Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 55, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1913 — SENATE TWISTS THE TAIL OF THE “TIGER” [ARTICLE]

SENATE TWISTS THE TAIL OF THE “TIGER”

Krau Measure, Aimed at Drug Stores Doing Saloon Business is Passed, 28 to 7.

The senate Tuesday afternoon passed the “anti-blind tiger” bill, when the Krau measure, prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquor by druggists, except on prescription from a physician, went through the upper chouse by a vote of 28 to 7. If passed in the lower branch Indiana will have a stringent law against the sale of liquor by druggists. The bill prohibits the sale of liquor by druggists in quantities greater than sixteen ounces on the prescription of a physician. That amount could be purchased if a prescription is shown. The present law, which permits the sale of liquor on the order of hospital superintendents to the amount of five quarts, is a part of the proposed new law. A further provision in the bill is that druggists, before selling the liquor to a customer, must be convinced that it is to be used for the purpose stated in the prescription, and the druggist must know of his own knowledge that the person purchasing the liquor is not in the habit of becoming intoxicated, i After having been quietly sleeping in the senate safe, or elsewhere, since it passed the house on Feb. 25, the Biddle road bill, requiring the payment of all road taxes in excess of S2O in cash, was saved from defeat in the senate Tuesday when the majority report of the committee on roads recommending the passage of the bill was adopted. The bill was drawn by the farmers of the house, and many of them had become alarmed over its fate until its appearance in the senate Tuesday afternoon. The bill has been fought by certain contractors who take large contracts from the railroads and corporations and work out their road taxes at a profit. The senate Tuesday afternoon killed the Biddle road bill, which would have required all road taxes amounting to more than S2O to be paid in cash. The bill, which passed the house several days ago, was killed by the adoption of a minority report recommending indefinite postponement. Under the present law a great amount of road tax is “worked” out. Large corporations “work out” their road tax by awarding contracts for the work to companies engaged in that business. The supporters of the bill declare that if the tax were paid in cash, better roads would be established, as the money paid for the taxes would be used in road improvement. - As it passed the house the bill was designed to permit persons paying a small road tax to work out the tax and to require corporations paying large amounts to pay in cash. It was charged that persons benefiting by contracts from railroads for working out taxes were responsible for killing the bill

The VanAuken-Storen registration bill was passed in the senate Tuesday morning by a vote of 40 to 0. As it stands now the bill provides for one regular registration period in October thirty days before election and for one additional registration period in September. The September registration, however, may not be held unless on demand of 300 resident freeholders of a county. If it is thought advisable the October registration period may be lengthened to three days. The pay of registration clerks is cut down to $3 a day, but the pay of the inspectors is left at $4 a day The bill, in addition, provides that absent voters may register by affidavit, which affidavits must reach the registration officials on or before the registration day. There was no opposition of any kind toward the measure.