The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-15


ana Republicans out Of Democratic
primaries. He said it was not a matter
which interested the whole of the people
which the whole people were to be benefited
by choosing party candidates by the voice
or the party representatives. 1t had been
framed because Of a universal call for re-
form in primaries from all counties ana II
would benefit all counties alike.
After Senators Hubbell. Brooks, New and
Agnew had spoken briefly from different
standpoints of the bill Senator Gilbert an
nOunced that unless the bill was amended
he would vote against il as such a law was
neither necessary nor desired in his county
lie, understanding that such a bill was de-
sired in Marion county. would be willing TO
nave II apply TO those counties which Ie!t
the need OF II. but would have none OF II
Tor Steuben county. He thereupon offered
an amendment providing that Section l.
which reads: THAT hereafter the primary
elections of all political parties of this state
having at the last preceding general cleo
ton poll6d at least 10 per centum of the
total vote, cast at such election shall be
governed by the. provisions of this act,
should be amended by adding unless the
duly constituted committees of any such
political party prefer to make nominations
Before this was finally adopted Senator
Brooks said that as all officeholders were
should be conducted honestly and every eff
fort made to promote that virtue. To that
end he urged that the item of expense
should not be considered.
Senator Hawkins advanced the opinion
that there was a great need of reform in
primary elections, because at present sucn
elections did not reflect the real will of the
people, because many of the best citizens
do not attend them.
Senator Wood expressed surprise that
Senator Gilbert should have said that there
was no need of reform in the primary cleo
lions in his county. when the detaicat1OnS
Of county officers there was so well known
Senator Gilbert replied that there had been
no county officers in Steuben who had been
shown to have been guilty of crime, but
that in an adjoining county which he rep
resented q Democratic county off1cef had
abSconded with some of the county funds
Replying to the charge by one of the sena~
tors that there was no demand for reform
in primary elections except in Marion coun-
", SenarOr New said that the bill under
discussion was not pet Marion county
measure. but was created by the pledges
of the platforms of both parties.
Senator Ryans statement that Allen
county had no need of such a bill, as the
primaries had always been satisfactory TO
from Senator Hugg, who said that it was
well known that primaries had been con-
Quoted so dishonesty in Fort Wayne that
while the city was normally the strongest
Democratic city in the State a Republican
administration had been elected by good
Senator StilweH then suggested that the
cry for reform was coming almost alone
from Marion county, and that the planks
often referred to in the platforms OF both
parties, were put there last summer by rep
reSentatiVeS from Marion county. lie also
Yenturod the assertion that. in States where
such reform measures had been adopted, IL
was found that the influence was always
working against the majority party and, in
the end. comprised its destruction.
Senator Brooks offered an amendment, in
view of the possibility of Senator Gilbert
amendment carrying, providing that the
county committees must announce that
they will or will not take advantage of the
law and hold primaries under its provisions.
at such reasonable time before election day
that no expense will have been entailed use
hos 4yrrn 1eV nV0tG r1D6
the bill was recommitted TO the elections
committee for revision.
ON THIRD READING.
The following bills were passed on third
reading;
No 9S. BY Senator Brooks: Amending the
mechanics lien law so as to require notice
TO be made in the office of the recorder of
the county in which the real estate against
which the lien is to be filed is situated.
No. 191. BY Senator Agnew: To allow the
State to plat and sell tracts of reclaimed
swamp lands in Lake county.
While the wranglng over the county bill
was going on the following bills were sur
reptiuously introduced and referred to COM
mittees without being read:
No 40. BY Senator Wood: To authorize
for damages at any time from the filing of
the case to the time of collecting judgment;
judiciary.
No All BY Senator Wood: Regulating the
charges for accommodations in Pullman
ears at IS cents for a seat for every hundred
miles or fraction of that distance. and 20
cents for a berth for one hundred miles or
fraction thereof; corporations.
No 4l2. BY Senator Wood: To allow the
hoard of managers of the Michigan City
Victs; prisons.
SOLDIERS MONUMENT BILL.
Like a thunderbolt came the discussion
yesterday morning on the bill by Senator
LEIGH appropriating 100000 to complete the
soldiers and sailors monument, and before
the bill was finally passed. the Democratic
minority of the Senate had been disrupted,
Seator Stillwelf who advocated the passage
of the measure, had been declared rene
gade by the rest of his Democratic asso-
ciates, and personalities and denominations
had been hurled back and forth, from both
sides of the chamber, in the most careless
manner ever witnessed since the present
General Assembly convened
The bill was called up on third reading
by Senator LEIGH, and from the appear
ance of the thing at the start, seemed likely
to pass without occasioning any remark,
until Senator Nusbaum put himself on rec
ord as being opposed, not to the passage of
the bill, but to the way the work of the
monument was being done He asserted
that it was cOmmOnly-eXpressed opinion
that the monument would never be COM
pleted within the life of the present hem-
taxpayers were being abused by being
loaded up with taxes to complete" the
monument, which was no nearer compile
ton at the present day than ii had been for
years back He said he believed in giving
the old soldier everything that was desired,
within reason, but he did not believe in rob-
bing the people to put money in pile of
stone which never seemed to be near COM
pletion
Senator Johnson, of Jay then offered a
motion to cut down the amount of the ap-
preparation from 100000 to $4,000, and then
trouble began in earnest.
Senator Wood earnestly suggested the folly
of appropriating $4,000 to complete a job
which would cost twice much and said
that, in the end, if the suggestion should be
acted on, would cost double the amount
asked, by reason of the State being COM
PEELED to tear out work which would be done
at the lower price. He said it was his in
tention to vote for the full appropriation,
but he would do so with the distinct under
standing that the expenditure had TO END
somewhere. He asserted that the, work
would have been nearly completed, had II
ion, wished to draw their salaries as long
as possible and in order to do so. retarded
the completion of the monument
Senator New, in explaining ms purpose OF
supporting the bill, called attention to the
fact that the monument was the hneSt piece
of work of its kind in the world, and that,
in no feature of it, could the world show its
equal He said the people Oh lndlana dld
not fully APPRECIATE what they had in the
monument and that II they reallzed It's I'M
portance, they would gladly give the money
required to complete it.. lie suggested the
probability that if the General Assembly of
several wears ago had fully realized how
much the monument would have cost in the
end. it would probably never have been
wav the proper thing to do to complete
it at once AS an offset to the appropriation
suggested by Senotar Johnson, he called at
tentiOn to the costly experiment which had
being compelled to conform to the limits %
the Inadequate appropriations of former