Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1885 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

A RESOLUTION directing the Committee on Swamp Lands to prepare a bill repealing the i drainage act of issi and to provide new means for the .drainage of wet lands, was introduced in the Senate, on Feb. TB, by Mr. Melntoslh Mr. I Campbell opposed the resolution. Mr. Johnson, I of Dearborn, said that the Knightstown Or- ■ Jihans' Home Committee would not be able to P reportbefore,the end of the session. Senator Smith stated that, enough-evidence had ateeadyi been given before that committee to warrant the Legislature In passing a bill removing John M. Goar and others out of office, and that such ought to be done at once. Mr. Smith’s motion was lost. Charges having been made in -ihe-papers thatUiiere- is. tai exeess of- employes arid illegal dyawlug of stationery by certain ...SenAte„oliicers, an investigation, was ordered. Mr. Luneau, of Brown, introduced a bill to make Presidents of J.oar.dsof County Comtnissioners. Township’Tj-nsteeaUind. CouiityJSuperi tendents 'a County Board of Education; The fdllowsng bills were introduced: To abolish the*Btate hoard of Health, to prohibit keeping I of pool or-billiard tables In saloons. The H ouse I resolution for submitting an amendment to the i people, which fixes the terms of all county ofI livers at four years, and declares them ineligible ; for re-cleetio’i. was concurred in. wdh an I amendment that Countv Purveyors may be reelected. Senator Fowler offered (1 a * resolution -for. the„.appoinynent .of„rLßXimfriitteeof. nine.. holding-over -Senators tq report a bill, to the next Legislature for - reorganizing the judicial circu ,s andgra.dmg the pay of Judges aceo: ding to the wor . done by them, the cpmmittce’to save wiliiout pay. The bill approi pria ing 740,000 to Purdue University was passed. In the House ttie larg r ponion of the session was consumed in the discussing of Pleasants’ bill to increase the efficiency of County Superintendents. The bill was on its second reading. A motion to indefinitely p stpone it prevailed. Mr. Staley's bill, providing funds for buil ing a teachers’ institute was. after a long debate, referred back’ to the commitcee. Amond the matters of special interest con sidered by the Senate, at its session of Feb 17, was Senator Smith’s bill for the investment of 10 per cent, of the appropriations for State House work in bonds, such bondtrand interest to be the property of contractors in the event pt’ the faithful nilullment of the contract—oth*r- . wise to escheat to the State, After a long de- ■ bate the bill was recommitted. The senate then took U£ Mr. Loulke’s civil-service bill. It provides fomie appoiritm.ent of three? CivilService Commissioners who shall emploVachie examiner, and shall examine competitively when there is nwiy than one ppiicant, and general y when t ere is only one, ail a-i irants to appointive offices. The bill would reach appointed clerks tis the Senate and House, employes of ell the reformatory and benev lent i stitutions, all the a ppointees of the Governor or appointees of the Judg s of the Supremp Court, am 11 clerks of State o Ijerrs. 'Elective officers are not included. The bill, after a. long discussion, was engrossed. The military , bill was also (liserss d and engrossed. In the Hous the special order of business w>s the consideration of Mr. Bpvd’s bill for the abol - tion of the office of Oitth Commission r, a subject that has more interest to tue country mem- ; bersthari any other before trio Ass inbly. The I House went into committed of the whole and took up the sifust tute for .Mr. Boyd’s bill, prepaied by the Committee on Dikes arid D a ns, the provisions of whieh a e tham the Co nty Commissioners shall appoint the Ditch Commissioner, instead of the Circ ’it, Court,.as now provitled; but one Commissioner ins.c id of two shall be appointed, to act in conjunction with the County Surveyor; that .when a majority of the property owners alone the Ine of a ’pi Ouosed’ < itch slial rejnonstrate against it, it shall not be built, whereas, it is now provided that when one person shall petition for a ditch, it shall be ordered by the Judge of the Circuit Court if he finds that it is of public utility, no matter who rei monstrates against it. The pili was read-by sections, and to each a dozen or more airiendments making minor changes were propised and discussed at wearisome length. At noon the committee arose, rw orted i rogress, and ' were discharged from further consideration o, tn • bill. The Hou e also passed the SenateJiill abolishing the < ffices of City Treasurer and Assessor and ttie b.ll for the i.elief of the Trustees of Marion County, and defeated the 6 per ■ cent, school-fund bid.

The bid to proliibii tlie employment of children under l-‘ years of age in factories and mines was ordered engrossed .by rhe Senate at its sess on of reb. 1< Sevcrifl bills were.pasß-ii The m-st important of th m was Winter s bill lestrai.ning the powers of tae <’o rial o tile ciij- of Indianapolis from ■ levying ta.es beyond certa n s ecial. amounts. The bill foi the.iJecti«Mif Coun'y Supermtendenis by t e people was recommitted a ter discus-ion. The bill to repeal a torn y fees was laid on the table. In the House Mr. Haworth oiiered a concurrent resolution instructing l-Jdiar.as Repres ntatives in Congress to support the bill introduced by Congressman Knglsh, asking the Genera Government to donai e to the State t e arsena grounds adjoining Indianapolis, tor the use of a proposed univ rsfcy. The resolution was re er red to trie Committee on Education. new bill was introduced authorizing County Auditors to 1. Vin county funds which have lieeu in the County Treasury lor three months in other counties lies.des their own. Mr. Mood . from the special committee appointed to investigate the affairs of the r new insane hosoi al, made a voluminous r j ort, sign d by all ti e membars, in which it is stat d that after a f 11; inv-s igation, it was deci ed to make the following report: 1. Tl.a ther •is at present a pressing n ol tor acco njodations for l,ioc insane'p rsons who are scattered»' ent tie State in Ciunty asylums and prtv.te luu es. 2. Ttyat the ( ommissioners. have I een careful and economical in managing the affairs o the institution, n. That' ■•tbejf’ have employed api roved and economical mi thods. 4. That the contracts have te n caremlly drawn and are s ctired by good bonds, 5. The p ans ot the proposed bu Ming jrovide for the accommodation of 1,034 insane jieople. «> That the foundations lii.ve lieen comp eted and the superstructures part aily 1 constructed in a sat.sf.<ctory HiaunteL mwM’hat th amount alrea iy expended te_J >«.y>o2:' th.; amount contracted for .s f 534.441, and the cost ot the s.rounds is . That the appropriation for the year ending Oct. 1, 1355, be s27.'',‘ii>o. and for the year end ng Oct. 1. ISM, be $338,0. A Reports ‘ were received from the Apportionment Committee on' the Congressional and Legislative bills, introduce I by Mr. I'atton and indorsed bv the Democratic Caucus. The majo-jty imports reoommenct their passage and the minority reports, signed, by all the Republ cans, favored the substitution of the pre-ent laws on the subject The bid to mike uniform text-books in public schools The general appropriation bill Spared by the Ways and Means Committee was introduced. It appropriates si,3Bl,si)l for the support aud maintenance of the State's institutions, which is $150,000 in excess of last year’s appropriations. Senator Foulk introduced a concurrent resolution in the Senate, Feb. 19, providing tat such an amendment to the Constitution as would give women the right of voting at State and national elections. With some amendments

the Senate pn=sed the deficiency appropriation bill. The union depot bill, after a long debate, was panned. Mr. Willard brought up his resolution to change a Senatenmle so as to permit a majority instead of a two-thirds vote tc take up any business out of the regular order, and the consideration of the name was postponed. The usual .batch of petitions on oleomargarine, militia bills, .intemperance, gravel roads, and dog-tags were presented. In the House, bills were introduced allowing manual training schools Jn c ties ofi over ten thonshnd inhabitants; legalizing barbed wire fence, An amendment to the Constitution was read tire first time, concerning the compensation of members of the Qeit ral Assembly to be fixed by law. Also that the session must lie restricted to ope hundred days. The appropriation w.is partly considered. The House passed.a bill which places colored and whim childnm on an equality. in the public schools. and defeated'McHenry’s bill providing ' a uniform system/of text-books not to be chang'd of tenet than once in six yeas. The vote by which > he bill was passed fixing'railroad fares at two and a half cents a mi e was reconsidered. President Smart,- of Purdue Unii versify. submitted a long rep rt of the condition of the State agricultural institution. When the L cisla ive apportionment pill came up for consideration the Republican members filibustered. The minority re;.ort signed by the Republicans.’ subs ituting the present law for the proposed law, was laid on the table by a vote of 57 to 39—Messrs. Lloyd, Re yes. Kellson, and Smith of Warrick votinz with the Republicans, and Messrs. McHenry and French, who voted with them the previous day against the apportionment, bills, going back,*.to their party associates. The majority report, recommending a bill to take Its of the 150 dis ricts for the Democrats, was adopted by the same vote and the bill ordered engrossed. The following proiest from the Republican side was sent up: “.or. Sneaker: .We protest against the higli-handei and summary action of the majority on this lioor in applying lhe infamous gaglaw in the disposition of the minority reports on .House apportionment bills Nos. 422 and 423, thereby absolutely throttling the minority of this House and suppressing tree speech and de,bate in the Indiana House of Representatives on a subject of so hjuch importance as r districting the State for Congressional and Legislative apportionment. ” The Speaker. after ovriking out-, the word “infamous,” allowed the protest to go on the record. The rest of the day the general appropriation bill was under consideration in committee of the whole.

Ti”’. d>> cic ncy appropriation bill, with a few amendments, passed the Senate Fetj. 20. Mr. Vi’icrs’ bill requiring corporations and firms to pay their employes at least once a month was passed. The Senate bill for suspending imprisonment in cases of felonies and mi demeanors pending an appeal from the court convicting the defendant w u called up and debated at great length find finally tabled. The consideration of SenMoFTouiSe's Bill for instruction in schools on tile ejects cf alcohol and other narcotics and siiniul' nts was made the order .of the day. There was a majority and a minority '•i port. The minority import said that the bill . v,;as useless, because. “tire baneful effects of - a ic, ■ hoi vc ere made vi- ilfle in nil reading of boftks and newspapers; also because it would give to a few teachers vho are temperance fanatics or enthusiasts an opportunity to give their own interpretation of the law, and lead to disturbances and commotion.in-thepublic schools.” "A motion to lar th. bill on th# Jafile resulted in a tie vote, bcnaior Magee, in the chair, gave .the . casting vote in the negative, so the, bill was not lid o.i the table. After much discussion it 1 was finally postponed indefinitely. In the House of Representatives a joint .tjreagfiltion .was introd i.eed pre-. = posliig a Cnango“ in fine State < onstitution, fixing the limit of the r gul r session at fifty days. Under a suspension of the rules Mr. Fra feys bit! tolegalize wirefeuc~s was parsed by a i are. constitutional maj< rity. The Supreme C6uft has held .11 such fences to be Illegal, an I the bll cures that defect; 'lhe Committee on Temperance recommended the indefinite vo tponeme t or all tae mt asures in . th- jr. liends, .which -includes Ms. Staley s proposed con-iitutlcnal amendments, Mr. Best's bill for a local opt < n law, and Mr. Akins’bill to prevent wagers of. drink and the practice of treating in saloons. No minority reports were made. The Railroad Committee reported in , favor of the passage of two blils in their hands,' and the inch? finite postponement of -fx, among which was the bill providing for the a pointment of a 1 Uilroad Commissioner. The Commit ee on Prisons submitted a lengthy report of the results of th ir observations at the two i Sti utiqns. whch is altogether fayorable to both of them. The recommendations made are oniy for appropriations for suggested improvements and changes. The Senate bill providing for an additional loan of $600,000 was passed. The bonds can be placed at 3T per cent; A coscuKttßNT resolution .by- Senator Foulke for an amendment to the constitution increasing the number of Supreme Court Judges from five to seven, was introduced in the Senate Feb. 21, and referred to the appropriate committee. The Judges of the Supreme Court sent in a communication requesting that the Legislature appropriate SSOO per annum for -the insurance of the law library in the sum of $20,000 for the period of three years. Senator Schloss introduced a substitute bill appro. Hating $75,000 per annum to the State Normal School. A fruitle-s eilort was made to pass it under susnen ion of the rules and it was sent to the Committee on Education. .A concurrent resolution was introduced instructing Congresim n to vote against a restriction of the coinage of silver money. The House amendment of the hid tor refunding the State > debt Was comm red in. The amendment relates on.y to the times of payment of inter st. Senator Sellers’ bill, to make valid the sale of real es.ate by councils Of cities, was passed under .a “suspension of The rules. In the House a nr ssage from the-S-mate announced —that that body 'had concurred in file House amendments to the $600,00- > temporary loan bill, and that it had been sent to the tr. ver nor for his . signature. The special order, the general appropriation bill, wa postponed, and bids on second reading were taken up? The Best resolution, pio; osing a constitutions! amendment giving tire Tight of suffrage, was reported back by the, Committee ml Rights and 1 rivileges, without recommendation, and was ordered engrossed by the House by a vote of 36 to, 16. Mr. Engel's bill oom eiling all railroad companies to fence t ieir-roads wherever th y run through improved ’and-, within six months, was taken up. with a majority report recommend,ng jts indefinite postponement and a minority r port recommending its passage. A motion to lay the latter on the table was defeated yeas 10. nays 59 and a lengthy discussion ensued. The majority report was ultimately adopted, and the bill as thus amend d was ordered engrsgsed. Mr. Haworth introduced a bill to amend the liquor law provid.ng that licenses to sell liquors should not be granted by County Boards to any person not a r sident of the county. Speaker Jewett announced that during the remainder of the session members could not obtain leave of absence, unless by a majority vote.