The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-01

was referred to n committee and was vepartod
back by Mr.. Sayre, a Republican Senator, with
amendments, ~which,were adopted, and the bill
thus amended WIS passed by both Honsesrpf the
Legislature. Thus it was the Republicans Of
the last Legislature who led in rorpectingt the
bill reported by a Democratic commission .ap
pointed by a Democratic Supreme Court, that
had been,iesignated to make the appointment
by a Democratic. Legislature.
FEE AND SALARIES.
characterization of the Democratic State con-
Rentidn thatthe partyis in favor of the lYedue-
ton of fees and salaries, tallies whit declara-
ton concerning deeedents' estates. ~IhRInrged
in my message to the last Legislature that such
a'bfll should beApassed; lbutsffom the very first
it SwasteRidenttthat the. bill for the reduction of
fees and salaries could not pass.
PROTECTION OF LABOR.
The Democratic State convention, assuming
that the people had not .heen watehfnlpf the
proceedings of the, last Legislature, declared
that the party ~sfavors, asfar as practicable, the
use of fprison and reformatory labor 50 as not TO
compete with the labor of the honest citizen
uponitheJoutside.p Mo1kingmen will, however,
judge the party by deeds instead of words.
Professions will not go far when performance
+ ln opposition to it. early at
the last session Senator johnson,
a senator of German birth, from
TiRpecanoe county, offered a bill to correct the
evil complainedsof He was very earnest, and
in the course of his peechinsuppaFto of hisbiIlhe
4 said: 'There are hundreds of workingmen IN
49, - @1N@NI CSSC 'fNCoO 49, ~
with. anguish and hope, and whose eyes are look
Ing with intense expectation towards this As
sembly, waiting landswaiting, whether anything
wll be done to relieve their distress and help
their wants" But Senator Brown, the Demo
cratic leader Of the two houses, replied to this
| appealby saying: f.Alltthist talk about convict
contracts havingan effect upon the price of
labor It's ridiculoHs. 1t does not operate
an the slightest degree upon fixing
the wages of laboping men throughout the State.
This bill is q bill of denominations, and
an injustice to the,people of this State
And Mr.. Gibson. one of che mostleadingD Dem
ocrats IN the House, made the remarkable
statement that while the persons who employ
this labor made more money on their products
than other manufacturers, they did not place
the products nf their convict labor upon Che
market at reduced prices or at prices lower than
other manufacturers
Senator johnson, when q motion had been
made at one tilGe to refer his bill to a com
mittee, had said THAT the object of the
bill would be defeated bya reference toiascom
mittee; but he became finally so worried and
discouraged by the Opposition of his party
friends that he himself moved to refer the sub
ject'to a committee Of three holdingAover sena
tors, to report thereon at the Legislature to
meet two years afterward, and added a proyiso
that the members of the committee should not
be entitled totany compensation ~forltheir sery-
ices.
The Democratic Statesconvention al so.resolved
that the mechanic ssshOnld de secured by;a first
lien upon work doneY FOR wages thereon performed. I"
knew shat Mr.. Cleveland had vetoed a me
chanies' lien bill, and was fully sustained i'll it
by.his.party friends; and had, therefore, no
sooner read this resolution than / SUSPECTED
there was an intention to appropriate to the
Democratic party the credit of some recent Re
publican labor. Andsso | found. AT Che last
sessionoft the Legislature. Mr.. Shively, of Wabash
county. introduced into The House a mechanics
lien bill, that is believed to have been one of
the most comprehensive, complete and liberal
bills that have ever been prepared in favor of
thesediens. Ieannot undertake. to repeat its
numerous provisions, but ] will STATE, in the
presence of workingInen, that 1t contained "a
section providing that where the mechanic
obtained Judgment for the enforcement of his
lien, she should also recover attorneys,
fees. / have seen how often, when a mechanic
has obtained a Judgment TO enforce his lien, and
has lost much fvaluable time in the Courthouse,
a large part of his Judgment waseaten up by at
torneys fees, so that the triumph of having sue
ceeded in obtaining the Judgment was nearly all
that was left to him, Well, Mr.. eShiEelyls bill
was referred to a committee of which Mr.. Fra
zen, "a Republican member of he House, whom
j have had occasion before to mention, was a
member. He reported it back favorably, and it
was passed through the House without amend
ment. 1t was then. sent to tho Senate, where,
having been referred to a committee of which
Senator .Sayfe, ia Republican, was "a me1dbEr,ihe
reported it back .fayorablY, and it passed the
Senate also without amendment. ftwass so just
3 measure that the Republicans voted for 1t
unanimously, and the Democratic members were
constrained to vote for it also.
DEFEATING THE -PRePRIATIo
lt.isiprpper, at this stage, 6hat1 should refer
to the action of the last Legislature upon the
general appropriation bill. That 'importsrntbill,
intended to provide means for carrying ,on the
different departments of the State government
during fine fiscal years beginning Nov. 4. 1883,
and ending Oct. 81, 1885, had passed bath houses
before March ! 1883. But on that day, on the
motion of y Democratic member, the vote by
which the bill had beenspassed was Peconsidered.
It was reconstdeFed, in order to compel me, as
Governor, To return the metropolitan polieehill.
then in my hands. before the .expirationso of the
three days allowed to me by the Constitution
for considering all bills. AT that time i had
many other hillsin highlands, .and1 was engaged
also in the grave and labcrious duties imposed
upon me by the Legislature itself, as aimenaber
of the committee for the relief of thBFOhio and
Wabash river Hood sufferers My colleague on the
committee had devulvsd upon me ;the.responsi-
Bile dnty-of conducting the correspondence and
of renting drafts. In The midst
of these important lab0rs Iwasg siven to under
stand that if l did not lay aside the work
in hand, and return the particular bin to
which l have referred, ON the second day
alter 1 had received 1t, the general appro-
p~riation bill would not be passed and /
would be o0rnpslled to ocGll an extra session.
j said to the men who brought the demand
and menace, that / would not lay aside the
work Ishad in hand .insorder Ito 4eburn the bill
before the third day, allowed me by the Gpnsti-
| LuGlon. anu bldI 1WOulu nOb call dnVXCras session..
l have been as good as my word I1aye called
no extra session. j returned the metropolitan
police bill to the House in the forenoon of the
third day after 4 had received it, and in tim
for the action of the House-hut the general
| appropriation bin was not passed
TheConstibiItiOn OF the State prpxiaessthattsn INC
bill shall Represented to the. Governor within two
days next previous to the final adjournment Of
the General Assembly, ,and mo bill can become
a law that has not been presented to him. After
the failure Of the general appropriation bill,
covered that no EXTRA session would
be called, and when the Indignation
ofthespeople began to fill the air, the House
went through the sham proceeding, at the last
hour Of the session, of pretending to pass that
bill. To show what they thought of the :pro-
eeeding, | will 4qaote the words of Mr.. Speaker
Rynum himself. He said that ..the House