Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1915 — W. L. WOOD INTRODUCES BILL [ARTICLE]

W. L. WOOD INTRODUCES BILL

That Would Put Costs On Petitioners Where Elections Fail to Carry. - Representative W. L. Wood of Parr, has introduced a bill in the legislature that will, in a measure, should it become a law, relieve the people somewhat from being hounded to death by subsidy hunters fly-by-night railroad promotors who want subsidies voted them along the route of their proposed line. It wtuld be betterJf we could get a law enacted to do away’ with the voting of subsidies to private corporations altogether, but if this cannot be done the putting of the costs of holding these special elections onto the petitioners where the election fails to carry is perhaps the next best thing. The full text, of Mr. Wood’s bill follows: A bill for an act to amend Section one (1) of an act entitled “An act to amend section one (1) (being section 4045 of the Revised Statutes of Indiana of 1881) of an act entitled ‘An act to amend the first (Ist) arid fourteenth (14th) sections of an act entitled “An i

act to authorize aid to the construction of railroads by counties and townships taking stock in and making donations to railroad companies,’’ approved May 12, 18(59, 4Tnd amended by an act entitled “An act to amend the first i Ist), second (2nd), third (3rd), fourth (4th), eighth (Bth, thirteenth (13th), and seventeenth < 17tli) sections of an act entitled ‘An act to authorize aid to the construction of railroads by counties and townships taking stock in and making donations to railroad companies,’ approved March 17, 1875, and declaring an emergency approved March 8, 1879, and declaring an emergency approved March 2, 1889. and to amend section nineteen (19) of an act entitled ‘An act to authorize aid to the construction of railroads by counties and townships taking stock in, and making donations to railroad companies,.’ approved May 12, 1869.’’ 1 SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF INDIANA, That Section one (1 i of the first above entitled act be amended to read as follows: Section 1. Whenever a petition. shall be presented to the board of commissioners of any county in this state, at any regular or special session thereof, signed by twentyfive freeholders, of any township of such county, asking such township to make an appropriation of money to aid the railroad company named in such petition, and then duly organized under the laws of this state, in constructing a railroad in or through such township, or to aid any railroad company having its road alreadyconstructed into or through such township, in the reconstruction of the same, by changing or completing the change of gauge of its line of road, or otherwise, by taking stock in or donating money to such company, whenever such township may have hertofore voted aid j for

Ihe construction of such road to the company named in the petition, or its predecessors; Provided, It shall be first ascertained by said hoard of commissioners that the reconstruction of such road, (.hanging its gauge, or otherwise improving the same as contemplated in said petition, will be of public utility and benefit to the citizens of the township so petitioning to the amount and upon the terms and conditions as to freight, rates, location of machine shops, depots, and such other terms and conditions as may be specified in such petition, not exceeding, however, two per centum (2 per cent.).upon the amount of taxable property of such township oh the tax duplicate of the county delivered to the treasurer of the county for the proceeding year. It shall be, the duty of such board of commissioners, after being satisfied that such petition has been properly signed by the requisite number of freeholders of such township as aforesaid to cause the same to be entered at full length upon their record: Provided, also, That at the time of filing of said petition such petitioners shall give a bond with good and sufficient freehold sureties, payable to the state, to be approved by the hoard of commissioners, conditioned to pay all expenses of the election hereinafter provided for and any and all other expenses of the proceedings in the event that the election should ■result in opposition to an appropriation. ! ’ Section 2. That section nineteen (19) of the second above entitled act be amended to read as follows: .Section 19. Th# officers conducting the elections, provided in this act, shall be allowed the same pay as Is allowed for like services in case of a J

general election. Should the election result in favor of a railroad appropriation, the expenses of the election, after being paid by the county or township, as the case may be, shall be charged against the railroad’ company benefitted, and deducted out of the first moneys collected by virtue of the appropriation. Should the election result in opposition to a railroad appropriation, the expenses of the election and the cost of the proceedings shall be paid b\ the petitioners.