The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-03
The House Refuses to Take Up the General
Appropriation Bill, and the SEN
ate Is Afraid To.
The Senate Makes the Congressional
Gerrymander More Infamous.
representative Townsend's Plea in Behalf
Of His Raee-Defeat Of the
Appellate Court Bill.

the House desires an extra session. Although
the Legislature is now within week of the
end of the regular session. the general appro-
priation bill, which ought to have been passed
long ago. has not even reached engrossment in
the originating body. The consideration of the
bill in session as committe of the whole was
made special order for last Saturday, but it
was not taken up and when an effort was made
yesterday morning to bring it up. there were
objections, resulting in the defeat Of the motion
by a vote Al to q, after prolonged discussion
points of order, relating to the Interpretation
of the governing rules The reason given for
the objection to considering the bill was that it
had been decided by the House, on last Satur-
day, by special resolution, to call the roll of
counties for the purpose of allowing each mem
Der to designate one bill which should at once be
disposed of, and that, therefore, under the
operation of this resolution the consideration of
the appropriation bill would not be in order until
after the call of the counties had been completed
Inasmuch as this decision gives precedence to
about one hundred bills, all of which must be
disposed of before the general appropriation is
reached, it seems to indicate, as ernphatically as
can be indirectly expressed, that the majority of
the members of the House desire an extra session,
and they intend to do all that they can TO make
it necessary When information of the action
of the House reached the Senate motion was
Immediately made by Senator Foulke for the
suspension of the constitutional rule for the pur-
pose of introducing into that body general APP
preparation bill and passing it in order that the
responsibility for an extra session might rest
with those who we're endeavoring to make 1t
necessary" While nothing would prob
ably result from the Senate taking
such action, it would be a most prac-
teal expression of their desire to avert
q special session, and would relieve them of any
responsibility for it. The proposition was Wig
orously opposed by the Democratic senators, and
the motion was laid on the table by vote of %
to 16. The only Democrats who voted with the
Republicans in favor OF at once taking up the
appropriation bill were Senators Bryant and
Johnson
Under the operations of the House resolution,
if fully and strictly carried out, the call of coun-
ties for bills i'll probably not be concluded, at
the earliest, before Friday. If the appropriation
bill is then taken up it will first be considered by
the House as committee Of the whole, and it
the majority persist in the determination to
force an extra session, they can occupy the re-
naming time in discussing the measure There
are no restrictions upon the time that can be
consumed in a session as committee OF the whole.
After Saturday night, at IL o'clock, no bills can
be passed, and if the order of business is not
changed it will now be well near impossible to
get the appropriation through both branches
of the Legislature before that time. The indi-
cations are, therefore that extra session will
be necessary. Governor Gray declines to say
whether or not he will call special session, but
it is believed that the necessity for it would be
unavoidable as two years without the appropria-
lions would result in serious complications Of
the States finances.
CHANGING THE GERRYMANDER
The congressional gerrymandering bill was
amended in the Senate, yesterday afternoon, in
way that proposes to even more efectually dis
franchise the Republican voters OF the State.
The amendments, which were adopted take
Howard county from the Eleventh. Benton from
the Tenth and Warren from the Eighth districts,
and add them to tho boundaries of the Ninth
district. while Madison is taken from
the Ninth and added to the Seventh
district Grant is allowed to remain
in the Eleventh district, and the boundaries Of
the Sixth remain as they now arc The proposed
changes make the Ninth and Sixth districts Re
publican by overwhelming majorities. while all
the other districts are made more solidly Demo
cratic, the Tenth, Eleventh and Seventh being
strengthened beyond any degree of doubt The
transfer of Crawford from the Third to the
Second district, and Sullivan from the Second
to the Eighth, Us proposed in the bill as it
passed the House, remains unchanged. After
the amendments were adopted it was decided to
make the bill special order for consideration
this afternoon, and to limit the debate upon the
measure to twenty minutes for each speaker.
THE RIGHTS OF THE CoLoRED RACE.
The nature of the inordinate love of the Demo
cratic party for the colored people was evinced
in the House yesterday afternoon. Last
Friday night, by an almost unanimous
vote. the bill of Representative Town
send, the colored member of the House,
for the repeal of the miscegenation law, was
made the special order for yesterday afternoon
He stated at the time that it
to speak upon at any length, and as he had
occupied little of the time of the House during
the session, he hoped that he would be given its
indulgence on this occasion The galleries and
Hobbies were crowded to the full capacity of even
the standing room, yesterday afternoon, by col
ored people, who had come to hear the speech of
their champion, but when the hour came for the
consideration of Mr.. Townsend's bill other bust
ness was taken up in its place. When he arose
to demand his rights an effort was made to pre-
vent his bill being taken up, Notwithstanding the
fact that it was the special order for the hour
and thirty minutes or more OF time was occupied
In discussing the question of his right to be
heard. Although possessing more ability as a
speaker than the average Democratic member,
he has been quiet and unobtrusive throughout
the session, and the effort which was made to
prevent him from speaking in support of meas
ufe which concerned his race was not only I'M
talr,tout, under tho circumstances, was dishonor-
able, as it was an endeavor to break the almost
unanimous promise given by the House Mr.
Townsend was finally permitted to assert his
right to the floor, and, in championing the rights
of his race, he spoke eloquently and ably. Twice
he was heartily applauded, but the Speaker put
quietus upon all manifestations of approval of
his remarks, and no further applause was per-
united. The bill was indefinitely postponed. by
vote of forty three to forty. the yeas and NAYS
on the motion being as follows;
YEAS.
Branch Klass Pratt
Brooks Kruger, Reeves,
Browning, Loup Reiter,
Butz. Mock Rivers.
Cartwright, Masdy, kqbsrts0n,
bfecehus, MuTphy, Schley,