The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-26
Democratic Programmed Rush through
a Gerrymander This Last Week.
Revenue-Tax Bill Fails of q Constitutional
Majority in the HOuse-Work on the APP
preparation Bill-McHugh Once More.



Through Parliamentary Tactics.
Again the people had their hands at the
throat of the proposed gas combine yester-
day, and again 1T wriggled out of their
grasp and got to cover. The House. which
voted down the gas bill last Thursday, was
ready to kill it yesterday morning. .
but it got away and the gas lobby gained
time for another effort
Mr.. Farlow. who had moved q reconeId-
Grafton of the vote. had been handed, By
the gas people. copy of the bill as the
Journal printed it yesterday. Farlow had
consented TO get through a reconsideration
If they would present bill that Was fair
and right The more he studied this sub
stitute bill the more he was convinced that
it Was simply the bill that had been voted
down, with few changes of wording.
FARLow SURPRISES THEM.
Therefore. yesterday morning. instead OF
offering the substitute, he moved to strike
ont the enscting clause of the bill. He was
convinced, he said. that the bill was an in
sidIously dawn measure to give the gas
companies the whip-hand over the people.
and in the interests of the people he made
this notion to kill the bill
Mr.. Suchanek supported this motion. He
believed this bill a scheme to rob the peo-
pie who now have gas for the benefit of the
companies and of those who have it not.
The big lobby here behind the bill was not
here In the best interests of the people. He
feared the measure and hoped 1t would be
voted down.
Mr.. Lindemuth also spoke against the
bill, but had gotten no further than the
discussion of the first clause when time
was called upon him by Erwin and other
friends of the bill. He was on the floor
long enough. however. to demonstrate that
the bill practically repealed the law of
1891. limiting the pressure and TO state that
Section would give dangerous discretion
airy powers TO the companies
Mr.. Cullop moved to postpone considera-
tiop of the bill until Monday. but Mr.. Hag-
gard begged to be heard: Il introduced
this bill by request" said he. al am not
the author OF 1t. and unload here and now
all responsibility for il. / am convinced,
however, that there must be some legisla-
tion TO permit the companies carrying gas
TO Indianapolis. Lafayette and other towns
outside the gas-belt to pump gas. There
are some provisions In Section
with which i am not in accord, but
i believe there ought to be some
body off when the pressure Is low. want
TO say thatI am consumer, that / have
not q dollar of interest in any gas company,
and that no gas company has any swing
for a measure that i believed would give
the companies any advantage OF the
people.
A VICTORY AGAINST THE BILL.
A division vote was taken on Cullop's
motion to postpone action and it was lost
by two votes.
Mr.. Alder then spoke against the motion
TO strike out the enacting clause of the bill.
He lived in q town that had no gas, but
hoped to have it some time, and thought
gas ought TO be husbanded. While he was
not there to talk for this bill as 1t stood. he
thought it might be SO amended as to be q
good thing. Mr.. Lindemuth asked If it
would not be better to bring In q frank bill
for this purpose than q deceptive measure.
that sought to repeal the old law and give
the companies dangerous power. Mr.. Alder
replied that the bill was not deceptive
that It would be impossible to get decep-
tive bill through while the newspapers had
In the House bright men who went through
bills in minute and q half and picked
them TO pieces In the morning papers He
was not frightened by the lobby.
Mr.. McMahan spoke against the bill, de-
claring that though he was disinteres.ed
he believed 1t contrary to the interests of
the people
Judge Hench then popped up with a mo-
tion TO recOmmit the bill to committee Of
three. composed of Messrs. Farlow. Alder
and Erwin. DALEY at once demanded the
previous question, and the Speaker de-
clared the motion carried on o viva voce
vote and appointed the committee named.
Mr. Lindemuth objected that two of the
members OF the committee favored the bill,
ana Mr.. Alder denied that he W as for ir.
The Speaker overIuled the objection on
the ground that the HOnse had practically
voted that these men should be on the COM
mIttee.
A.
OF Lafayette at whose instance the bill
was introduced had q talk with Mr.. Hench
at the latter's desk.
MIR. PEARsoN's ARGUMENT
An hour before this action came up Mr..
Pearson called q Journal reporter into the
ante-ro0m of the House for an explanation
TO why the Journal had been opposing
the measure and was told that it did not
believe it right. Now tell me q line that
is wrong in this BILL" be cried exhibiting q
copy of the bill the companies had asked
Fariow to put in a substitute. as follows:
Section 1. Be it enacted by che General As
sembly or the State OF Indiana that Sections 1
and OF an act TO regulate the mode of proeur-
ing, transporting and using natural and de-
claring an emergency be- and the same IS, hereby
amended TO read as follows:
Section 1. That any person persons COM
pany or corporation engaged in drilling for,
piping and transporting natural gas by artificial
means, and in selling the same for consumption
by the public, may transport or conduct the
same through sound wrought or cast-lron casing
or pipes. tested TO at least four hundred pounds
70 the square inch.
Section 2. Whenever the supply OF gas of any
natural-gRs company supplying furnishing
gas exclusively TO the citizens OF this state or
any partnership, company. corporation asso-
supply all It's customers. and such gas company
fnds IL necessary TO shut of the supply OF gas OF
any Of its customers, then the said gas company
shall shut on first. all manufactures second, all
buildings using gas under boilers, except resi-
dences. so long said emergency danger ex-
lists, thereby preserving the supply OF gas for
domestic consumers; provided. that the company
corporation so furnishing natural gas shall
give as timely notice as is possible under the cir
cumstances before shutting OF any of said Gus
toners
Mr.. Pearson was told that il was believed
that the second section would give the gas
combination power TO shut of whole
town, and Thus force 10 TO rescind it's rate
ordinance and come to whatever terms the
com bination might dictate. Mr.. Pearson
denounced this as bosh. ana declared that
no trust or combination was contemplated.
He said they were simply working togeth-
or to preserve their gas and their field. lie
was necessary to close wells at times in
emergencies. or they would pull In salt
water. which would permeate the rock and
ruin every we'll IN the vicinity. BY TINS
means his company had lost wells thu at had
cost ca. 900 during the cold snap. He de-
clared that under the existing law they
liable for all sorts of dam
age suits caused by having TO shut
of factories in emergencies and showed n