Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1897 — THE INDIANA SOLONS [ARTICLE]

THE INDIANA SOLONS

The street railroad question came up In both houses Wednesday. The New bill was called up on third reading in the Senate, but a motion by Senator Sweeney to postpone was carried. Senator Sweeney explained that he had no intention whatever of injuring the prospects of the bill, and later moved a reconsideration. Sen-.. ator Wood tried to kill this motion by a motion to adjourn, and this was defeated. The action was reconsidered and the question of the final passage of the bill in the Senate was made a special order for 10 o’clock Friday morning. In the House the duplicate bill came up. The bill in the Senate form was recommended to pass. Air. Shidefer introduced a minority report along the lines of that drawn by “Jerry” Collins, and introduced in the Senate by Senator Wood. No vote was taken. The Legislature sent to Gov. Mount the two bills in which the State Board of Charities is especially interested, one providing for the better care of dependent orphan children, and the other converting the State prison south into an Intermediate or reformatory prison. In the Senate Thursday the street railroad bill was passed with an amendment that may possibly invalidate It. The House passed' the Jernegan factory inspection bill. It prevents the employment of children under 14 years in factories and prevents, the employment of boys under 16 and girls under 18 more than ten hours a day. Four caucus measures were passed. One restores the appointment of the State House engineer to the Governor; another puts in his hands the appointment tjf the boards of prison directors; another *'* the bill passed by the Senate amending ehe election law. The changes make it impossible for the name of a fusion candidate to go upon the official ballot more than once. The fourth, reorganizing tho eleven boards of metropolitan police commissioners, was a Senate bill. The House passed the general pharmacy bill. The Governor signed the first of the series of bills introduced for the purpose of collecting the Vandalia claim and the second bill was introduced and passed the House under suspension of the rules. A question of religion bobbed up suddenly in the House Friday when the Education Committee sent in two reports upon a resolution by Air. Wiener. The resolution declared that “The Story of Liberty,” one of the books put out for use in the schools, was an improper book for school children. Hot arguments were made against this volume, which was denounced by Air. Wiener as a collection of lies and calumnies. The resolution was finally adopted by a heavy majority. The House passed the anti-trust bill. It is a copy of the Georgia law with a clause inserted that confines its operations to “those who control the output.” This lets out the wholesalers who operate under price agreements known by various terms as the “equality” or “contract” or “rebate” plan. The House also passed the bill to change the Newton County seat and a couple of minor bills regarding the funds of the State University. The nmended street railroad bill as passed by the Semite was referred to committee. The Senate pnssed a bill, permitting the organization of trust companies with not less than $50,000 capital stock in counties of less than 60,000 inhabitants; to permit the ownership of real estate by aliens; qmending the law regarding garnishments; the second Vandalia bill; the bill legalizing the issue of bonds by Jeffersonville, over which there has been much litigation. All uneasiness which Judges, State and county officials and legislators had felt about having their railroad passes taken from them was dispelled Saturday when the Railroad Committee in the Senate killed Senator Gill’s bill defining official corruption and regulating the control am] issuance of railroad passes. At the sime time the committee reported favorably on the 3-cent street car fare bill, and it will be called up for passage under suspension of the rules. The committee also reported favorably on the bill compelling street car companies to heat their cars from November to Alarch, inclusive, and ihe bill was passed. The bill to prevent lobbying only got to the point of engrossment. The three-cent street car fare bill was put on passage under a suspension of the rules Monday. There was only one vote against the bill. The legislative apportionment bill passed the Senate. The Pennte also passed Senator New’s bill repealing the apportionment act of 1885, the unconstitutional gerrymander under which the last election was held. The object in repealing this act is to force a special session of the Legislature to pass a new apportionment act should the Democratic Supreme Court throw out the new apportionment. In the House the Temperance Committee reported on Nicholson’s anti-quart shop bill and offered a substitute in the shape of a bill that destroys much of the original Nicholson law itijd modifies a great portion of the remainder. It provides for a 12 o’clock closing law for the larger cities in the State to replace the 11 o’clock law.