The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-28


The morning session of the House was
opened by prayer by DR.. Bacon, of Rob-
erts Park Church The House Immediately
resumed the consideration of bills on third
reading. and by the noon adjournment had
acted on all which had been engrossed.
Mr.. Cutty's bin to prevent the sale or use
of impure miners oil was the first one
taken up. Mr.. Guilty is q miner and the
bill specifically provides how the oil shall
be tested to what degrees and goes into the
most minute details A penalty of from So
posed. The emergency clause was stricken
out on motion of Mr.. Baker, of Martin, who
was of the opinion that law providing a
penalty should not have an emergency
clause to it. The bill was then unanimously
passed and received 50 votes
Two bills by Mr. Kirkpatrick were called
up but both proved to be unfortunate The
first was concerning street improvements
In small towns and a number of defects in
engrOSSment We're found. 1t was recon-
mitted to the committee on engrossed bills
and Speaker Littleton asserted that the
House suffers from too many mistakes by
the clerks. If the clerks are incompetent,
he said they should be weeded out. and the
quicker it was done the better. Mr. Whit
comb, of Marion, took the part of the
clerks. and said that many of the errors
ascrbed TO them are committed by the
members themselves, who do not draw their
bills or amendments properly Mr.. Kirk
patrick Dill to fix the pay OF court ballitfS
was referred to the committee on judiciary
in order that it may be so changed as not
to repeal the law on the same subject re-
Gently passed.
The bin by Mr. Murphy, of this city,
amending the charter of indianapolis so
that the cost of street sweeping, sprinkling
ana clednlng snail be paid out OF the gem
eral funds of the city. was passed by 81
ayes to l no. Mr.. Comptons bill regarding
the bonds of the superintendent of county
poor farms was unanimously passed. 1t
provides that a superintendent may be COM
PEELED to give bond in any sum from $500
to 5000. to be fixed by the county COM
Mr. Rifenburg's bill to extend the pro-
visions of the indeterminate sentence law
TO those who were sentenced before it went
into effect was passed by 81 ayes to no.
The bill by Mr.. Marsh, prescribing in de-
tail the method TO be followed for the con-
suuction OF a road along the boundary line
OF two counties, was passed without discus
sion by IS ayes to II noes. Mr. Mays's bill
to require an affidavit signed by two repu-
table houSeholders and freehOlders before a
coroner can hold an inquest aroused quite
breeze. The affidavit must state that
there IS uncertainty and mystery connected
with the death and the signers must be res
idents of the neighborhood in which the
body was found This affidavit must be
Med with the coroner and by him with the
county auditor before he shall be permit
TED 10 hold an inquest. MIR. Noel said that
the intent OF the bill is all right and he
would cheerfAlly support any measure de-
which does not interfere with the present
machinery. He contended that this bill
nouiu M0 W. n Iidi III IN cities, ana said that
nearly all the deaths which the coroner in
Indianapolis investigates are in downtown
blocks and it frequently happens that there
Is not in the block or the precinct a house.
holder and freebooter. He cited the case
Of a travelling man who dropped dead on
the street in front of him last July and re-
ferred to the fact that there is an unwrit-
ten law that a body shall not be touched
until 1t shall have been viewed by the coz
oner. In this case the policemen present
would not permit il TO be touched or moved
until the corner arrived and the body Law
for nearly an hour on the pavement Mr.
Noel said that If this bill had been a law
at that time there would have been much
acquired jurisdiction over that body He
believed it would cripple the machinery to
ferret out crime. Mr. Ross also opposed