The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-03-27
DIRE WORK OF A CLERK.
THE COAL SCREEN BILL ANNuLLeo.
The Enrolling Clerk Kills the Bill by Omit
ting the Enacting Clause-The Same Bill
That the Lobby Once Attempted
to Steal-A Strange Omission.
FRIDAYS Daily sentinel.l

The chief OF the bureau of state printing, Mr..
Bookwalter yesterday took whack at the
constitution and rendered a decision that the
miners bill providing for a standard coal
screen for the inspection OF scales, preventing
the operators from cheating the miners and for
protection of the lives of men by better sys-
tenn of ventilations and props, was "unconsti-
tutional"
What is worse, the 10000 coal miners who
fought this bill through the legislature not
stOrs' lobby will learn with great disappoint-
ment that Mr.. Bookwalter is right.
The coal screen bill is null and void
An honest legislature downs the lobby and
passes the greatest labor bill presented. but
the man who enrolled it defeats the will of
the people by leaving out the enscting clause.
An examination of the engrossed copy now on
file with the state librarian shows that the en-
crossed copy was all right. On the first page
of the engrossed copy is the title. The second
page contains the first section, which reads as
follows:
Section /. Be it enacted by the general assembly
OF the state OF Indiana that the owner, agent or
operator of every coal mine, etc.
But the enrolling clerk enrolled it this way
Section l. That the owner, agent, or operator Of
every coal mine, etc.
1t is hardly possible that this be an over
sight for the word that" in the engrossed
copy from which the enrolled copy was made,
is in the middle of the third line. "Sec. l.
Be it enacted by the" being in the first line,
general assembly of the state OF, In the
second line, and the third line is follows:
Indiana, that the owner, agent.
Section l. (Be it enacted by the
general assembly of the state Of
Indiana) that
the matter in parenthesis being the part omit
ted by the enrolling clerk.
Circumstantial evidence indicates collision
between this enrolling clerk and the operators
lobby.
The bill was introduced by Mr.. Carroll, and
Mr.. Lacey reported it from his committee. II
passed the house about ten days before ad-
joumment. 1t passed the senate at 10 o'clock
at night on the last Saturday of the session.
The senate lobby full of mine operators at
the time. A few minutes after it passed the
senate was almost thrown into a panic by the
report that the bill had been stolen in transit
| from the senate to the house.
The secretary of the senate made q state
ment that he had placed the bill on the speaker s
table while the speaker was temporarily alb
sent Representative Lacey and Senator Byrd
and others, who had worked all winter TO get
| il through, threatened immediate investiga-
| ton, and the speaker was about to issue his
warrants for the arrest of the coal operators
| who had been about the capital that evening,
and for the arrest of other suspected parties.
But before this was done the bill turned up
mysteriously and it was sent to the engrossing
room for enrolment, where it would seem the
| operators got in their work. OF course the
| clerk who enrolled the bill left his ear marks.
His hand writing is there-an unimpeachable
evidence of his responsibility.
For years the oppressed coal miners have
been fighting for this just law-and to be de-
| frauded from the fruit of their victory, which
| they gained through q reform legislature by the
rascality or neglect of clerk is enough to
cause the wOrkingmen of Indiana TO hang the
responsible party to a lamp post.
This discovery will be a surprise TO the
miners, but it will possibly be no surprise TO
some OF the operators.