The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-25
Universities Let Alone and State Normal
Given Its $50 so Yesterday.
An Attack on the Preferred Stock Act Re-
Gently Passed-impOrtsnt Tax Bills
Passed by the House.
WHY THE GAS MAGNETS HANG on.

WHY THE GAS MAGNETS HANG ON.
Hasgard Bill Reconsidered - True Inward
of the Pending Legislation.
A corporation seldom let's 60. and when 10
comes to combine of corporations IL hangs
On forever
Instead of taking the defeat of its bill in
the House Thursday evening the big nstu-
lgas combination merely redoubled it's
efforts and more than doubled it's large and
expensive lobby. Thursday evening q
score of kilograms were sent out, and yes
terdsy Messrs. Murdoch. Stuart, Pearson,
Frenzel, Beasley. ct al. were reinforced by
q number of the highest-pr priced lawyers
and Democratic politicians of northern
Indiana. They were camped out
most of the day In the Speakers room, and
members of the House. both DEM
ocrats and Republicans, were called in,
one by one. and all sorts OF arguments
presented TO them to win their support for
the DILL.
AS the Journal predicted yesterday. they
got through motion to reconsider the
vote by which their bill had failed the day
before. The motion was offered late in the
afternoon, by Farlow. who said ne desired
to offer an amendment which would re-
move the Objectionable features. Behymer
at once entered motion TO table this. The
Speaker put this motion to table at once,
and the vote was close
The noes have it," he de-
clared. without giving time for
bill were somewhat dumfounded, and
when the motion to reconsider was put I'M
mediately 1t was carried on viva voce
vote.
NO AMENDMENT OFFERED.
Farlow did not offer any amendment, and
when asked by q reporter what his amend
ment was. said it was that factories should
be first cut oil before domestic consumers.
But the bill already provides this. The
only object of this reconsideration was to
get another vote. The gas people have
even promised some of the members TO ex-
ciude cities from its provisions, In order to
gain votes for the measure. AS il stands
the body of the bill reads thus:
Section L. Be IL enacted by the General As
semby Of the State OF Indiana that Sections
and 2 OF an act 10 regulate the mode OF procur-
ing, transporting and Using natural gas and de-
ciarng an emergency be. and the same IL,
hereby amended 10 read as follows:
Section L. That any person or persons. COM
pany 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
or pipes, tested 10 at least four hundred pounds
To the square inch.
sec 2. Whenever the supply of gas OF any
natural-gas company supplying or furnishing
gas exclusively 10 the citizens OF this State, or
any partnership, company, corporation or asso-
CITATION therein, is Inadequate or insufficient TO
supply all its customers. and such gas company
finds Ii necessary TO shut Oft thesuppiy of gas or
any OF its customers then the said gas company
shall shut off first all manufactures, second all
buildings using gas under boilers. except resi-
dences, long said emergency danger
exists. thereby preserving the supply OF gas for
domestic consumers; provided, that the
pany or corporation so furnishing natural gas
shall give as timely notice as is possible under
the circumstances before shutting of any OF said
customers.
The bill is lngeniously drawn. and there
are two points to it which must be very
badly wanted by the gas people, or they
would not spend 80 mach of their valuable
lobby 1t through. The first admits of four
hundred POUNDS pressure. means pumping.
and legslizes the daily violation of the
pressure law by the Chicago pipeline peo'
pie.
The second point lies In the second aec-
tion. BY il they could divert gas 10 towns
paying the highest rates. or shut off
tions of cities. The courts have thus far
held that companies had the right TO shut
off consumers when gas was insult cient;
but under the present la W thIs claim of in
eufficiency must be set up In the answer OF
the company defendant to n damage
suit. and upon 1t rests the burden TO
prove the deficiency of gas This is An
easy matter for 1t, experience in the Ma
ZION county court has shown. Under this
bill. should it become law the company
woula shut of the gas and IL would remain
with the complaining consumer 10 show 10
course, be unable to do. as the company
controls the supply and all information
about It.
Two or three delegations sent by citizens
meetings In various cities arrived yester-
day to oppose the bill. 5. Is. Boyer. MEM
Der of the Logansport Council, and NJ. ID.
Fansler. ex-city attorney of Logansport,
last evening joined in tins statement To q
Journal reporter concerning not only this
bill but another vicious measure pending:
WANT TO sMoNoPoLIZE THE BUSINESS.
THE natursl-gas combine has moved
upon the Legislature quietly yet forci-
Dly, to secure legislation in the inter.
ests of the gas companies. The public ID
just awakening to the fact that strong
and influential lobby means something.
and with such men as S. p Sheerin, L. H..
Stuart. James Murdoch. X. o. johnson of
Chicago. John X. Pearson, John Il. Fren-
gel John L. Bensley ana John c. Nelson az
work, there is great danger of the third
house succeeding.
The gas legislation sought for 10 GINNING.
ly introduced in two seperate measures.
the one known az the Huggaru Dill I'm the
House. and the Smith bill In the Senate
being already known to the public. Tho
other bill provides for such steps in the
construction of pipe line, and the secur-
ing of u right of way as TO prevent the sue
cess Of any new company, making the
companies already existing sole masters
of the situation. In other words. this bill
makes monopoly or the gas business for
| the existing companies.
1T is rumored that the combine Is COM
| plete. and that il will take the shape Of
| one corporation. which will have a mo-
nopoy of the gas business both in this
State and In CHICAGO. The Haggard bill,
giving the right to shut of consumers on
| the ground that the supply 10 Inadequate
| 10 part of the required legislation, and by
means of It the gas Is TO be diverted to
those cities paying the highest rates and
the cities which succeed in maintaining
present rates OF refuse To pay increased
rates VIII be shut of. The Chicago rate 10
| 30 cents per thousand feet. u rate about hive
| times as high az the average Indiana rate.
| and by some the opinion Is expressed that
| the plan is To give Chicago all the gas 10
| will take.
1.-The opposition to the gas legislation 10
| led by the citizens committee. of Logans-
| port aided by the kokomo citiZens' COM
mittee There IL no political feature in
| the contest. though the fact that the Leg
~ namocraYIc and that nin ,, n