Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1885 — INDIAJJA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIAJJA LEGISLATURE.

The Legislature of Indiana oonrened in biennial session on Thursday, Jan. a. The Senate organized by electing the following officers„K«UeT. of Vigo County; Doorkeeper, J. W. Cope, of Allen County. The House elected the following officers; Speaker. Charles L Jewell, of Floyd County; Clerk, H. C. Darnell. of Putnam County; Doorkeeper, Henry R Frye, of Grant County. In the Senate, legislative work was opened by Mr. Foulke, who introduced a State civil service reform measure. It provides for the regulation and improvement of the civil service of the State of Indian* by a commission of three \ ersons to be appoint© 1 by the Gove nor (the Senate approving! from the two political parties casting the largest number of votes, who shall hold no other office, and whose actual traveling expenses stoill be paid, together with a salary of t~> per day. Their duties shall be to supervise all competitive examinations and give particular attention to the enforcement of the civil-service law. The bill also antnorizea the employment of a special examiner at $1,500 per annum and a secretary at M.ooo and expenses. Other important measures were introduced by Mr. Smith, providing that an alien upon declaring his intention to become a citizen may hold real estate; by Mr. Campbell of Hendricks to protect the bal ot-box, to procure fair elections, to prevent the purchase and sale of votes, to provide means of proving snch offenses, and attaching as a penalty disfranchisement and Incapability of holding anv office oi trust or profit thereafter; by Mr. Schioss, to authorize counties having court-houses under way to issne bonds for the completion thereof to the amount of 2 per cent of the assessed valuation of taxable*; by Mr. Brown, to elect County Superintendents by the people every four years; by Mr. WUlard, limiting the amount of taxes that may be levied by the Board of Commissioners in counties containing a voting population over 25,000 to not exceeding 3; cents on SIOO for county purposes and three cents for township purposes, but in the township containing the countvseat the tax wUI not exceed one cent on SIOO. The usual bill appropriating $125,000 to defray the expenses of the General Assembly was introduced in the House. An effort was made in the House to elect the Rev. O. H. P. Abbett, the clergyman who opened the Democratic State Convention with prayer, permanent Chaplain, but it failed. When the same thing was attempted in the Senate at the afternoon session It met with the same fate. A bill passed appropriating $125,i 00 for the expenses of the session, an increase of $25,000 over two years ago. Very little business was transacted in the Legislature on the 9th. Mr. Foulke, Republican, in the Senate, Introduced a joint res dntion Indorsing < leveland’s recent civil service reform letter, and it was referred to the Committee on Federal Relations by a strict party vote. In the lower house the chief feature of the session, preliminary to the joint convention, was the Introduction bv Representative Lindley, Republican, of Hamilton County, of a resolution favoring the placing of Gen. Grant on the retired list. Judge Gooding at once moved to lay the resolution on the table, saying there was more important business to be attended to, and the ayes and noes were called, resulting in its defeat by a party vote. Several of the Democratic members indicated that they would support snch a resolution upon the proper occasion, but they did not believe in allow ng it to mterfere with the pressing business before the House. At It o’clock the Senate was e-corted into the House of Representatives, and Gov. P orter read his message in the presence of both h ouses.