Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1893 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

The House was opened with prayer by Rev. Wambsgauss, Tuesday, A jointresolution asking that the World’s Fair be opened on Sunday was adopted by 60 to 19. Roll call for new bills resulted in the introduction of twelve measures, jynong which were: To regulate the use of natural gas; making bribery a felony; appropriating 125,000 to remove rock from Kankakee river. A bill, giving railroad employes eight hours rest after twentyfour hours continuous employment was engrossed. Bill providing that where there is a surplus raised for paying bonded debt of county it shall be covered back into the county treasury passed without debate. Bill exempting parsonages from taxation passed. Rep. Creigmile at afternoon session introduced a bill to tax paid up stock in building associations. Bill extending jurisdiction of justices failed. Bill amending School laws, abolishing county institutes, favorably reported. A number of bills were killed. S. B. No. 64 was recommended passed. Adjourned. Senate opened Tuerdav, at 10:05 without devotions, Rev. Milburn arriving too late. Biil to enlarge Soldiers’ Orphans’ Rome was referred. A memorial from trustees of insane hospital was presented. Various petitions favoring appropriations for G. A. R. encampment were presented. Numerous unimportant bills were presented and an hour was spent in discussion of Gifford’s gravel road bill. Barely a quorum was present at the morning session. Prison committee left for Jeffersonville at Ba. m. Unimportantjbillswere introduced. E. E.Cooper, colored journalist, was allowed SIOO for service in cloak room. A concurrent resolution providing for joint committee to prepare a suitable present for Richard Neff the hero of the Peru wreck, was introduced. A bill providing heavy penalties for carrying concealed weapons was passed. Bill providing for erection of work houses in county seats having population of 5,000 was passed. Adjourned. The House proceedings, Wednesday,were opened with prayer by Rev. Haines. On the regular order H. B. No. ■ 177 was killed. Also Megenity’s bill phohibiting prizefighting. H. B. No. 195< pertaining to taxation for school purposes was defeated—yeas 1, nays 73—even the author of the measure voting against it. Bill extending jurisdiction of Appellate Court was passed. Bill for protection of quail was discussed. Bill to allow county commissioners to make donations to colleges was passed. Number of new bills were introduced.!!'A bill for t|ie protection of hotel keepers was favorably recommended. Mr. Hord’s bill for protection of non-union labor aroused heated discussion. Bill amending election laws by not requiring publication of ballots in newspapers was lost. Bill making it illegal to kill quail from Nov. 15 to Jan. 15 was carried. Concurrent resolution on Neff memorial was adopted. Adjourned. Dr. Cleveland prayed for the Senate at 10 o’clock, Wednesday. Eugene, Vermillion county, was incorporated legally under suspension of rules. Bill providing for Board of Pardons was introduced. Bill rearranging Circuit Court districts was favorably reported and 1,000 copies ordered printed. The daily grist of encampment G. A. R. petitions was presented. A number of bills were passed a third reading. Bill to require foreign corporations to file charters with Secretary of State and county recorders passed, but was recalled and will be reconsiderek. Bills authorizing towns to fund indebtedness and operate electric light plants passed. Bill to make terms of city officers four years passed. Bill to compel counties to join in construction of bridges was passed. Bill restricting powers of trustees in changing location of school houses passed. Adjourned. Senate opened, Thursday, at 10 a, m.. with prayer by Rev. Thompson. Under suspension of rules bill legalizing incorporation of Lagranje was passed. Bill amending drainage law was passed. Senator McLean’s bill restoring the appointing power was called on special order, and the author made a lengthy speech in its support, after which it was ordered engrossed. Bill in reference to branch gravel roads was considered, on third reading. Bill to check extravagance of township trustees was discussed at length, and when ready for vote roll call showed no quorum present; Lieut. Governor directed doorkeepers to search for miss in g Sen a - tors; quorum obtained; bill passed—yeas 32, nays 12, failing of a constitutional majority; undue influence of lobby is alleged. Bill providing that when an attorney is a member of the Legislature his cases before court may be continued, passed, 27 to 17. Bill providing for assistant, judges in Circuit Courts was considered, but Senate adjourned before vote was reached. Rov. Taylor invoked divine favor for the Representatives at the usual hour. Show er of new bills was immediate result. Resolution asking Indiana members of Congress to vote for repeal of Sherman silver act was referred. Bill appropriating s3ll for claim of J. M. Stoddard for goods furnished Insane Hospital under Sullivan regime was passed. Bill amending proBess in civil cases passed—yeas 70, nays 1, H. B. No. 122 providing that surplus gravel road money shall be returned to persons who paid it in passed by same vote. Bill providing for tiling of public drains passad. Bill for relief of poor litigants passed. Bill providing for registry of labels, etc., passed. Bill amending ditch law, providing viewers, failed. Committee on Prison North askod for clerk in place of its clerk gone with prison committee to Jeffersonville. House refused, but on reconsideration request was granted. Bill regulating nursery agents was passed. Bill providing for full payment of insurance policies was engrossed. Bill providing for incorporation of live stock insurance companies was recommitted for amendment. Bill providing for board of State commissioners for purchase of school supplies was referred. Adjourned. Senate Friday with prayer by Rev. Ranger. Memorial from Madison Bounty farmers urging that no road laws be passed that would increase taxes was presented. Several resolutions in favor of encampment appropriation were presented. Petition against the Pennsylvania railroad relief bill was presented. PcWtion against action of reoent road congress was presented. Bill legalizing tranfer of real estate by attorneys was postponed. Bill for better settlement of decedents’ estates was favorably reported. Bill fixing salary of commissioners in certain counties favorably reoemmended.

Senate adjourned till Monday as a mark o 1 respect to Jas. G. Blaine. House was in session but twenty-five minutes. Time was consumed by discusion of Roby race track. Mr. Johnson’s resolution to investigate was adoped. Motion of Mr. Bench, “that House adjourn to show its high regard for Blaine as a statesman and citizen’’ was unanimously carried and the House adjourned till Monday at 11 a. m. 2 j LEGISLATIVE notes. The Democratic caucus for the nomination of a candidate for State Librarian was heldo in hall of House, Monday night. Ninety-one members present. Six-ty-four cast their votes for Miss Nellie Ahern; nineteen for Mrs. Mary Beeson, and eight for Leon T. Bagley, Miss Ahem has becu assistant librarian th Librarian Dunn, and is efficient and thoroughly capable to perform the duties of the office jn a satisfactory manner. Dr. Teal introduced and had read in the House, Tuesday, resolutions adopted by the Noble County Farmers’ Institute, asking that no radical changes in the road laws be made. ■ A bill providing for a State Board of Railroad Commissioners will be introduced by Representative Haskins. The Board is to consist of three members, to be appointed by the Governor. They are to examine all railroad bridges twice a year, ond have various other duties to perform. 8 The House has refused to engross bill making insanity a ground for divorce. A joint caucus of Republican members has decided to support the Cullop bill restoring the appointing power to the Governor. The G. A. R. posts at Auburn, Cannelton, Redkey, Crown Point, Salamonia, Portland and Clay City have joined with others in asking the Legislature to make liberal appropriation for the entertainment of the national encampment G. A. R. The State Board of Agriculture as it now exists, will probably be killed by the Legislature, and a reorganization effected. A bill by Senator Leyden was passed by the Senate regulating visiting in the Insane hospitals. Under existing laws the managements of insane institutions are overrun with visitors. Representative Tucker has made a canvass of the Senate on the proposal so to amend the Constitution as to make Senators elective by direct vote of the people. He is satisfied that a majority of the Senators are ready to vote for the resolution passed by the House, if the matter is permitted to come to a vote in the Senate. t>The Legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill for the fiscal year 1894, as reported to the House. Friday, by Representative Dockery, makes an aggregate appropriation of $21,677f998, being $222,134 less than the amount carried by the bill for the current fiscal year, and’s947.817 less than the estimates. The bill specifically provides for 10,816 salaries, being 118 less than the number provided for in the law of the current year.