Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1899 — NEW INDIANA LAWS. [ARTICLE]

NEW INDIANA LAWS.

MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCT OF SIXTY DAYS 1 LEGISLATION. The General Assembly 'Writes Many Good Lows Upon (he Statute Books of the State—Bn*y t'eision Without Junkets or Parliamentary Delays. Indianapolis correspondence: The Legislature which completed its work recently was so attentive to business during the sessiou that there was uo hurry daring the last days of the session. Few law-making bodies have adopted laws from which greater benefit has been exjiected. The reform measures are specially important to the whole State, as they completely change the methods of county and township governments. Many measures of great importance hnve been considered. The usual number of inconsequential bills cumbered the dockets of both bodies and the committees. It may be added that the Legislature has been impressed with the responsibility devolving upon it. It has indulged in no junkets and no day has been wasted for lack of a quorum. The'Sixty-first General Assembly passed county and township council bills after a hard fight. The councils are intended to govern the tax levies and to supervise the expenditure of public money. The power of the township trustee is restricted by the township council, and of the county commissioners and county officers by the county "council. A source of groat money waste has been the building of bridges by county commissioners. Some of the boards have let contracts without competitive bidding and under cover. One of the laws enacted requires specifications to be on file a certain time, open to alj bidders and the public? Hereafter the public is bound to know what is being done. Another law compels county auditors to publish statements of all allowances made by judges or county commissioners. Other laws relating to township government and of special interest to the farmer, provide for the election of road supervisor by the people instead of allowing the trustee to appoint. This was done to remove the temptation of the trustee to select a good friend, to the detriment of good roads. Another important road law amendment provides that laud owners shall be allowed $1.25 a mile to cut weeds and brush by the roadside. Hitherto they have been allowed $1.25 a day and in some places the. road fund was consumed by laxy workers, who required several days to clear the road of weeds and briers. Still another luw compels land owners to mow weeds and brush along partition fences. This will do away with the condition of one side “clean” and the other “dirty.” Another law does away with the appointment of road superintendents by the county commissioners. The work of the superintendents is to be done by the road supervisors in their respective districts. Southern Indiana farmers took a decided interest in swing the commercial fertilizer law enacted. For some years worthless-material has lieeh marketed for manure. The law makes the professor of chemistry at Purdue analyze all fertilizers before they may Vie sold. Pre-eminent as the law which labor interests expec t to redound to their welfare is that of Senator Hngg regarding contributory negligence. Heretofore in Indiana when an employe's leg was cut off on a railroad, before he could secure damages he must prove that the railroad was guilty of negligence, and also that lie himself was not negligent. The okl law put a double burden on the laborer. Now the corporation must show that it was not negligent, and if such was the ease, that the laborer was to blame. The powers of the factory inspector were enlarged cud a department of inspection was created. Henceforth there will be closer supervision in small factories. Fire escapes are made necessary in certain public buildings and factories. A radical change in the tax law in which owners of small homes are especially interested is the S7OO exemption of mortgage indebtedness. It is intended to throw the tax on the mortgage holder entirely, for it provides that, in order to get the exemption, the mortgage holder must be named. The S7OO exemption will be taken advantage of by everybody and a radical change in the tax duplicates is expected. Some hidden mortgages will be unearthed, but holders of mortgages of Indiana property who live outside the State will escape, and much property will go untaxed. The effect of the law cannot be definitely stated. The Governor deposited it with the Secretary of State without his approval. The anti-convict labor law of 1897 was modified at the State prison and the public account system will be inaugurated. The chauge was agreed to by representatives of organized labor, although in some sections of the ' State labor cried out against it. Weekly payment of wages is made compulsory, and it is made unlawful for an employer to assess a fine against an employe. The assignment of wages is prohibited. This law is expected to put a stop to abuses in the gas belt and in the mining districts. It dot's not apply to common carriers or to employes in interstate commerce. Some marked changes were made iu the laws governing public school education, most of them in the line of the Gecting bill, which was defeated in 1897 because of opposition from the sectarian colleges. Under the township high school law, high school privileges will be extended to tinfarmers' children where there are fifteen students in n township asking for high school instruction. Then there is the law making educational requirements for the county school superintendents, and still another giving the applicant for teacher’s license the right to send manuscript to the State school superintendent for examination, and/if license is granted, to teach in any county of the State without further examination. .Aside from the county and township reform bill, the assembly was worked up :o the highest pitch over the reorganization of the »tate Board of Education. Party lines were cast aside. The sectarian colleges demanded that the presidents of the three State colleges be taken off the board, and in their stead be placed appointees of the Governor, while the State Teachers’ Association and the State Board of Education resisted this, and secured a reorganisation which adds to the present hoard three members, one to be a county school superintendent and the other two citizens, possibly representatives of some of the sectarian colleges, the three to be appointed by the Governor.

[ While this is not all that was demanded by church schools, it is predicted that the additions to the board will be of their party, and will make known the alleged shortcomings of the State college presidents, or, rather, their system, and that the fight will hardly be renewed in 1901. The compulsory education law was amended to reduce the number of truant officers and to exempt from its provisions children of 13 and 14 having regular employment and being dependent upon it for their own or their parents’ living. Many legislators were anxious to repeal the entire law. Another change iu the school law provides that all contracts between teacher and school corporation shall be written. Township trustees have been in the habit of making verbal contracts. Still more important is the law regarding transfer of school children from one corporation to another, providing that trustees shall pay $1.50 a month tuition for the grades and $3 a month for high school. This law is intended to stop indiscriminate transfers. When a child leaves his corporation to attend school in another, the trustee must pay for it. Another law' authorizes Ivos> ciusko County to vote a levy to assist in building a school at Winona. An anti-lynch law was finally enacted, much as the Governor and Attorney General recommended, with the exception that the $5,000 damages recoverable by the relative against the county was stricken out. The first bill was killed containing this provision. The law places a great burden on the Sheriff for letting a prisoner get out of his custody, removing him from office. Arrests may be made on the filing of information. Along the same line was a law allowing county commissioners to give a SSOO reward for the capture of an escaped murderer or lyncher. A source of groat benefit to the State may be the law allowing the Attorney General to prosecute in the name of the State for an injunction without giving bond. This power can he used against gas waste or against bold breaking of the gambling laws. The commissioner of fisheries was made the commissioner of game also, and constabulary power was given his deputies when they find violations of the law with their own eyes. A law was enacted preventing the pollution of streams and the killing of fish by dumping strawboard refuse and such like into them. The powers of the State Board of Health were increased over county health officers ami $0.(M)0 was appropriated to be used as the board sees fit to suppress contagious diseases. A pure food law was passed. The pharmacists were placed under a St ate board which licenses then!, and unlicensed druggists or storekeepers are only permitted to sell certain medicines specified in the law. A State entomologist was created to fight San Jose scale and other posts in our orchards. County .boards of charities were created to consist of six persons to serve without salary, not over four to be men. They oversee county'charities anil are amenable to the State Board of Charities. The principal modifications of the election law are that voting machines are authorized and men who sell their votes or for money refuse to vote may be disfranchised for ten years. Also any political party may have one challenger and one poll-book holder at the polls. Aside from Indianapolis street ear legislation, the principal law and the only ones of general import in a street railroad way, requires the heating of cars from November to March. Insurance legislation was enacted to make it possible for companies to organize under Indiana laws and be on as solid a financial footing as Eastern companies. The tendency of all the insurance laws was to put companies more nearly under the supervision of the State Auditor and to require them to deposit with the auditor good securities. In the way of fees and salaries of county officers the principal change was putting commissioners on salaries instead of per diem. The next General Assembly was anticipated by the passage of a law creating a commission of three persons who are to study fees and salaries between now and 1901 nml report to the Assembly changes needed in various counties. There has been no temperance legislation, though a great tight was made to stop drug store liquor selling. One antitrust bill become a law. It is said to be directed principally at the trust of plumbers' supply houses. The Winstield trust bill wus postponed. Efforts to reduce railroad faro failed. Largo appropriations were made to build additional room at the insane hospitals and the Jeffersonville reformatory. The insane in jails and poor farms will he cared for.