Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1883 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

The Legislature was in session but a short time on Jan. 2(1 Senator Brown introduced a bill for the purpose of protecting the freedom of election to employes of manufacturing establishments, and bqped upon the alleged bulldozing in the South Bend shops last faL The executive appointments on the benevolent boards were made the special order for Tuesday morning. The House adopted Mr. Jewett’s amendment to the rules giving the Speaker power to order the second reading of bills on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, to the exclusion of other bills, except special orders There was vigorous discussion the Senate, Jan. 22, over the fixing of the rate of interest on school-fund loans at fi per cent, and. although a final vote was not reached, the v&tes on subsidiary motions indicated that a very decided majority was in favor of leaving the rate at 8 per cent, as it is fixed by the present law. Senator Henry introduced a bill for an Appellate State Court to be composed of five Judges, elected as are the Supreme Court Judges, and having exclusive appellate jurisdiction in all civil cases of less than SSOO except where the title of real estate, construction of a statute, or a constitutional provision is involved. This is similar to the Frazer bill introduced in the House. Senator Yanoey introduced a bill providing that all engineers of stationary steam engines shall be compelled to undergo an examination as to their competency, and be properly licensed. D» the House, Mr. Crittenden introduced a bill authorizing cities and tojvns to tax foreign insurance companies l per cent, on their gross earnings from life and. fire policies in each municipality. Mr. Heston introduced a bill making it obligatory on such insurance companies to publish ilieir statements ouly iu one paper having the largest circulation in the State, instead of two, as now provided. Mr. Antrim has introduced a bill compelling railroads to pay all their employes at least once every month. Mr. Henry introduced a bill In the Senate, Jan. £s, creating an Appellate Court, to consist of five Judges, to have exclusive appellate jurisdiction in civil cases under SSOO. It will not have jurisdiction over appeals by defendant in felony eases, or by tne State in criminal cases, or from Superior Courts in general term. The act has an emergency clatifc. The Governor is to a point the Judges, who shall serve until their places may be regularly filled at a general election. The Senate laid on the table a resolution reported from the Committee on Executive Appointments to cut off the official heads of all the. appointees not authorized by law, Mr: Yancey introduced a r solution authorizing the retention in power of all the present officers and Trustees of the State institutions. which was laid on the table. The remainder of the session was devoted to a heated political discussion over the appointments made by Gov. Porter as of the “Benevolent Institutions. ” The Democrats vpte t to postpone the consideration of’ the appointments until the 30th inst, so os to allow the passage of a bill. reorgantz ng the institutions in the meantime, arid this was carried by a strict party vote. The debat ; on this question assumed a general political character because of the open declaration of Senator Bell that no would vote against the confirmation of Qen. John Coburn, who has been nominated sos President of the Board, because he was ®ne of the visiting statesmen who perpetrated the most outrageous frauds of the century iu making R B. Hayes President of the United States after the election of 187(1 The Senate ordered printed Mr. Graham’s bill makingit a ground of ineligibility for any county official to charge or take any illegal fees, the action to be brought by any freeholder before the Circuit Judge, who shall 'investigate the charges, and, if they are substantial, shall declare the office vacant for the unexpired tet mos the offender. In the House a number of important measures were Introduced, prominent among which was a bill to permanently endow the State University by an annual tax of 2 cents per SIOO cm the taxables of thff State. Two bills Were introduced providing for the repeal of the act establishing a State Board of Health, and Mr. Price introduced a bill making legal the verdict of eleven jurors in any case, although one should not agree to it. - The Souse adopted a resolution to instruct the ommittee on Prisons to prepare a bill, and report the same to the House, to provide for the relief of free labor from competing with convict labor, and to provide for some way to make convict labor self-supporting. During the discussion of thip question, which was quite animated at times, Mr. Gibson, in whose county the Southern Prison is located, said the idea that the convict labor in that prison affected free labor was wrong. He said the contractors sold the product of the prison labor at the market prices. A resolution by Mr. Shockney directing the Prison Committee, in order lo prevent collusion between directors and contractors, to report a bill fixing the minimum price at which convict labor could be let was, on Mr. Gibson’s motion, laid on the table. A lolnt convention of the two houses elected the following officers—the nominees of (he Democratic caucus: State Librarian, Miss Lizzie O. Callis; Directors of the Southern Poison, Dr. W, D. H. Hunter, Dr. H. V. Morvell; Directors of the Northern Prison, George Majors, John C. Shoemaker, Henry Ma ning. A resolution was adopted by the Senate, Jan. 24, providing for the payment by the State of the costs incurred by tlye Superintendent of Public Instruction in the case of the State va the Superintendent of Schools in Martin county, charged with corruption in selling the questions prepared for examination of teachers, by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, which was read the first time. The entire session was devdted to the discussion of the constitutional amendments, the question being in the majority report of the Judiciary Committee that the amendments were not properly recorded last session, and were therefore not legally pending. The Democrats sustained this position on the ground that the constitution provides that such amendments shall? be entered, iu full, while the Republicans claim that this S revision is merely directory and Tidt m'ariatory. Speeches were made by Senators Johnson and McCullough for the Democrats and Bundy and Foulke for the Republicans. In the House, Mr. Williams, of Knox, offered two new amendments to the constitution, which are to relieve the Supreme Court of the necessity of publishing ulfc their decisions in full, and providing that only Important decisions shall be printed,; which were withdrawn under a point of order. The same member Introduced a bill defining the offense of compelling or attempting to compel a person to marry, and fixing a penalty therefor. The object of the bill Is to relieve Chatfefc Wetzell, an attorney of Vincennes, from. the persecution of Annie Stewart, who bos liiip for mouths East, claiming that he has promised to marry er, but weakened. Mr. Petftibonc introduced a bill in the House to. provide for the issue of (14) bonds of SIOO each, the money to be used in the drain rig© and recamalion of the Kankakee swamp lands. The bill provides for a State Board Of Drainage, to" consist of the Governor; t!je’ Attorney Geneso*, land two competent persons, to Jie, appointed by the. Governor, these persons to be resident* at or near the lands of the Kankakee valley, and interested ivi the di afnage>and reclamation, of the same. , Mr. Montgomery ottered a resolution, which was adopted, instrAOting the Committee on Judiciary to consider the expediency of exempting from taxation mortgages, loans of-money, sales #1 proper* ty, and other evidences of debt, when at the same time the subject of the debt“B taxed. The Uiscusstfm of _the presefitwtotus of the coustltulional itihStrtmeuts, occupied the attentionof *ldtafche3 'of Assembly oh Jan. 35. In the Senate lip FoQke concluded Ids long Argument and • lengthj speeches were also made ,by Benators *Voylcs, Campbell, Brown and SpafUY Tiie amendments came up in the House as a special order, and the. .discussion hinged upon the motion to adopt the nT'moi'lty'report of the Judiciary, Cotnmfttee, declaring that the amefidmeEiiWw* were pending. Speeches were made py Patted, of Khot; Hetiren, of Washington; Frasier, of Kqsciusko, and Hustem, of Fayette, all these gentlemen. with the exception of Mr, Hdfirrtfto, speaking in faVortof the proposition. .The Brown bfll. for the Yeoxganizatwn of the benevolent institutions was engrossed, with the addition of .fax amendment offered, by Senator Spann, providing that twfemale department of tffg insane Asylum be fiacqd in charge of a competent female physfflan, %nd an additional,section, token frownthe Wilson bill, providing for the removal: of officers for-cause, tiie Gavernor to till the vacancy until the next meeting & of th« Legislature, and that the General Assembly -had eleqt the first inejnnhents immediately on the taking effect of the act. •„