Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1909 — House Passes Option Repeal Bill. [ARTICLE]

House Passes Option Repeal Bill.

The house passed the Tomllnsom bill to repeal the county unit local option bill by a vote of 52 to 44, Thursday. The Kleckner bill failed to pass because it lacked tbs constitutional majority, the vote being 49 to 46. The Kleckner bill is the democratic platform bill and lose the support of all the Republicans, except Representative Ratliff o( Wayne county. The vote upon the two bills followed several hours of speech making. Floor leader Garrard (Dem.) waved a printed copy of the acts of the special session of the legislature that enacted the local option law imder Hanley’s administration, declared it to be the obituary of the Republican party in Indiana. Representative Miller (Rep.) waved the printed copy of the Tomlinson bill and declared it would be the obituary of the Democratic party la Indiana. The Tomlinson bill was voted for by four Republicans—Hewig, Kliver, Schreeder and Ratliff—and fortyeight democrats, and was voted against by ten Democrats—Chrisney, Clore, Coahran,- Gottschalk, Hostetter, Madigan, Maish, Merrhnan, Morphy • and Sicks—and thirty-four Republicans. Representative Chrisney (Dem.) demanded that Tomlinson be requested to appear as he had been absent during all the debates on his bill and Representative Chrisney bad some questions he wanted to propound to the author of the bill. Representative Miller (Rep.) also made the demand. Speaker Honan declared that Tomlinson’s presence was net necessary and the author of tbe bill remained out of reach of the wrathful debaters anxious to ply him with embarrassing questions. The principal speech against the bill was made by Representatives Babcock (Rep.) of Steuben and La Grange counties, former seer eta: y to Governor Hanly. His speech was a stirring one and was applauded vigorously by the temperance people in the gallaries and tbe Republicans in the house. Representative Harris (Dem.) of Brown county, said: "I am for this bill (the Tomlinscn bi 1) because it wiTI makes it unnecessary to ’bootleg* and ‘blind tiger.* Why don’t tbe whiskey people oppose the passage of this bill? Because they know that in dry counties more whit key is sold. The people will ‘blind tiger’ until they stagger and are black in the face if the county unit is allowed to stand.’’ Representative Maish (Dem.) asked Mr. Harris if it were true that more whiskey would be sold, why the liquor people were advocating the repeal of the local option law. Harris replied: “If 1 stand here and answer your questions I will be here until doomsday,’’ and sat down. The substitution of the township and ward unit was not provided for and Representative Talbott said to the Democrats: “-Your governor said be would not sign a repeal bill unless you put townbip opion in Its place. We will see whether he wiil keep his word as you did.” The bill will go to the senate and is apt to be-defeated there by the republican majority.