BIENNIAL REPORT OF JAMES BINGHAM ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE STATE OF INDIANA OF THE BUSINESS AND CONDITION OF HIS OFFICE FROM TO THE GOVERNOR INDIANAPOLIS : WM. B. BURFORD, CONTRACTOR FOR STATE PRINTING AND BINDING 1910 LITTAUER LIBRARY, SSP HARVARD UNIVERSITY WAT 10 1911 Indiana State Library THE STATE OF INDIANA, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, INDIANAPOLIS, IND., October 1, 1910. Received by the Governor, examined and referred to the Auditor of State for verification of the financial statement. OFFICE OF AUDITOR OF STATE, INDIANAPOLIS, October 10, 1910. The within report, so far as the same relates to moneys drawn from the State Treasury, has been examined and found correct. JOHN C. BILLHEIMER, Auditor of State. .19.... Returned by the Auditor of State, with above certificate, and transmitted to Secretary of State for publication, upon the order of the Board of Commissioners of Public Printing and Binding. MARK THISTLETHWAITE, Filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Indiana, October 12, 1910. 1910 FRED A. SIMS, Secretary of State. Received the within report and delivered to the printer, October 12, A. E. BUTLER, Clerk Printing Board. (2) BIENNIAL REPORT OF JAMES BINGHAM. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, October 1, 1910. HON. THOMAS R. MARSHALL, Governor of Indiana: I have the honor of submitting to you my biennial report as attorney-general of Indiana, of the business and condition of my office for the period from September 30, 1908, to October 1, 1910. The legal opinions reported herein only relate to the official opinions, and do not include the numberless unofficial opinions given at the request of county, city, town and township officers from all parts of the state. In this connection I again suggest that the custom of long standing in this office of answering all inquiries of such local officers has become exceedingly embarrassing to the proper discharge of the duties of the office, on account of the work entailed thereby. In almost every instance the inquiries are important to public interests, and with a few exceptions the officers making such inquiries are not clothed with authority to employ counsel to advise them. In my judgment, legislation which would provide such local officers with legal advisers, who are so situated as to intelligently and properly advise them, would be most wholesome. I incorporate in this report a table of criminal cases decided by the supreme court, and now pending in said court, which table is as follows: (3) |