The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-30
WORK OF BOTH HOUSES
LEGISLATURE HAS DONE MUCH IN
TWENTY-FOUR DAYS.
Measures That VIII Come Up This
Week-ShideIer's Poor Relief
BiII--GOssip.

N>N%NN
the House has accomplished a vast amount
of work. This is largely due to the efforts
of Speaker Iittleton who has a peculiar
way Of deciding the vote on motions to adj
journ If a motion to adjourn is made at
time he does not think the members should
leave he makes a few remarks on the
amount of business before the House and
in some cases his ruling on the vote on this
motion has indicated a sense Of hearing that
is peculiarly adapted to a speaker who does
not desire that the House should adjourn.
There has been hearty cooperation in the
efforts of the speaker by the members and
the different committees have worked hard
and late into the night. The meetings of
the ways and means committee are scarcely
ever over before midnight and many of the
o her committees particularly the one on
county and township business, have sat
night after night until late hours. The judi
ciary committee holds two sessions each
day, as a rule, and from the adjournment
of the House in the afternoon until o'clock
or later, this committee is in session, to re-
sumo again in the evenings.
There have been introduced into the House
thus far in the session 375 bills and q Senate
bills have been received. OF the bills brought
it 81 have been passed and 10 have been
defeated Three have been withdrawn, one
has been returned to the Senate and 10 are
now being engrossed for third reading. The
committees have killed SO bills and have IA
vorably reported 60. There are yet in the
hands Of the committees TIA bills. One bill
is set as a special order of business.
Among the bills which will come up for
second reading this week is that by Mr..
Caraway providing for the purity of cleo
tons, both general and special The bill is
aimed at the seller Of a vote and not at
the buyer. Mr.. Caraways theory is that if
both parties are subject to punishment it
will be more difficult to secure conviction
than if but one party to the transaction
is liable. The penalty IS disfranchisement
for from ten to twenty years and the person
furnishing the proof of the selling of vote
is rewarded The offense is not merely to sell
a vote on any election, but the penalty ap-
plies to any one who sells or offers to sell
his vote or to refrain from voting at any
general special or primary election or at
any convention for any money, property or
thing of value, promise, favor or hope of re-
ward. The bill further provides that the
county clerk shall keep a record of all those
diSfranchised.
WON THE FIRST ROUND.
Mr. Barlow won the first round in his
contention to unite Boone and Hendricks
counties in the same judicial circuit. The
attorneys are opposed to the bill and they
appeared before the committee in great
numbers. The committee recommended
that the bill be indefinitely postponed, but
Mr.. Barlow was active and was supported
by enough members Of the House to have
the bill sent back to the committee with
instructions to report it favorably. This
will bring the bill before the House in
printed form and the contest will undOubt-
edly come when it comes up for a second
reading. There will then be an effort made
to kill it.
Mr. Shidcier's bill, which was passed by
the House, regulating the relief OF the poor,
is a departure in many ways from the pres
ent law. 1t requires an overseer of the
poor not only to make careful investiga-
ton of the condition and circumstances of
those applying to him for add but he shall
go further and ascertain If the one making
application has any relatives who are able
and willing to assist him. Immediate and
pressing suffering may be Immediately re-
lieved, but before any further or perma-
nent relief can be given from the township
funds, the oVerseer is required to see if
the distress can be relieved in any other
way. II the applicant or any member of
his or her family is in good health the
OVerSeer is required to insist that those
able to labor shall seek it, and it is man
datory on him that he shall refuse to give
any aid until he is satisfied that those
claiming help are endeavoring to find work
for themselves. In such a case the over
seer is required to make all possible effort
to secure employment for the applicant
and he may call on the residents of the
township to assist him in these efforts.
Before assistance can be given to an appli-
cant who has relatives living in the town
ship, for the second time, the overseer is
required to go to those relatives and en-
deaVOr to persuade them to assist the APP
picant either by money or employment.
If the poor person refuses to work no aid
can be given him except to admit him to
the county poor farm, and he shall there
be compelled to labor. When the overseer
shall have given aid other than for burial
to any poor person or family to the amount
of value of SIS in any one year, or OF
value of less than SIS, but has extended the
relief over a period of three months. no
further aid can be given until the overseer
has presented a detailed statement of the
case to the county commissioners, and
further aid can only be given by the au-
thorty of the commissioners. A copy of
the statement shall be filed with the county
auditor and with the State Board of Chart
ties. The overseer is further required TO
make himself familiar with all societies for
charitable purposes or for the relief of the
poor which exist in his township, and he
shall find out from them the assistance
they are giving anyone He is required to
give them any information he may have
on the work and he has the authority to
ask them for any which he wishes to Sc
cure He may also call on these societies
to assist him in securing employment for
any applicant The section regarding as
sistance to non-residents is rigid, In full il
is as follows: "It shall be unlawful for any
overseer of the poor to aid any person who
is not a resident of the township where
he is found, otherwise than by some form
of labor unless the said person shall be
sick aged crippled and unable to travel,
and all oVerseers of the poor shall endeaVoT
to provide some form of hard manual labor
at which they shall set any able-bodied nom
resident who may apply for relief to them
1t shall be unlawful for any overseer of the
poor to furnish any able-bodied nonresident
with transportation at the cost of the town
ship. 1t shall be unlawful to furnish any
nonresident who may be sick, aged or Grip
pied with transportation at the cost of the
township until after the oVerseer shall, by
correspondence or otherwise, have ascer-
tanned beyond reasonable doubt the legal
residence of the person applying, and any
transportation furnished to such persons
shall be in the direction toward their legal
residence unless it is shown beyond a rea-
sonable doubt that the person in distress
has some valid claim for support or some
means of support in some other place to-
ward which he or she shall ask to be sent -
The bill provides that quarterly report Of
all allowances for charitable purposes shall
be made to the State Board of Charities.
MAIN PURPOSE OF THE BILL
1t is the belief that this bin will remedy
to a great extent the abuses of aid to the
poor The main idea of the bill is to COM
pei work if the applicant is able to work,
and the mandate of providing "some form
Of hard manual labor for nonresidents is
| so suggestive of a stonepile that it is be-
lie Jed a certain class of applicants for as
| sstance will give Indiana a wide berth as
they journey through the land.
A bill favorably reported by the commit
tee. but which has not yet been acted on
| by the House, is one by Mr. Brown, rela-
| tive to the letting Of public contracts. The
bin requires that contractor shall give a