Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1893 — RESULT OF THE SESSION. [ARTICLE]

RESULT OF THE SESSION.

Sen .tor Win, E. McLean, a member of the General Assembly of this State which has just adjourned, gives the 1 ollowing ostimate of the work of tbe session: Another session.of the General Assembly has come ana gone It has made it s _ record and by that record it must be judged. It has been welj said that the evii which a Legislature‘dots lives after it, while the good it may have done preciou - soon after goes into oblivion. The Legislature which has just closed its biennial session was a body of me i of aveiage inteliectu .1 capacity, ana I honestly believe were generally devoted to the interest of Ihe best legislation according to their lights. Although tno present session may have witnessed no legislation of unusual interest, I think it can be said w th justice that no vicious, improper or corrupt measures were the fruits of the present session. The subject which will undoubtedly invoke tbe most adverse criticism is the “ apportionment bill." If this bill is unjusc, inequitable and unfortunate, it is simply an instance of history repeating itself. The “gerrymander” is as old as political parties themselves; it flourished in the bettei and purer days of th: Republio, when the old Whig and Democratic parties contending sot the mastery. To frame a bill for legislative apportionment, fair and honest in its de' tails, satisfactory to the partisans of contending political organizations, has neve' yet been aceomplished, and in my judgment, never will be. Speaking for myself, I can not appiove of the bill in de. tail, but believing that a» apportionment bill of some kind should be passed I gave it my vote. The substitute proposed bj the minority was equally unjust, unfair and nmeasonable. it was a ohoice of evils.

The greater p*rt of the other legi lation of the session has been based largely upon the idea of economy, involving dollars and cents. I know of no venal measures invoving any corrupt proposition which has bten evolved by our session. The appropriation bill, upon which so much anxjety whs felt, and upon which so much earnest labor was performed, is as liberal to the benevolent and educational institutions of the State as the present condi- ■ hon of our treasury will justify. All of tbe charitable institutions, each of the three educational institutions of the State, have received from the present session judicious if not very liberal treatment. .ft J? 1 * storing h 6 appointive power to the Governor, where it justly and rightfully belongs, and where we trust it will stay, regardless of political evolutions, or partisan upheavals, was a step in the right direction, and will receive, as it has so far received, the cordial indorsement of the press of both parties There are a large number of beneficial measures in the interest of the poor nun whieh this Legislature ha* passed, not* bly, restoring privilege to pay assessments

for street improvements or sewer building in ten years, regard esa of amount assessed upon any one lot—a measure which permits the poor man who has a ho-re not fully paid for, and who can thus divide the the burden of assessments over several years. A large number of important practical drainage bills, particularly affeoting the northwestern part of our State have been passed, .which will restore to tilling many thousand aores of lands new- practically valueless. My colleague, Senator Griffith of Switz erland,,in common with nearly all of the Senators with whom I have conversed during the closing hours of the session, states that, in his opinion, the acts of the General Assembly, when examined critically, it will be found will compare favorably with the work of preceding sessions, except, perhaps, those of 1889 and 1881; in fact, during this session, much attention was given toward amending the three great roforna measures of those sessions, to-wit: the school booh law, the Australian ballot law, and the new tax la v.— Nothing interests the people more than the question oi taxation, and among the prominent valuable aots passed at this session, in which the public at large is concerned, may be mentioned tiie following: 1. The new tax levy, by which th. re is a fulfillment of the promise made|during the late campaign,! and by which there is a reduction of rate for State purposes. 2. The act creating the State debt sinking fund, a wise act of State policy, nsuring the gradual reduction oflour Shite debt. 2. Acts have been passed supplementing and perfecting the sohool-book law, the election law and the tax law, by the effect and operation of whioh the benign influence of these laws is mad; more effective. 4. A contest between capital and labor, which resulted In the bill known as the coliability bill, has been settled in this State by the passage of an act alike fair to employer and employe—a measure fairer and better t i the average employe of railroad and other corporations than that of any other sister State to whioh my attention has been direotea.

5. The acts conferring special charters upon the cities of Evansville and Ft. Wayne hve been passed. Tn spite of much lobby and other work involved in the passage of these charters, we believe they embody the idea of municipal reform, »nd will be popular! measures among the inhabitants of those„cities. 6. The bill whioh has probably been subjected to more adverse criticism than any other measure of the present Legislature 's the one known as the “McHugh City Bill.” We believe its provisions, when better known and understood, will meet with general sanction, for the reason that annual elections in our oities will be dispensed with, thus saving an immense amount of money. Under our present An tralian ballot system, an election is an expensive luxury, and if they are made less frequent they may induce the better element of our cities to secure more reputable and better menlfor municipal offices, a> d thus secure a more efficient service. I believe the bill will become more popular when its provisions are better known. 7. The aot of placing cities of over ten thousand inhabitants under a metropolitan polioe system is a wise measure. 8. While it w v as not regarded advisable to pass any very radical road laws during the present.session, some valuable amendments have been made to existing road laws, the wisdom of which we think time will demonstrate.

The Sentinel is in receipt of an exceedingly handsome inaugural souvenir from Hon. V. Zimmermm. Rochester, Ind., with the following happy greeting: Rochester, Ind., March 4,1893. My hearty congratulations to you and friends upon t e inauguration of Giover Cleveland as President of the United Status. I rejoice with you over the event. May the occasion be the harbinger of brighter days to come for the republic. May democracy reigr. wise and well. May justice and equality be its shtboleth, and liberty and patriotism its guiding otar! May it succeed in conf< rring perpetual blessings upon our beloved cotmtiy. Yours in democracy, V. Zimmerman.