Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1881 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

• > r«<iui>AV. » t i twin. f ’lh the Senate, the’ morning session' was almost entirely devotril to- the 1 discussion of Senator-Comstock’s bill fertile removal of disabilities of erture, and it was finally recommitted to a special committee. 'Hie following resolutions were introduced > Directing an inouiry into the reasons for the nonfulfillment of ths law by the stalo oil inspector; instructingtheeonunittec on claims to consider and Report' upon the aihrisability of making the Auditor, Treasurer and Secretary of State a board of claims, to pass upon all claims presented against thcstate, and to order or refuse payment of the same. A bill was introduced providing for theestablislit meat of a school or home for indigenchDdren in each county of the State, and a temperance bill providing for a S2OO license which was logo towards the establishment of a State iuebriateas•ylum.

Iu tlie house tbe greater part of the morning session was occupied iu a debate upon the rate of interest. The J judiciary committee by a majority import recommended tliat H. B. No. 3, limiting thq, legal rate .pf interest to 6 per cent., should lay upon the table. A minority feporv presented by Mr. Buskirk recommending that 1 the bill pass, was adopted*- 50 to 32* but after considerable debate the. bill was recommittdl by a vote of 57 to 38, the ground for this actioif being that no consideration had been given to any other features of the bUI except the rate of interest. Neither vote upon the subject was partisan. The State Bar Association for resubmitting the constitutional amendments to a popular vote wus reported iqion favorably by the judiciary committee, and the 22d of Fedruary haying been inserted as the date of the election, the bUlwas read a third time and passed—yeas 7-L nays 23; all tho votes in the negative being Democratic.

FRIDAY. 1 In tlie senate, Wilson introduced a bill giving to the governor of the state the power of making all the appointments that are naw made by the legislature, provided such appointments shall be as equally divided as possible between the political parties. Shafter offered a bill for the separation of the Soldier’s Orphans’ Home and the Institute for feeble-minded children. The consideration of the bill providing for the submission of the constitutional amendments to the people was made the special order for Tuesday afternoon, at the same time with Senator Brown’s bill for a constitutional convention. Kramer’s bill providing for the payment of $16,000 of claims due the surviving members ol the Indiana Legion was taken up on its third reading and passed by a vote of 33 to 3. Next Friday afternoon was set aside for the memorial addresses and resolutions regarding the death of Governor Williams.

In the house forty new bill were introduced, including one to provide for electing the electors for president and vice-president, and repealing the present law requiring the appointment of marshals for the collection of the vote. The committee on the organization of courts was instructed to. inquire nto the ejuiedlency of reducing the number ot judicial circuits in the state; and a resolution was passed recommending congress to pension all Mexican veterans, except those who 1 had not accepted the results of the war of the rebellioji and had failed to get their political disabilities removed by act of congress. NATVMDAY. The house was in session until noon and then adjourned until 2 o’clock on Monday, having first passed a resolution to hold in future morniug sessions only, lasting from 9 until 1 o’clock. This was done to facilitate the busfness of the committees, especially upon the revision of the laws, which is in session every afternoon and evening. The house also passed 8. B. No. 58, amending the charter of the city of Evansville, and 8. B. No. 6, having reference to decedents’ estates. A recess of ten minutes was taken, to afford the members opportunity of shaking hands with Senator Voorhees, who visited the house and made a brief addreps. Senate not in session. ■ON DAY.

In the senate Mr. Langdon introduced a resolution expressing th’e opinion of the body that the management of tbe state prison should be consolidated into one board, which was referred to the committee on benevolent and reformatory institutions by a decisive vote. A number of important bills were introduced by members of the committee on revision and codification, and went on the files in regular order aftertbe first reading. Senator Van Vorhis’ bill providing for the establishment of a state board of health was passed to a third reading, and its consideration was made the special order for to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock. • The house was in session from 2 un» til 4:30, and most of the time was occupied in the introduction and first' reading of about a dozen bills prepared by the codification committee and sent in through the revision committee. Most of these bills were more in relation to practice .than general legislation, ana the most interesting was one which proposes to abolish the office of assessor in cities and towns and transfer tbe duties to the township assessors. Upon Mr. Ryan’s compulsory education bi! 1 (H. B. No. 8) the majority of the committee on education reported favorably to its passage, with amendments; while the minority were against the bill. The house refused to adopt the minority report by a vote of 75 to 15, and the subject was then made the special order for February 2d. The house has engaged In considering the report of the majority of • the committee on claims favorable to' the payment of the principal and interest of the Tipton county swamp-land claimants when a motion to adjourn ' was adopted.

TUKMBAT. In the senate a concurrent resolution offered by Senator Bundy, was adopted, providing for the appointment of a committee of three senators and four representatives to investigate the affairs of the Soldier’s Orphans’ Home and Asylum for Feeble-minded Children, at Knightstown Springs. '■ The special order for the afternoon was the consideration of the constitutional amendment question, and Senator Brown’s bill providing fora constitutional convention was discussed and amended, and afterwards made the special order for next Wednesday afternoon. The house bill providing for a resubmit-' sion of the amendments to the voters of the state was read and referred to the judiciary committee. Senator Comstock’s bill allowing county commissioners to purchase grounds for the establishment of schools for indigent children at a cost not to exceed #5,000, was passed by a .unanimous vote, as

whs alsd SWfiJfof'f’hapfiuln’B bill for waterwork Coin- . ,HOUSE-L> ib P house cation received from Governor Porter enclosing and cortmMUftg to 4he attenUon of• the fcegmteture better from Professor« J.Jj. Campbell on’’ the,reUUoMi-V f the JJntted, State* gAsfetlc survey to the drainage of Indiana swanip Hinds watf refered to a rominitlee for appropriate action. A bill containing :.i,wp hundred and eighty-six sections, prepared by the codification 'combiisloH, thoroughly classifying the biWw cm the assessment and col lection of taxes, waa introduced and referred to the ways and means eonimitee. Al| the other bills already presented to tire house ftoVn the'sauuk commission Were advanced a stage and referred to committees.. dSe Hpuae approved a report from the committee on rights and privileges (indefinitely poatponing’severartrins, incl tiding those Tarnished by Mr. MttcheU, of Waahiugtou county, touwquire all voters to Jiave paid their poll-tax, and precluding habitual drunkards, confirmed criminals, dnd persons whose parents were insane, from m*r- . rying.-] .The house, a/ter debate, finally accepted the report of. a special committee whIVIi recommended payment for the «8 volumes of tlie revised statutes purchased by the state librarian etpjyjj}. th<j yetobop for4h»-; use 6( the house- Thy vote oji this subject was 47'to 48.' Thehd'dde agreed with thesenato tn ordering an investigation of the affairs of thtsWuldierJsHoaieand Institute fur Feeble-minded Children,