Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1879 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

Monday, March 24.—Senate.—About 100 House bills were read the first time. The Metropolitan Police bill came up in the lot, and wis killed by being indefinitely postponed ; .. .■ The following House joint resolutions were adopted: Requesting a modification of the National Banking law so as to subject banking associations to regular rules of law; creating a commission to codify the insurance laws, and appointing a committee on the part of each house to ascei tain what amount, if any, is due Marion county foi gas, heat, water, etc., used by the General Assembly... .Senator Reeve introduced a bill providing for the appointment of five attorneys to make a revision of the laws of the State now in force and publish them.... The House Homestead bill was taken up, and a substitute forty acres of land Ih country and one-half acre in city as a homestead, provided it is not worth more than S7OO. It also exempts S3OO worth of personal property from sale on execution. The bill as amended was then passed. House.—Bills were passed : Including railroad tickets in the articles that may be embezzled ; authorizing patrons of district schools to select the teachers, and the Senate bill declaring certain patents for swamp lands evidence of title to such lands... .Conference committees were asked for upon the Specific Appropriation and the Fee and Salary bills... .The House passed a resolution to adjourn sine die next Monday, provided that the Fee and Salary and Specific Appropriation bills have been passed. Tuesday, March 25.—Senate.—A large number of House bills were read a second time and placed on the files for a third reading to-mor-row... .Bills were passed as follows: Giving laborers a preferred claim of ss44—on the property of an insolvent corporation which is indebted to them; allowing appeals from County Commissioners in cases of annexation of territory to cities and towns; creating a commission to revise and codify the laws of the State and report JJie same'to the next General Assembly, with such recommendation of changes in the existing laws as they may deem necessary... .The report of the Conference Committee on the Specific Appropriation bill was concurred in. House.—Bills were introduced: Providing for the more speedy determination of causes in Circuit and Superior Courts; prescribing the duties of the Attorney General... .Bills passed: Providing for the appointment of receivers by Judges of courts during vacation; providing for the erection and management of workhouses : protecting the purity of the ballot-box by disfranchising persons found guilty of selling their votes; providing for appeals in cases of changes of highways; permitting notaries public to solemnize marriages... .The conference committee • on the Specific Appropriation bill reported certain amendments agreed on, which were agreed t 0.... The committee appointed to investigate into the affairs of the Attorney General's office reported, and were instructed to continue the investigation, and report what.steps should be taken to recover the money illegally taken for fees ... The House refused to concur in the Senate amendments to the Homestead Exemption bill. Wednesday, March 26. —Senate.—Bills passed: For the transfer to the United States of the title of Indiana to the Antietam National Cemetery; authorizing a loan to pay the temporary loan debt; in relation to the transaction of business before ign express companies; amending the Fidlkw; to prevent the sale of adulterated fertjflßßs; regulating the practice of medicine and surgery; amending the act authorizing street-car companies to use certain highways; authorizing incorporated towns to contract for lighting streets with gas; providing for issuing letters testamentary and of guardianship; and several legalizing and relief bills... .The bill repealing the Railroad Aid law was indefinitely postponed... .The Senate resolution to adiourn sine die on Saturday was returned from the House with an amendment fixing Monday as the time. The amendment was concurred in, and the Legislature will without doubt adjourn at that time. > House —The House adopted the Senate resolution authorizing the transfer of the Morgan raid claims from the Governor’s office to that of the Adjutant General, and allowing their owners to withdraw them.... The bill fixing railroad passenger rates at 3 cents a mile failed to pass.... The bill for the revision of the laws was passed... .The House refused to concur in the Senate amendments to the bill creating a bureau of statistics, and it went to a conference committee.... Bills regulating elections in towns and defining the duties and powers of town officers, regulating the levy of taxes for school purposes, prohibiting courts from garnasheeing wages of laborers and providing for redemption of real estate in certain cases, were passed... .Mr. Osborne offered a resolution creating a commission consisting of two Senators, two Representatives, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to investigate and report whether the three State educational institutions cannot be consolidated. The consideration of the resolution was postponed for the present. Thursday, March 27.—Senate.—The Senate on assembling to)k up the bill codifying the School law, and its consideration occupied the entire morning session and a portion of the afternoon. Amendments were adopted, after considerable discussion, limiting the examination fee to sl, and prohibiting changes in school books or furniture oftener than every ten years, except by unanimous consent of the School Board. The bill was then passed.... The conference committee on the Fee and Salary bill then reported, and the report was concurred in without debate. ... .The conference committee on the bill creating a Bureau of Statistics also reported, and their report was adopted... .All the'House bills on second reading were taken up, read a second time, and passed to a third reading.... Several Senate bills were read a second time and indefinitely postponed... .The conference committee on the Homestead Exemption Pill reported that they could not agree. They were discharged and a new committee appointed. House.—Bills passed: Legalizing “patentinside” newspapers; amending the act concerning guardian and ward: amending the code; for the publication of legal advertising in any paper of general circulation in the county; amending the Voluntary Assignment act; amending the law of descent; to prevent double prosecution in misdemeanors; exempting the property of wives and children from sale on execution fcr husbands’torts; to prevent the transfer of county orders by persons owing taxes; permitting towns to collect license from retail liquor-dealers; amending the code; requiring railroads to have whistles sounded at road crossings; specifying what persons shall be admitted to the House of Refuge; requiring attorneys to submit charges to Judges for rejection or acceptance before argument.... The conference committees’ reports on the Fee and Salary and Bureau, of Statistics bills were concurred in.

Friday, March 28.—A bill passed to do away with Coroners’ juries, making that official to examine and report alone upon the cause of death submitted to him... .The report of the conference committee on the Exemption bill, fixing the amount at 1690, an increase of S3OO over the present law, to be taken in real estate or personal property at the election of the debtor, was adopted... .The Bureau es Statistics bill has been adopted, and now there are no other important bills to be acted 0n.... At the close of the evening session of the House, the committee charged with the investigation of Messrs. Jameson and Evarts, of the Insane Asylum, submitted their reports and ordered tnem laid upon the table till morning. The majority report, signed by Senators Smith and Treat, and Representatives Hubbard, Saint and Thornburg, is very long, and, in the main, favorable to the respondent The minority report, signed by Senator Foster, Chairman of the committee, and Representatives Reiley, Edwins and Handy, nnds Dr. Jameson guilty of not turning over to the State treasury moneys received for farm and greenhouse products, and for receiving, as Treasurer of the Commissioners for the new Asylum building, $1,400, without warrant of law. Following this report, Messrs. Edwins and Handy submit a resolution censuring Drs. Jameson and Evarts for malfeasance in office, and requesting the Attorney General to institute suit for the recovery of $1,400 wrongfully appropriated by Dr. James. Saturday, March 29.—Senate.—The pro? ceedings in the Senate were unusually dull, nothing but confusion interrupting the dry routine of pasting bills, and that was the only business transacted, with tbs exception of the

introduction and reference to the Finance Committee of a resolution appropriating $450 to defray the expenses of the Insane Asjlum investigation .../I'he following bills were passed: Regulating the practice of dentistry; concerning the Opening of streets and alleys; regulating the running at large of animals; relative to claims against counties; regulating the punishment for contempts; amending section 817 of the code providing for the prompt publication of the acts of the General Assembly; requiring petitioners for the opening of streets to file a bond for the cost; punishing embezzlement of railroad tickets, and authorizing the vacation of public squares in certain cases... .The Senate then took up the message from the House announcing the passage ot the Medical bill over the Governor’s veto, and, the question being on the passage of the bill by tho Senate, it failed for want of a’constitutional majority—ayes, 22; noes, 15. House.—The House, as tarns noise was conoerued, was worse than tho Senate, and it was impossible for the Speaker to keep order.... The Senate resolution providing for the payment of Marion county fur gas, water and fuel used by tho Legislature was amended so as to allow SBOO, and then passed... .The bill reducing the pay of members to $5 per day and reducing the suhuies of Judges (ailed to pass. ....The message of lito.Governor vetoing tho Medical bill was read. He objects to the bill for the reason that it contains an emergency clause and that it bars from practice all female physicians and midwives. An attempt was made to pass the bill notwithstanding the veto, but it failed. Later i:i the day tho bill was passed by a vote of 52 to-30... .Tho Senate bill regulating the inspection of petroleum was passed and tho bill abolishing the Cass Superior Court was promptly laid on tho table.... A local-option temperance bill was voted down and the bill to abolish concert saloons and prevent the playing of billiards, etc . in saloons, which had been stolen from iho tiles, wis reintroduced, but a motion to suspend tho rules and pass the bill was not agreed t 0... .The committee to which was referred the subject of woman’s suffrage made three reports. Guo decides that tho constitution gives women tho right to vote; second that it does not, but ought to, and tho third, signed by Maurice Thompson, thinks women too good to vote, almost to good to live and too swoet for anything; therefore that they should not vote.