The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-27
Bill Extending the Appellate Court
Four Years PASSES. with Eight DEM
ocratic Votes to Spare.
HART, OF GIBSON, UNSEATED
REPUBLICAN MEMBERS PRESENT
SOLID FRONT AGAINST FUSION.
Two New Bills Passed-Senate Passes
n Fish-ProtectiOn, Whent-Grad-
ing and other Bills.

There were numerous warm political con-
tests in the House yesterday. beginning
with such a nonpolitical measure as a
usury bill in the morning and ending IN
the passage of the Appellate Court bill In
the afternoon and the unseating OF one or
the members elected on a fusion ticket, Mr..
Hart. of Gibson county. 1t has been a great
question as to whether the Republicans
would be able to pass the Appellate Court
bill inasmuch as the illness of one of their
members DR.. Woodruff. left them with but
ffty-one members on the floor. a bare con-
stitutional majority. However, every one
of the ffty-one voted for the bill and eight
members of the minority voted for it, ex-
planning that they did so because their
own party as well as the Republicans had
nominated candidates for this court in the
expectation that it would be continued four
years. The bill passed thus by a vote of
80 TO SIS. There was not much discussion
previous to the roll call, but almost every
member of the House took occasion TO
make a speech in explanation of his vote
as mis- name was called. After the DISPOSE
ton of this bill the bills dividing the La
porte-St. Joseph and Howard-Tipton judi
cial circuits were taken up on this read
ing and passed, though there was a good
deal of opposition to the latter measure.
The Gibson county election contest, where
the election committee decided in favor of
the Republican contestant, Cockrum. on the
ground that fusion made by committees was
illegal. was taken up and the report of
the committee was adopted by a strict
party vote. though 1t kept the Republican
steering committee and doorkeepers very
busy holding all the members upon the
floor.
The Senate defeated the measure intro
duced by Senator Wood. providing that the
party asking for a change of venue must
specify reasons therefor by affidavit and
the opposing party may have the privilege
of filing affidavits in opposition. Senator
Duncan's bill providing that in construc-
ton of free gravel roads the county COM
m~lssioners shall withhold 20 per cent. of
the cost until protests against the charac-
ter of the construction can be heard and
adjudicated. was passed after some discus
sion. Senator Bobilya's measure regulating
the testing and grading OF wheat was
passed after being amended so as to not
apply TO dealers operating upon boards of
trade. 1t provides that only the standard
half bushel measure shall be used i'm this
work in purchasing from the original deal
CT. bOufu VI bTdue utdleTS were cAtulpleu
from the fact that they buy in carload
lots and il is impracticable for them to
trade in this fashion. There was much dis
cussion over Senator Gilberts's bill to pre-
rent the taking of fish i'm any other streams
or lakes of the State except in the Ohio
river and Lake Michigan, by means OF
seines, nets. dynamite. drop lines and other
devices for wholesale slaughter before il
was permitted to pass.
In the afternoon the Senate passed an
other fish bill by Senator Gilbert greatly
enlarging the powers OF the fsh commits
sion. 1T also passed the following bills:
BY Mr.. Gochenour. requiring Justices of
the peace to use seals.
BY Nj. Hawkins. appropriating SS.S63.62 to
pay the Warren-ScharI Asphalt Compan
for paving about state properly.
By Mr.. Hogate: To incorporate mutual
live stock insurance companies.
BY Mr.. Holler, prohibiting the admission
of federal prisoners to the state prisons.
At the close of the session Lieutenant
Governor Haggard announced that he had
appointed Messrs. La Toilette. McCord,
Drummond and Gilbert on the special COM
mittee for the Vandalia inquiry. With the
addition of Mr.. Gilbert the committee is
the same as was appointed upon the SUBJ
stitute resolution that failed last week.