Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 March 1885 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

lx the Senate the following bills were introduced on the 16th Inst: To amend section 9of the election law so as to authorize County Commissioners to make such changes in election precincts as the nubile good may demand: providing for the appointment of a commission of three members to be appointed by the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, who shall meet in the city of Indianapolis for a period not to exceed over sixty davs, and shall draft a bill fixing the fees and salaries of county officersand employes ot the State institutions and General Assembly, and report the same to the next Legislature; providing that County Commissioners shall not authorize any expenditures in excess of $25,000 without lust obtaining the consent of the tax-payers of the county, which may be expressed at anv general election. Senator Thompson at ose to a question of privilege, and denied the statement published in The Indianapolis 2'tmes that he had vo.ed for the May claim because he bad been requested to do so by Vice President Hendricks. He concluded by saying: “I supjMise that the verdancy of the editor of that paper has been imposed upon, but 1 m free to say that he i’ a falsifier, a liar, and I should not be surprised if he was a horse-thief,” which remark caused much laughter. A commit’ee was appointed to investigate plans for a soldiers’ monument. In the House no quorum was present. The time was spent in the discussion of various matters. Senator Foulke’s bill, providing that County Commissioners shall not authorize an expenditure of $25,0c0 or more without first obtaining the consent of a majority of the taxpayers reoommending the passage of the measure, was debated in the Senate on the 17th. A motion to lay the bill out he table was defeated by nays 20, veas 1K Subsequently Senator Foulke moved to amend the bill by making the limit of expenditures without the consent of the majority of the taxpayers $50,000 instead of S2S,UO(', which was adopted by yeas 24, nays 14. The majority report recommending its passage was concurred in, but a motion to engross the bill was defeated—yeas 19, nays 20. Fenator Ensley's bill authorizing County Commissioners to erect monuments to the memory of soldiers at an exiiense not to exceed S2S,MH) came up for consideration, with a report of a special committee recommending that instead of requiring a majority of the taxpayers to give their consent at a general election, the monuments m.ght be erected if a majority or the taxpayers sign a petition asking it. The report was Adopted and the b.II ordered engrossed. Senator Campbell called up a bill regulating the hiring of prison convicts to contractors tor a consideration. The committee recommended an amendment limiting the working hours of convicts to nine hours instead ot eight. An additional amendment was otlered by Senator Fowler, providing that no contract should be for less than fifty men. Both amendments were adopted and the bill was engrossed. 'lhe bill forfeiting live times the amount of usurious interest was defeated. Speaker Jewett lectured the House on its failure to advance business. He urged them to do an honest day's work every day, and not to allow dilatory measures to be considered. New bills were introduced: By Mr. McMullen, authorizing county commissioners in counties of less than 20,000 voters to borrow money tot building bridges, court houses, and jails; by Mr. Gooding, provldin for the appointment ot expert witnesses; by Mr. Pendleton, fixing the salaries of trustees ot townships of over 59,000 inhabitants at $2,000 a year (the bill having reference only to Center Township, Marlon County). Mr. Kellison s bill amending the mechanic’s lien law so as to provide that such liens shall stand when the contracts for the labor or material are not made directly with the company, as Is now necessary, was passed. Senator Youche's resolution fixing March 25 as the day for final adjournment of the special session was brought up in the Senate, March 18, and under a suspension of the rules was passed, forty-one members voting in the affirmative and none in the negative. In the House the bill for the reorganization of the Knightstown Home was taken up, and Mr. Sayre moved to suspend the constitutional rules and advance th j bill directly to its passage. Objection was raised because tills action would cut off amendments, but the motion failed to prevail by a vote of 05 to 2), two-thirds of the House not voting in the affirmative. The bill was then read a second time, and a dozen more amendments were sent up, McMullen proposed that two ot the tiuscees should bo honornbly discharged Union soldiers, and Boyd moved that the entire board be so const tuted, which provoked a lengthy discussion. Boyd's substitute making the Board of Trustees ail Union soldiers was adopted by a vote ot 46 to 41, and the House took u recess, and afterward amended the bill so that no two trustees shall bo o the same political party. The bill to have freight trains stop at all stations and'curry passengers was defeat: d. This bill was for the benefit ot commercial drummers. The bill to reorganize the State Board of Health passed. Bills authorizing the appointment of guardians for insane people sent to asylums, and allowing the redemption of lands sold for delinquent taxes by the payment of 15 per cent, penalty within six months, were passed in the Senate on the 19th Inst. The Senate Indefinitely postponed the bill to extend the Metiopolltan Police system to the larger cities of the State. In the House, the bill for the reorganization ot the Knightstown benevolent institutions was passed by a unanimous vote, and a bill appropriating $60,000 tor the expenses ot the special session was passed under a suspension of the rules. During the ptoceedings Representative Patton, who had been criticised by the Indianapolis Jomieit, arose to a Suestlon of privilege, and bitterly assailed John . New, proprietor of the paper, calling him a white-livered coward and lying scoundrel, and declaring that he would hold him personally responsible for what was printed. The speech created quite a sensation. Mr. Bayre. in behalf of the Republicans, introduced a bill reapportioning the State, so as to provide for the election of only sixty Representatives and thirty Senators, instead of 109 and fifty, as now provided, which, after debate, was referred to a committee. Senator Hubton introduced in the Senate (March 20) a bill relating to the collection ot interest on school-fund loans. The law now simply provides that the County Auditor “may” collect the interest semi-annually, and Senator Huston's bill makes it mandatory. It is said that in some comities under the existing law schooi-iund interest lias not been collected in some cases for twenty years. Among new bills introduced was one for a dentist for State reformatory Institutions. Mr. Ensley's bill authorizing County Commissioners to appropriate money to an amount not exceeding 4:6,000 for the purpose of building soldiers’ monuments was passed by a unanimous vote. The bill regulating the hiring of convict labor to contractors, introduced by Senator Marvin Cameron, was passed, the yeas numbering 31 and the nays 4. The bill limits a day’s work by convicts to nine hours, and prohibits the “lapping” system. A bill requiring that the teachers in township schools shi.il devote one day each month—not Saturday—to institute work, and shall be allowed pay for It, was passed. The Senate then adjourned until Monday, March 23. In the House the call of counties was made for the introduction of new business, and a large number of new bills were proposed by various members. The most important were: For the protection of laborers: reducing the pay of legislative officers to $4 a day, employes, $3, and pages $1.50; requiring applicants for liquor licenses to be residents of the town or township; for the relief of John ]Hutchtison, who lost public funds in the failure of the Commercial Bank. ot Brazil, Ind. Amendments to the constitu tion were proposed by resolutions introduced by Mr. Kellison. increasing the number of Judges of the Supreme < ourt from six to nine, nnd divldstg the State into three jud ciai districts, and by Mr. Smith, prohibiting the contract system of convict labor. The regular order ot business was then resumed, and the first bill taken up.was Mr. Frazor's, authorizing the extension o. charities and maintenance ot free gravel roads, and a long discussion of its provisions ensued. Various amendments were offered and rejected, and eventually the bill was defeated by a vote of :.-3 to 53, and then the vote was recons dered and the bill was recommitted to the Committee on Roads, A bill was passed composing a Board of Trustees for the Soldiers’ Or; hans' Home, of two men and one woman. A modern philosopher says that “women who excite the greatest love are often ugly.” They are also generally very rich. “Is the howling of a dog always followed by death?” asked a little girl of her father. “Not always, my dear. Sometimes the man that shoots at the dog misses him,” was the prompt reply. Municipal suffrage has been granted to unmarried women and widows in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and full suffrage for women has been obtained in Washington Territory. The name of God in theHindoostane* language is rain. In Persian, sire.