Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1901 — INDIANA LAWMAKERS [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LAWMAKERS

In the House on Thursday Speaker Artman knocked out the time-honored mileage graft by ordering a roll-call, each nifflnber responding to his name with a statement of the amount of mileage to which he is entitled. The Senate sent over the bill appropriating $105,000 to pay the expenses of the Legislature, with the clause stricken out allowing extra allowances. On motion of Mr. Kink, seconded by Mr. Neal, the amendment was promptly rejected, and Messrs. King, Neal and James were appointed a conference committee. Col. C. E. Wilson, the Governor's private secretary, read a message notifying the House of Gov. Mount’s death. Messrs. Scott, Statesman. King. Gauntt, Reser, James, Murphy. Waugh ami the Speaker were appointed a committee to draft appropriate resolutions. At 11:30 o'clock the House adjourned out of respect for cx-Gov. Mount. In the Senate many bills were introduced. The Senate took action similar to that of the House on the death of ex-Gov. Mount. In the Senate on Friday the bill to provide for the punishment at the Michigan City prison ot criminals adjudged to suffer the death penalty was passed under a suspension of the rules. This bill corrects the omission in the law that changed the southern prison to a reformatory and failed to provide for the execution of criminals convicted south of the national road. The primary election bill, requiring the holding of party primary conventions in certain large counties, was favorably reported by the elections committee. Despite reports to the contrary, no steps have been taken in the direction of preparing a bill to punish wife liearors by whipping. Many members of the Legislature were practically stranded in Indianapolis because they came to the capital with only a few dollars and have not been able yet to appropriate money to pay themselves. Friday afternoon solons were going about borrowing"money from their friends or wiring home for remittances to settle their~personal expenses. It took a strict party vote.in the House of Representatives on Monday to kill an amendment providing that murderers condemned to death in Indiana shall be killed with morphine, instead of by hanging. Dr. Passage of Peru, a physician, offered—the amendment and the Democrats promptly made his motion a party measure. The motion was tabled. The proposed change came up in consideration of a bill fixing the Michigan City prison as the legal place for the execution of criminals. The bill has been passed by both branches aud is now in the hands of the Governor. The bill has direct bearing in the case of Joseph Keith, the murderer of Nora Kefer, who was recently convicted nt Princeton. Without such a law there was no place where Keith could be legally hanged.

The rules as reported by rhe Lieutenant Governor to the Senate on Tuesday are the same as last year, except that a Senator will not be compelled to vote on a motion in which bo is personally interested. The majority of the judiciary committee reported favorably on the bill to admit a culprit to bail pending an appeal to the Supreme Court, except in eases of murder, manslaughter and treason. A minority report opposed it. The report of the commijtee on organization of courts was read in the House and adopt i'd. The fees and salaries committee reported favorably on Javkway's bill amending the law fixing salaries of comity commissioners, township assessors ami trustees, and asked indefinite postponement of Manifold’s measure to compensate certain circuit judges for expenses incurred outside their counties. The corporation committee asked the passage of Clarke’s bill requiring express companies to deliver packages free inside corpora lion limits of towns of certain sizes. Roads committee was favorable to Kirkman’s bill exempting Spanish-American war veterans from working on public roads, likewise that,<>f Barrier preventing heavy hauling over roads at certain times. Unrsfield’s bill prohibiting desecration of the soldiers’ monument was reported favorably. A large number of new bills were introduced. The Senate committee that lias been investigating the claim ofP Vincennes University against the State made a report on Wednesday, finding that the State wrongfully appropriated the lands which Congress donated for the establishim nt of the old Vincennes Seminary: that the money for which the land was sold was given to the university at Bloomington; that the State afterward paid the Vincennes institution about .SGII.OOO, but the property sold was then worth S'.’iHi.otai. The committee then finds that the State is not under any further legal obligation to the university, but suggests a inoftil obligation which should receive attention. The House killed the bill providing for the listing of promissory notes and other money obligations with assessors, ami making them uneollectable if not s > listed. The bill providing pay for county councils on n per diem basis also was killed. The commission appointed to investigate the needs of the State institutions made a report, in which a large numlier of appropriations are recommended for repairs nnd new buildings.-Among other things it is recommended that the deaf and blind institutions in Indianapolis be removed to some other place, where ground is not so valuable. A pwulinr recommendation-is that for money for the purchase of mirrors for the prisoners at the girls' reformatory, a luxury that they are now denied.