Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1911 — LEGISLATURE ADJOURNED FRIDAY UNTIL MONDAY. [ARTICLE]

LEGISLATURE ADJOURNED FRIDAY UNTIL MONDAY.

Liquor Legislation Still Chief Topic And Chasm is Widening by Canfliction of Many Ideas.

The senate and house both adjourned Friday morning to meet again Monday at 2 o’clock, thus permitting the members to go to their homes and have a little time to look over the{f districts and see what the people are saying about the various bills that have been introduced in the upper and lower houses of the legislature. So far nothing has been accomplished except the introduction of a raft of bills and the discovery that there are so many conflicting schemes in the matter of liquor legislation that it is difficult to conceive Just what will happen. Senator Fleming, of Fort Wayne, said to be a millionaire and to have brewing interests valued at $600,001’, has introduced a bill which has the approval of the brewers’ associatiou, of wl(ich he is the active representative. He says it is a bill calculated tq regulate the sale of liquor so as to do away with many of the objectionable features of the present laws. Apparently it is calculated to do nothing so much as to promote the establishment of saloons in about every place where the saloons have been disposed of and to regulate by giving the Brewers and their class absolute free swing to do about as they please. It is astonishing that Governor Marshall, in whom many people have had confidence, has practically given this bill his unqualified endorsement. It is quite probable that the bill as pre* sented with its stamp of brewery approval would make both the Nicholson and Moore remonstrance laws inoperative and result in the reinstatement of saloons in towns of more than 500, every place in the state. Fleming is a shrewd man and he represents a shrewd organization, that, emboldened by the power conferred by success in the recent election, is going to try to have Indiana the most saloon-ridden state in the union. We are pleased say that we are hearing from democrats every day who do not favor the turning of the state of Indiana over to the breweries ans who are much disappointed in Governor Marshall that he has not .the will to exact as a substitute for the county option bill a township and ward bill that .will give the people a chance to say whether or not saloons shall exist. This thing of joining arms with the acknowledged brewery head does not look much like the Marshall in whom even many temperance people have had confidence.

To compete with the Fleming measure for the honor of being the best thing for the interests of the whiskey and beer drinkers is the Proctor measure. Proctor is also a member of the state legislature and at the head of the saloon dealers’ association. His measure conflicts in a number of particulars with the Fleming BUI. Every man in each branch that has not introduced a bill along this line is laying for a chance to offer an amendment and it. is said that a number of level-headed democrats who ar?. not controlled by the liquor interests are pretty sick of the way things are going and propose to demand a fair bill if they vote for anything that means to • repeal the county option law.

An employers’ liability law is s.ure to be passed at this session of the legislature. The accounting law Is sure to be pared down, so as to lessen the cost of its operation and to remove the machine-politics feature. Democrats and republicans alike are demanding a change from the present method of operation and Chief Dehority ’is receiving some pretty hard bumps about* his headquarters. The appropriation of $120,000 for the expense of the session is only $16,000 more than the amount appropriated two years ago and that is about in keeping with the brand of democratic economy that is going on in all departments. The bill of Senator Powers to elect county school superintendents by direct vote was defeated. The direct %ote proposition is another democratic platform hqbby, but when it comes to enacting that proposition into law a democratic legislature don’t do much business. y

One bill did pass the senate Friday morning and that by a unanimous vote. It provides that when a vacancy in a town office occurs it can be filled by appointment, thus saving the expense of an extra election. The bill will also pass the house. # Senator Halleck in Rensselaer Friday evening to remain over Saturday and Sunday with his family. He has been keeping his ear to the ground and that is about all any one has been doing. He shares a threeroom suite at the English hotel with Representative John Brown, of the Jasper-White district, and James Ouild, of the IVlaskl-Starke district They are in a position thus to keep posted about matters in both branche \ Senator Halleck will introduce some bills later in the session, and has about decided on one that will have the effect of limiting the amount of business done by whiskey selling drag stores if enacted into law.