Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1903 — INDIANA LAWMAKERS [ARTICLE]

INDIANA LAWMAKERS

I t ‘ The House on Monday passed the Good wine bill fotthe separation’of 1 the Girls’ Industrial School from the Wpjtot en’s Prison. The bill will go to the Govr •ernbr ns sooh“tathe Sedate concurs id the House amendment that of control shall cons.ist of three women instead of two women and one man, which was. .a provision, of the bill -as it.passed the Senate. The new institution is to be btlilt near Indianapolis, on the cot 1 tage plan. . The bill carries an appropriation of $150,000. The House refused to ednedr in the Seriate amendment'to the bill to increase the salaries of tlve Marion County judges, and the bill will go to a conference committee. In the’ Senate the Davis bill, to give a man whq violates an injunction out of sight of the couit a trial by jury, was killed by a vote of 28 to J 5. Senator Ogbornls hill, to assist in the merger of - the Indianapolis Northern and the 'Union Traction Company, was favorably reported and advanced to second reading. The bill of Representative Kirkman to legalize the pumping of natural gas was advanced to third reading, under a suspension of the rules.- The Gray railroad consolidation bill came up on second reading and brought forth a spirited attack by Sena-' tor Fortune and a defense by Senator 1 Gray.

’ The garnishee bill, backed by the re- 1 tail grocers, and fought by union labor, was killed in the Senate Tuesday by the decisive vote of 18 to 29. To prevent further consideration, Senator Fortune, who led the fight against it, moved to reconsider and Senator Davis moved to table. The “clincher” carried. The bill, was to permit the attachment of 25 per' cent of a man’s wages. The resolution’ for a commission to investigate the Vincennes University claim was reconsidered and the Governor was added to the commission. It was expected that the, Kirkman gas bill would cause a fight,' but it went through the Senate as iff greasedf Ball, Barcus, Coats, Harrison, Ogborn only voting against it, and forty Senators voting for It. The Senate l amendment that the bill should not apply to the costs of pending litigation ’ was soon concurred in. Twenty-three Senate bills were advanced to engrossment. The most important was the railroad commis-, sion hill, which was so amended that the' commission cannot establish freight rates, but can examine them after they are made, and if not satisfactory, can recommend a change.

Both the Senate and House spent Wednesday, forenoon in passing or- defeating bills. Jn the Senate the ,Good-, wine bill for the sale of the grounds and buildings of the Deaf and Dumb' Institute and the relocation within five miles ’ of Indianapolis, passed, an amendment offered by Senator Hittrikon to allow it to. he.mQved outside Marion Coupty having been lost. Supporters ~uf the/G.oodwine measure think It better to build a! new institution than make improvements ■ on the old structures. The Senate alsoi passed .a bill to make Clay and Putnam ( counties separate .judicial, districts,. . A bill to prevent, persons in cities from voting for township ‘ trusteed failed sos lack of a constitutional majority. In the' House Senator Matson’s bill to authorize i the State Board of Finance to Issue bonds and bid on the Vandalia should it be ordered sold to pay the judgment of about $1,000,000 recently rendered against it, passed. The bill is intended to iqsure the State against the road being sold at a low figure without competition and against the loss of three quar ters of a million to the common school fund. Senator Fleming’s limited- divorce • bill, supported by some of the churches, passed the House, as did Senator Thompson’s juvenile court bill and Senator Johnston’s bill to regulate the speed of automobiles.

Both the House and Senate again Thursday devoted most of the time to passing bills, the purpose being to hurry them to the other branch and to the Governor before Friday of next week, afterNvllich bills that go to the Governor xVill stand little chance of becoming laws. In the Senate a bill was passed creating a commission to codify the laws by the last of 1904, and report to the next General Assembly. The Secretary of State was jnade a member of the commission without salary. The bill to amend the law on vote selling to save the counties from paying a reward for each conviction was defeated decisively. A resolution by Senator Wolcott was adopted requiring the immediate printing of the railroad cpmmipsion bill. Many other bills reported from committees after the commission bill are already printed and a thorough investigation of the cause of the delay may be made. The House passed a bill creating a State Board of Optometry and the bill for a commissiOii to investigate contract labor and report to the next General Assembly. The bill to tax the surrender value of life insurance policies ns personal property wad killed on -a committee report.