Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1893 — INDIANA LEGISLATURE. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LEGISLATURE.

Senatewasprayed with byDr. Van Anda, Monday. Bill providing that letting of bridge contracts shall be open to competition 1 passed. Bill providing special qualification for county superintenents was Jost. Bill extending time of sewer assessments passed. Bill empowcring/building associations Jo receive Interestannually or semi-annually, L passad,Bill:la permit cities and tnwns trntakc stock In water works companies, passed. Bill appropriating $50,000 as a contingent fund under control of the Governor to prevent cholera, passed. Parker election watcher bill passed after all parliamentary means for itsdefeat had been exhausted, but was tied up by a motion to reconsider. Mr. Loveland interrupted Senator Magee with a point of order, and quoted Congressional rules to sustain his position. Magee retorted that “Tom Reed's rulesdid not gov-«mthf9-^nate;^~-=J==:=?~=; House opened, Monday, with devotions by Rev. Steck. A few new bills were added to the 559 already pending, the most important of which was to change method of chobslng PfesidehHal electors. Bill to require pack peddlers to take out a license was killed. BUI to legalize incorporation of Ashley passed. Bill to make it possible for incorporated towns to own electric light plants passed. Bill to permit bookstores to sell text books adopted by State Board passed to engrossment. Bill to tax sleeping car, telegraph and telephone companies was engrossed. Resolution to increase pay of janitors from $1.50 to $2.50 per day passed—so to 38. Appointing power bill was taken up. Mr. Barnes offered an amendment that boards of trustees or directors be made non-partisan. Motion to table amendment prevailed. Mr. Dailey offered an amendment similar to that of Mr. Barnes. After a heated debate, in which personalities were bitter Mr. Dailey withdrew his amendment to prevent its being tabled, and offered an amendment providing that appointees of the Governor shall be confirmed by the Senate. Mr. Fippen spoke for the amenment and scored the Governor for his inconsistency. On roll call amendment failed—s 4, to 30 for it. Mr. McMullen and Mr. Erwin offered amendment, both of which were defeated. After a prolonged and bitter parliamentary struggle the bill was passed to engrossments by a vote of 57 to 33. House in committee of the whole considered the general appropriation bill. Tuesday’s Senate session was opened with prayer by Dr. Cleveland. Magee’s convict labor bill, providing that prison labor shall be let at not less that nine-five cents per day for each convict employed, passed. Bill relating to orphan’s homes passed. Bill requiring supervisors to cut weeds passed. Motion to correct journal, in regard to giving the minority parties representation on election boards, was agreed to. Bill providing for qualifications of county superintendents passed. Bill providing for the formation of trust and loan companies, to act as administrators, take charge of estates of counties, drunkards ahd irresponsible persons, act as attorneys in fact, etc., passed. Bill to abolish road supervisors was defeated. The House sat as a committee of the whole, Tuesday, and the day was devoted to a consideration of the general appropriationbill.

Prayer was considered unnecessary in the Senate Wednesday. Constitutional amendments were reported and made special order for Thursday. Resolution giving Secretary §450 and Assistant Secretary SSOO for Indexing record was adopted. More new bills were introduced, among which Were: Prohibiting county commissioners from granting liquor licenses under certain conditions; defining fourth judicial district and abolishing the fifth; providing for the publication of Insurance reports in one paper in each county. Bill providing that ninety days shall be the minimum sentence to penitentiary for petit larceny passed. Bill repealing sec. 4of Australian ballot law passed to second reading. Also bill making trainwreckers’sentence life imprisonment- A number of minor bills Were passed by common consent. Bill Increasing salary of judges in certain eases was engrossed. The Senate ad journed in honor of the memory of George Washington. In the House, Wednesday, the bill restoring the appointing power to the Governor passed-yeas 63, nays 29. Twentynine Democrats voted with the Republicans for the bill. Bill to amend the general tax law failed—yeas 9, nays 78. House again went into committee of the whole on general appropriation bill. Resolution to pay clerk SSOO and assistant clerk $550 for making House calendar adopted. Majority report favoring abolition of capital punishment was almost unanimously adopted. Balance of day was consumed in consideration of the general appropriation bill.

In the Senate, Thursday, aresolution authorizing investigation into feasibility of sending ballots to county clerks by express was adonted. Resolution directing that a warrant for 81,755.50 be drawn to pay expenses of the Prison South investigation was adopted. Bill relating to employment of child labor in factories passed. Bill providing that quail may be killed from November 10 to January 1 passed. Bill authorizing corporations to issue preferred stock passed. H. B. No. 42 providing penalties for the discharge of employes because of membership in labor organizations was discussed without action. Constitutional amendments came up as a special order, and labor bill postponed till 2 p. m First amendment, as a resolution, increasing regular legislative session to one hundred days and special sessions to forty days passed. Second amendment, as a resolution, to tax corporations on gross receipts, was defeated. Bill to correct fee and salary law passed. After discussion of train wrecking bill Senate adjourned. xln the House, Thursday, action on the proposed Ft. Wayne charter was postponed. Bill to appropriate 850.000 to G. AR. encampment was considered, a favorable report having been made, but report was defeated—42, to 50 against the measure. Bill for relief of town of Washington passed. House then went into committee of the whole on tho general appropriation bill. At afternoon session the Haggard natural gas bill was defeated. Bill to require an accounting from the State Board of Agriculture was killed. Bill requiring toll roads to'be kept in firstclass condition passed. Bill relating to railway insurance passed. Bill regulating number of days for county assessors passed. Senate bill fixing price of convict labor at 95 cents per day was engrossed

Biff authorizing Governor to appoint* Democrat on Monument Commission to succeed the late Gen. Tom. Bennet passed, In the Senate, Friday, bill making trainwrecking, not attended with loss of life, punishable with death was defeated. Th<> House bill for printing sample ballots hr passed. A motion to recon* Sider arid fd lay on thetable carried. Bill increasing salaries of judges in certain counties carried. Biff fixing salaries of prison physicians and chaplains was enMetropolitan police law to cities of 10,000 was read a second time. Ari amendment was adopted so as to exclude Ft. Wayne. Bill regulating prison punishment was engrossed. Bill providing special charter for Evansville passed. Bill for protection of miners passed. Bill providing for a State board of conciliation was engrossed. Friday’s House session opened with prayer by Rev. Mr. Mclntosh. Cullop bill to amend the general tax law was passed. Bill for relief of firemen passed. Bill to suppress Roby race track was introducedand ordered printed. Bill providing thatschoo! supplies may be handled same as text books are now handled passed. Bill to prohibit railroad companies from charging Ip cents extra when tickets are not purchased passed. Bill to protect boarding house keepers, failed. Resolution for holding night sessions after Monday carried. House ad joumed. I.EGIBI.VTIVE NOTES. -- 3 The McHugh bill extending terms of city offiees bccame a law, Tucsday, without action by the Governor. The Democratic House caucus, Tuesday night,over the bill to restore appointing power tothe Governor, resulted in a row. The Governor’s friends declared they had tied tho caucas. There were fifty-nine votes cast. Sixty members were present when the call was made. The tellers announced twenty-nine votes for each side, not counting Mr. McMullen. Mr. McMullen afterward voted against the bill, making thirty against it. Mr. Cullop disputed the count, arid, with his followers, withdrew. In the vote in the House, Wednesday, the twentv-nlne Democrats who withdrew from the caucus voted with the Republicans for tho bill, which now goes to the Senate, where it Is assured of passage, and Matthews wins. The joint legislative committee, accompanied by many members of the House and Senate, went to the residence of Richard Henry Neff, the hero of the Peru wreck; Wednesday afternoon, aud presented him with the SIOO gold medal voted him by the Assembly for his bravery. Senator Newby made the presentation speech, arid Mr. Neff was warmly congratulated by many legislators. f Every Senator who voted to repeal the ballot publication section upon the ground of “economy,” voted for the resolution allowing two bookkeepers $25 each per day, for sixteen days, to discover that the State owed Warden Patten $1,500. A new township library bill has been Introduced in the House. The Governor gave a reception to the Legislature, Thursday night. Lieutenant ■Governor Nye was not invited, and a social rumpus was the result. Governoi Marthfews claims that the supposed slight was due to bad mail service, and his stenographer testifies that an invitation wa> mailed to Mr. Nye. The Lieutenant Governor is very popular in the Senate.