The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-23
FORT wAYNE,s CHARTER.

Committee Report Concerning 1t
Causes ~ WranGIe in the Senate.
Within two minutes frcm the time the
Senate convened yesterday afternoon a we'll
developed wrangle was started over Sena-
tor Johnson's motion to suspend the regu-
lar order of business in order to hear com-
mittee reports. The specific report which
precipitated the trouble was one from the
committee on cities and towns, which pre-
scented a majority report in favor of Senator
Gilbert's bills to amend the charter of the
city of Fort Wayne so as to give the city
a nonpartisan fire and police department and
to allow the city attorney to be elected in
stead of appointed.
The fact that both Democratic senators
from Allen county were opposed to the bills
caused them to be made the subject of a
Republican caucus, which agreed to support
the bills for the reason that, as Fort Wayne
is a strong Democratic city, such a measure
is necessary to secure anything like a non
partisan government in that city.
The Democratic senators at once ranged
themselves against every step taken to adj
vance the bill, and Senator Drummond al
legged that the people of Fort Wayne had
made no demand for a change in the adj
ministration of affairs and that the bill was
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get some Of their party an the police and
fire boards. He said the Republicans were
proposing to take a cowardly advantage Of
their power in passing a bill which was
obnoxious to the people of Fort Wayne.
Senator Ryan supported this statement by
saying THAI the bill had been drawn up at
the suggestions of ''long-tailed preachers
and temperance reformers."
Senator Sdlwell, in protesting against the
bills, charged that the majority side of the
I Snnnfn moe flln1 rrffh StG1nx~rn - XlA 49,
caucus, who would live to regret the way
they voted on the measure. After fighting
stuDbornly every step of the way, the friends
OF the bills finally secured their advance
ment to .engrossment.
WAR VETERANS RECEIVED.
Tine incident of the afternoon, which
served to break the monotony of the argu-
ments on bills which had been already
argued on former occasions, was the visit
of fifty members of the Mexican War Vet
Grams Association, under the leadership of
Major MILKY, of Bloomington. Early in
the afternoon it became known that the
veterans were paying their respects to the
representatives. and Lieutenant Governor
Haggard appointed Senators LEIGH and
Gwin as a to invite the old SOL
diers to visit the Senate chamber.
After about half an hour fifty gray
haired men, some Of them accompanied by
their wives, trooped into the room, and
Major Mulky, mounting the presidents
stand, announced that the contingent rep
resented the survivors of the seven Indiana
4 regiments in the Mexican war.
All the speeches were necessarily brief,
and in presenting the veterans to the Sen
the anniversary of the battle of Buena
Vista, in which the Indiana regiments were
ODDS. He recalled With pleasure the fact
that at the end of the last days fighting
Santa Santa Al Anna tRa . so1d1ess the .irdanch'g for
He called on General McGinnis. who said
that Lieutenant Governor Haggard's re-
mark that the number of Mexican war vet
Grams seemed to have increased since they
visited the Senate two years ago, recalled
the time when it was proposed to give the
He said the pensions were granted on the
assumption that there were only 5000 vet
Grams of that war alive. When the time
for paying the pensions came, however, it
was. found that 1900 certificates were is
sued.
DR.. Jerry Woodin, of Gosport, was the
next speaker, and he said the Mexican war,
like the Spanish war, was one of conquest
and expansion, and the effects of both will
be to civilize and christianize the whole
world in time.
James c. Carleton, of Lawrence county,
reputed to have been the Youngest soldier
in the Mexican war, having entered the
army at the age of fifteen, reviewed a trip
he took through Mexico four years ago,
during which he noticed that the country
he'd improved wonderfully under the re
form administration of President Diaz.
Sasser Sullivan. representative from
Petersburg. said during his short speech
that as a veteran Of both the Mexican and
civil wars the people who attempted TO
belittle the Mexican war battles by compar-
ing them to the big battles Of the rebellion,
knew little about what they really were.
He said that as a participant in the battles
of both wars he could safely say that the
big battles of the Mexican war were good
fights with no discount.
At the close Of the speeches j. G. McFad-
in, Of Logansport. pinned one of the ribbon
badges of the veterans association on the
coat of the president of the Senate, and
| Gauaf0r GfflupH Offered "A resolution or
thanks to the veterans, which was adopted.
FOUR BILLS PASSED.
During the morning session little was ac-
complished except the passage of four bills,
one of which was afterward reconsidered
and killed after a long discussion. 1t was
Senate bill No. ST, by Senator Binkley, al
lowing corporations to take stock in other
corporations on a three-quarter vote Of the
stockholders of the purchasing company.
During it's reading and passage few of the
senators paid any attention to it, and 1t was
Almost as soon as the vote was announced
vote for the reason that mot one II any
ten senators knew what ne mad voted Tor,
On this being done a lively fusillade was di-
rected against the bill from all sides. 1t was
claimed by Senator that the bill
virtually gave a corporation the power 10
control every Industry in the State. He said
he did not know what was behind the bill,
Out As It's 6pllkCdllOA was oAAoANh " &c
vicious the enacting clause ought to be
stricken out, and, after about an hour OF
debate, it was done.
Other bills passed were: No. 329. BY
Senator Agnew: Allowing treasurers in
cities of less than $1,000 to collect a fee of 8
per cent. on delinquent taxes IN addition TO
their salaries.
No. go. BY Senator Brooks: Regulating
the salaries OF County Commissioners.
No. 273. BY Senator Binkley: Making
county assessors eligible to reelection.
No. 1874. BY Senator Bail: Providing Tor
/ the u4caE1y nunroanf nf all wa nC pXFHnf to
railroad employees, prohibiting the assess
ment Of fines against employees by employ
ers and prohibiting the assignment of wages,
Senator Johnson, of Madison, secured the
adoption OF an amendment providing that
the provisions of the law should not pre-
vent employers from advancing money to
employees. Senator Agnew's amendment al
lowing bi-weekly payment OF wages vas
lost. The bill was prepared at the sugges-