor in
corporated into his message to the
legislature.
Jackson, in his farewell address
to the legislature, talked opposition
to his party's plan to repeal the
primary law. Leslie cited it as part
of the G. o. P. pledges and urged
that it be done. 1t was.
The new Governor also urged
drastic action against crime This
portion Of his message resulted in
legislation making more drastic the
criminal laws and earned for the
Governor the appellation hard
boiled"
Paroles Became Order
Lawmakers scarcely had closed
the session, however, when the Gov
ernor formulated new policy in
regard to executive clemency. He
announced he favored giving prison.
ers a chance, particularly first
offenders. Pardons and paroles be-
came the order of the day.
Acting upon the advice of friends
ne picked SeVefa4 OF Cne wrong
people for paroles, later events dis
closed. On this list was Gene Alger,
who already had had the court
clemency of being let off on a man
slaughter charge after killing an In
dianapolis policeman.
Paroled, he started robbing banks,
and has since been given fifteen
years behind the bars.
Other cases were not so fragrant.
The Governor stood firm, however,
in refusing clemency to 16-year-
old girl guilty of a Accent fraudu-
lency and for which she was SEN
fenced to two years.
There we're plenty of paroles who
made good, but the bad advertising
of the failures has Soured the Gov
ernor on the movement.
With numerous appointments to
be made, the Governor let the dates
pass and kept department heads In
office as followers. This policy still