The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-08
MORE PAY FOR CITY ATTORNEY
TOWNSHIP REFORM BILL IS PASSED
TO ENDORSEMENT.
Most of the FOrty-TwO Amendments
MISUNDERSTANDING of the
Senate.

been the original intention of the trainers
of the legislation to put all the provisions
of the three bills in one, but, when it came
to referring it to a committee, it was found
that the subjects desired to be touched
upon were of such a diversified character
that it necessitated making two or more
bills. All of them were so closely connected
with the revision of the charter of the city
of Indianapolis that Senator Hugg desired
to have them all taken up for passage to-
gether, in spite of the fact that one of the
bills had not, at that time, been introduced
Unanimous consent was given for its intro
duction, however, and a committee report
was made at the same time like report
was made on one of the other bills, which
was, at that time, in the hands of the COM
mittee. 1t required some time for the Marion
county senator to explain that the bills did
not affect any city but indianapolis, but
when this was finally made clear, all the
bills went through with a whoop
All of them amend the present city char
ter. The first one gives the Council the
power to pass ordinances to pay for street
sprinkling and sweeping out of the general
fund. The second one gives the Council the
power to increase the salaries of the city
attorney if desired, to $1,000, his first assist
ant to 800 and his second assistant to ST.
500. providing that it is done by ordinance.
The third bin gives the Council authority
to assess the cost of street intersections in
a manner different from that now in vogue
In many places in the city a street will run
at right angles to another thoroughfare
without crossing it, and, for the intersect-
ing space there has been some unfairness
in assessing the cost Heretofore the cost
of this area, half of which abuts the right
angle street, has been charged up to the
property owners on the improved street as
far as the next cross streets at either side
Under this new bill the cost will be assessed
against property to the right and left as far
as the street opening to the right and left.
An explanation of this change is somewhat
difficult, on account of the popular inter-
changeability of the terms 'mtersecting"
and cross streets. For instance, if Meridian
street were to be paved and the intersection
of Meridian and North was to be paid for,
the cost would be assessed against Meridian
street property owners as far south as Mich
igan street and as far north as Walnut
street Walnut street does not cross Me-
ridian, as the Blind Institute grounds shut
it off. Under the old plan the assessment
would extend as far north as st. Clair.
One bill also allows the Council to tax, Ii
cense and regulate wholesale dealers in malt
liqours, or the depots of distillers, in order
to put these merchants on the same footing
with breweries and their wholesale agents.
Senator News township reform bill was
finally passed to engrossment in the morn
ing, after forty-two amendments had been
offered, twenty-one of which came from
Senator Drummond. Most of them were re-
f.I, 911 al
little to change the bill The first amend
ment of the day was offered by Senator
Wood, who moved to strike out all of Sec
ton 10, which provides that:
1.-The township trustee shall audit the ac-
counts of and pay the township assessor
out of the township fund for all services re-
quired by law. And the enumeration of the
male inhabitants over the age of twenty-one
years, and of the school children within
their respective townships as required by
law, shall be made by the township asses
sor instead of the township trustee, at the
same time such assessor is visiting his
township while assessing the property and
polls therein, and within the time allowed
for assessing the property in such township
All officers shall hereafter furnish all in
structions and blanks needed to such asses
sor, who shall make all such returns and
perform each and all the duties IN the mat
ter of such enumeration heretofore required
of the township trustee Upon the compile
ton of the assessment and enumeration the
trustee an itemiZed, verified report, showing
the number of days he was actually en-
ployed, and if he finds it necessary TO en-
ploy deputies or assistants, state the name
of each and the time each was actually en-
ployed, and the amount due each. And if
the trustee finds the account Is not correct
he shall correct the same accordingly. And
thereupon such trustee shall pay such as
SCISSOR and such deputies or assistants the
sums due each at the per diem fixed by
law, taking from each q receipt, as pro-
Vided under Section of this act.
THE PERMANENT POOR.
Senator Carr, seeing that no substitute
was offered for this section, successfully
moved to insert the following:
If it shall appear from the report of the
trustee that any person has required aid as
poor person at frequent intervals in two
or more consecutive years, Such person
shall be regarded of the permanent poor
of the township to be aided only in the
county asylum, and no township levy shall
be made the aid of such person by the trus-
tee or advisory board unless such person
shall have a child or children living with
such person under the age of sixteen years.
1T shall be unlawful for the township
trustee, or any member of the advisory
board, or any member of the family of
either of them to be interested in any con-
tracb directly or indirectly, for the pur-
chase or sale of any article TO any poor per-
son to be paid for out of the township
funds. In all cases wherever there is To-
Gated in q township a town or city con-
tanning population of 1900 or more inhab-
itantS. the trustee snail let the contract for
furnishing help to the poor of his town
ship, after giving notice as required in Sec
ton of this act, to the lowest bidder.
Such bidders shall state the price at which
each separate article viii be furnished. leav-
ing the quantity TO be determined by the
trustee as necessity will require Any con-
tract in contraVention with this section
shall be absolutely void
Senator Gochenour asked to have the
words "or hereafter" inserted in Section il,
which provides that 'the township trustees
serving under this act shall receive for their
services the compensation now fixed by
law" The amendment was adopted. al
though the friends of the bill doubted the
right of the present Legislature to dictate
pensation they shall fix for public officers.
Senator Wood moved to strike out the first
two lines of Section II and substitute for
them the following: ION the taking effect
OF this act, the county auditor shall APP
point etc the members of the advisory
committee. The Tppecanoe senator held
that the amendment was intended to make
the provisions of the bill legal, as ii had
been decided by the courts that circuit
Judge could not be compelled to perform
any but judicial duties. Senator New said
he felt that it would be improper 10 allow
county auditors 10 have the power OF APP
pointing such a board. and called attention
to the fact that the original section provided
that I'm case the circuit judges refused or
neglected to make the appointments, the
Governor should do SO. The amendment
was finally lost.
POLITICS OF THE BOARDS.
Senator Early's amendment, which was
adopted. provides that mot more than