Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1891 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

The Senate. Feb. 2, passod a bill fixing a graded system of penalties for keepinggaming houses. Tho penalty for the first conviction is from $lO to SSOO fine: for the seeond conviction. $25 to SI,OOO fine, with imprisonment not exceeding thirty days, optional with tho Court. The third and all subsequent cunvicttpns. SSO to SI,OOO fine and imprisonment for from thirty days to six months. The Sonate also passod a bill prohibiting tho use of artificial means to force natural gas from the weJls or through pipe lines. This is meant to prevent tho piping of gas to Chicago. Three important measures were introduced in tho House. Tho first provides for the Establishment of a Stato Board of Fire Insurance, composed of the Auditor, Secretary, and Attorney General. The duty of tho commission is to equalize tho cost of insurance and udjust losses. The second requires candidates before conventions to file with County derks sworn itemized statements of campaign expenses. The third was a resolution appointing a committee to correspond with tho Legislatures of other States to agree upon a lower logal tax rate for all. In the Senate. February 5. the bill requiring the election of three school trustees, one of whom shall be a woman, was Indefinitely postponed after a long discussion. Bill abolishing the State Board of Agriculture and creating an agricultural and industrial board came up on the third roading, and its further consideration was postponed until morning. The House passod the following bills: For tho protection of the sorghum industry by preventing adulteration; compelling dealers in cigarettes to pay an annual license of S2OO and to make affidavit that all cigarettes sold by them are made of pure tobacco; amending the aot relative to public offenses and their punishment, by brinaing within the provisions of tho section concerning incest children' under tho age of 16 years, and making sisters competent to testify against their brothers in such cases; requiring officers of reformatory, oharitabie and benevolent institutions to purcliaso native live stook for food consumption at such institutions; preventing the adulteration of candy; making it unlawful for officers of State institutions to contract with tberabolvob or other officials of their or other institutions for tho purchase or sale, or to appropriate to their own use any of the rights, privileges, payments, slops, offal or immunities of any of suld institutions. The following bills were passod by the Sonate, February 4: An aot defining arson and prescribing the penalties therefor; to authorize cities and towns to lay out parks and public grounds; prescribing the method of assessing real estate in towns of less than two thousand population to defray the cost of street improvements; requiring corporations of other States acquiring property or doing business in Indiana to file a copy of their clinrter with the County Rocordor for record; legalizing the Incorporation and construction of the Lafayotte Union Railroad and aid voted to it. Tho following bills wore passed by tho House; Appropriating $8,032.81 to pay the WarrenSoliarf Asphalt Raving Company for Raving Mississippi street, on the west sido of the Btato-houso; providing that Deputy County Surveyors shall havo tho same powers In certain cases as their chiefs. [Under tho present law the construction of ditches must stop during tho illness of County Surveyors, because of tho inability of tho deputies, under the statute, tq act for ttyo former,]

The only measure that got through the Senate, February 5. on its way tb the statute books was Senator ShOeftnoy's bill looking to the breaking of pools and trusts. Having boon absent several days on account of sickness, tho Senate askod unanimous consent to consider the measure, Vrhioh was given, and it was read tho third time by sections. The main provisions are that all trusts, pools and combinations tending to prevent full and free competition In the production, manufacture or sale of any article produced in any Stato or country, that seek to regulate tho production of prtoe of any commodity, or tond In any way to create a monopoly, are declared to be conspiracies ‘to defraud the public, unlawful, against public policy and void. Any person entering into such combination as principal. stockholder or agent is mado guilty of I conspiracy to defraud, and upon conviction ! shall bo fined not loss than SI,OOO nor more than $ IP,OOO. It is provided that If any corporation or any officer or stockholder, as such, bocomes a member of any pool or trust, such corporation shall forfeit Its charter, it is further providod that any person or corporation damaged by any pool or trust may bring suit and recover twioo the amount of the dumuge sustained. The following bills were passed by the House: Reducing the charge for transcribing short-hand notes In criminul cases from ten cents to 0 cents per ono hundred words, ! and providing that, where a litigant is unable to pay for this service the court may, in its discretion, direct tho work to be done, tiie county to bear tho expense; providing for the change of vonue in all olvil actions; for the bettor protection of minors, regulating tho weighing of coal, and providing for uniform screens; to prevent persons not so entitled from wearing badges of the Grand Army, Loyal Logion. Union Veterans and Sons of Veterans, and imposing a fine of not more than S2O for such offense. Thebe was such a'slight attendance of both houses. February 6, that no business of Importance was transacted.