The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-15
The Picture Shapes Up
An Editorial.


whether "JAB" has any right to draw salary
from TIE taxpayers.
June 24.-Revelation that Judge Baker de-
ferred sentence on Robert A. Glenn, notorious
forger, because "he never had a chance"
Glenn then went to Kokomo. forged two
checks and was sent by Kokomo judge to
the reformatory after the American Bankers
Association had bulletined his record through
out the country. His attorney was Cancilla.
close associate of Joel A. Baker Police had
told Judge Baker that Glenn also was wanted
elsewhere on forgery charges.
June 27-Discovery that Cancilla, while
deputy prosecutor, had sworn that he had
never been convicted of felony, when Buffalo
police records showed he had received sus-
pended sentence for grand larceny
June 29-Although the state police made
complaint against Cancilla, charging perjury,
Prosecutor Spencer refused TO act promptly on
the ground of insufficient evidence of the old
conviction. At the same time a man named
Fred Steele was indicted for perjury under
similar circumstances.
July 8-The Times printed an analysis of
the ninute-to-minute activities of Judge
RNANSN
working days. This showed that he had
eraged only one hour and 48 minutes on the
bench each day although his calendar is filled
with cases needing attention. At that rate
his hourly pay was $15.36 from the tax
payers.
July 11-Revelaton that although Joel A.
y Baker had received $500 to defeat pro-
posed tax on oleomargarine in the last session
of the Legislature, although he had been
active among the legislators he had failed
either to register as a lobbyist or to file an
expense account. Violation of the lobby law
is felony carrying prison sentence. Neither
the prosecutor, the attorney general the grand
Jury nor Judge Baker has shCwn the slightest
interest in this apparent violation of criminal
law.
July 12-An anonymous, four-page sheetlet
called THE Dart" was circulated free through
out the city, quoting Judge Baker directly as
accusing The Times editor of unnatural
crimes. 1t also gave editorial expression to
anti-Semitic beliefs and attacked various per-
sops whom "the Courthouse crowd" do not like.
Asked whether he had been correctly quoted
Judge Baker angrily refused to answer.
July 13-The Times revealed that Cancilla
arranged for the distribution of the pubhca-
ton from room shared by Joel A. Baker in
the Indiana Democratic Club.
This, then is the record of the admins
tration of county government particularly of
Criminal Court, during recent months. Taken
as a whole it Is damning. 1t strongly indi-
Gates that the court, charged with the liberty
and lives of citizens, is not being conducted in
the interest of all of the people
The Times is interested only in seeing that
the criminal justice be properly and decently
administered and that it be kept free from
favoritism and special privilege.
Friends of The Times have asked why this
newspaper or its editor does not seek legal
redress for Judge Bakers slanderous attacks.
True, we could sue in a civil court, but to do
SO the editor would have to show that he had
been damaged Considering the source of the
SANDER the editor could not prove that he
had suffered any damage at all.
Other well wishers of this newspaper have
inquired why we did not bring out the fact
that Judge Baker himself was criminally in
dicted for vote fraud during the administra-
ton of Mayor Bell and that he thereafter left
the Jurisdiction Of the state for many months.
WE have looked into that case and, what
w ever we may think of the judges pres
ent conduct we believe that the vote fraud
indictment against him a contemplate
frameup and a disgrace to Marion County
Justice 1t would be obviously unjust for The
Times to use such palpable piece of fraud.
Nor did Judge Baker leave the state to
escape prosecution under that accusation. We
know why he left.
We pass over the continuous stream of
anonymous telephone calls to the editor, his
friends and employees, threatening him with
assassination. Obviously only persons inter-
ested in the Criminal Court would have any
motive for making them If we were printing
facts about an underworld gang of racketeers
we should expect this sort of thing. It is
strange that talk about putting on the spot"
is banded about in an investigation into
court of justice
No, Judge Baker can not maneuver us into
making personal issue of his official conduct
We suspect that he would welcome lawsuit
by the editor so that he could then accuse us
of trying our private case in the pages of our
newspaper AS for the threats of violence
they are as silly as the idea that you can stop
a regiment in action by shooting the colonel.
The record speaks for itself.
What does the Democratic party think
of it?
What does the Bar Association propose to
do about it?
What do the people think Of the conduct Of
their public servants in Criminal Court?
the United States" commented Ambassador