Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1917 — MB PASSAGE OF PROHIBITION BILL [ARTICLE]

MB PASSAGE OF PROHIBITION BILL

House of Representatives Adopts Committee Report. * i ~~ ~ ■ '• * FEW AMENDMENTS ARE MADE One Would Permit Wholesale Druggists to Sell Liquor to Licensed r Pharmacists —Date When Law Would Apply Changed. Indianapolis, Jan. 19. —By unanimous vote the house of representatives adopted the committee report faforing the passage of the state-wide prohibition bill. The committee .made a few amendments, one of which would perihit wholesale druggists to sell •liquor to licensed .pharmacists. This was n<>t contained in the Original hilt Another amendment would' allow any person to have on hand t\t the time the qct would take effect not more than one gallon of < ■whisky ami twelve qliarts of . bt-er. Tlie date on which the act will take effect was changed by the committee from September 1, 1917, to January 1. 191 s. The fact that the report of the committee Was adopted unanimously by the house gave the prohibition advocates considerable encouragement.

WilliamJ. Bryan addressed the senate at Ip-ibi today. He came to the city to speak to a state-wide meeting of dry Democrats and the senate invited him to address that body. Much ’of his address was devoted to prohibition and to the constitutional convention idea. Senator Frank Gentry of Monroe county took a large party of legislators to Bloomington this afternoon to attend the Founders' day celebration at Indiana university. The house passed the bill ■ unanimously to appropriate $7,000 for the state care of David Byers, the leper at Fort Branch, thus, relieving the township of the care of Byers. Robert C. Baltzell of Princeton, Republican state committeeman, and other party leaders of the First district began to bombard influential party members and state legislators with telegrams protesting against the passage of the Lanz congressional reappor’tionment bill, which would put Knox county in the First district and attarfl Spencer county, now in the First district, to the Third district. The Republicans of the First district urge that the addition of Knox county would make the First district “hopelessly Democratic.” Ninety-Six citizens of Indianapolis presented a petition in the house protesting against the bril changing the date of the city primary election from March to May. They asked for a public hearing. , A bill amending the law governing ■workmen’s compensation likely will be presAted to the legislature. .The bill is one of the two authorized by the meeting of the Indiana Federation of Labor at its last meeting in Logansport. The other bill is what likely will be known as the anti-injunction bill.

Tbe amendment bill provides that the fate of compensation during disability shall be 65 per cent of the wage instead of 55 per cent, as the present law provides. The waiting time after which compensation shall be paid is fixed at seven days instead of fourteen days, as the present law provides. Charles Fox, president of'the Indiana Federation of Labor, stated last night that statistics for the past year showed that 82 pwr cent of the accidents in the statq did not come within the provisions of the present. law because of the long period of ’waiting time. Then anti-injunction bill is designed to prevent labor unions being enjoiriNl from striking without a full inves't igation. It is not ready Tor presentation, but will be iii shape shortly. Union labor also is backing tire mother’s p'ensioii bill. This bill still is in the formulative stage. -

Opponents of the state highway commission bill say the bill confers too much power upon the state body. One of the amendments under consideration in committee provides that assistant engineers ami inspectors shall be employed from the counties through which a state road is built. It is understood also that the committee is inclined to confer upon the state commission a large part of the power vested by the original bill in the state highway engineer. Another proposal discussed by the committee would limit the.power oFthe commission to contract for state roads by requiring that the commission shall act jointly with county commissioners in letting contracts. ~

Dry force's are taking encouragement out of reports' concerning the probable vote on prohibition in both branches. It that a canvass made by a group of legislators shows that at least 29 votes will be registered in favor/of a prohibitory statute in the senate. According to this count 17 ” Republicans and 12 Democrats are committed to the state- “ wide bill. In the house "the count shows that about 70 members are favorable to prohibition, and it is expected that this number will be increased on the day of the vote by a group of men now classed as doubtful ' , ' ” ' , V- • - •'