The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-03
KNIVES OUT IN THE HOUSE.
Bills Were Slaughtered without
Mercy Until the Mood Wore on.


The members of the House appeared to be
in bad humor when yesterday afternoons
session was opened. They had their axes
and hammers out and started in to do some
carpentry work that was not in the least
constructive. One bill was defeated, an
other sent back to a committee to be
radically amended and another had a hair
breath escape from an untimely death be-
fore the Crouch that possessed the men,
bers wore off. Then they settled down to
routine grind and passed eight bills without
discussion or dissension.
The first bill that came up was the county
superintendent measure, introduced by
Mr.. Branch and backed by the superin-
tepdents organization and the State Board
of Education, and started the hostile DEM
onstration The bill was on its second read
ing and was open to recommitment, amend
ment or engroSsment.
Mr.. Adair, one of the minority leaders,
offered an amendment which changed the
bill materially. and spoke at length in sup
port of his position. He said that his at
tention had first been called to the bill by
letters he had received from various county
superintendent and that his suspicious had
been aroused because these officials were
anxious to secure votes for the bill. He
had investigated it and had come to the
conclusion that instead OF Delng q Dill
the benefit of the people of the State 1t
was measure solely in the interests OF the
superintendent, being, therefore, in his
opinion, class legislation of a vicious kind
This bill should be radically changed"
said Mr.. Adair, before il should receive
single vote in this body. In the first place
ii provides that the county superintendent
shall assume office on the first day. OF
January, instead of ten days after their
election i'm June. That means changing SUI
perintendents in the middle of the school
stream-and where the retiring superin-
tendent and the new one have different
views in regard to the management of the
schools 1T will mean that the schools will
be demoralized for that year at least. This
| change has been proposed In the present
law solely to give the present superintend-
| ents an extension of their present terms for
five or six months.
PROVISIONS OF THE BILL.
Section 3 of the bill provides that the
| qualifications for county superintendent
| shall be increased to a five years license,
| but that the present incumbents, all of
| whom have but three years licenses, shall
| be eligible to reelection, or election at
any future time. This is an unjust dis
| elimination and it is aimed purely to per-
| petuate in office the present superintend-
| ents. Why should one man be eligible to
| election with a three years license while
| another is required to have a five years
| license? There is no just reason for such
discrimination. but We are asked to pass
this bill because the present county super
| intendents know that Ii will greatly benefit
| them and virtually continue them in Office
| indefinitely.
Further, this bill provides that the SUI
| perntendents shall be given an allowance
| of from $3.50 TO $500 for their expenses. In
| other words, We are asked to give them
| an increase in salary of that amount. 1t
| Is a peculiar thing that man will seek
an office. spend his money in securing the
nomination and election. and then. after
| he is securely In office, but not till then,
| discover that the salary is wholly made
! quate and that he should be given an in
crease. 1 am opposed to this bill in its
| present form because it extends the terms
| of the present incumbentS five or six
months, because it will have a bad effect
on the school in providing change of
| superintendents in the middle of the school
| year because il discrimnates unjustly in
favor OF the men now In office in practically
doubling the qualifications necessary TO
| outsiders who seek election, and because
IL increses the compensation OF men now
| in office The amendments / have offered
remedy the defects have pointed out
| Mr.. Adair was literally applauded both
| from members of the majority and minor
ity at the conclusion of his speech. and
| when Mr.. Smith, of Cass. made a motion
motion was voted down, showing that the
| county superintendents' lobby has not
been altogether successful i'm Its work.
NJ Miller, of Bartholomew offered a
| motion TO recommit the bill with instruc-
tions to report an amendment providing
for the election of county superintendent
by popular vote and such other amend
ments as may be deemed fit. The motion
to recommit took precedence over Mr.
Adair's motion to amend and IL was carried
by large vote. Mr.. Adair's amendments
will probably be Incorporated in the COM
mittees recommendations.
House Bill No. S-the dentists bill
came up on third reading. as a special
order Immediately after the disposition of
the superintendents' bill, and Mr.. Van
Fleet. OF Elkhart, promptly offered a mo-
ton to recommit the bill to the committee
on rights and privileges with instructions
to report an amendment providing that the
bill shall not bar from practice dentists
without licenses who work under the di-
rection of a regularly licensed dentist He
spoke 10 his motion and told of three men
in Elkhart, all of whom have been prac-
ticng for some time. one OF them for over
thirty years. who would be barred from
further practice under a licensed dentist
III the bill became a law in its present
form.
DEBATE ON DENTISTS BILL.
Mr.. Sparks. the sponsor OF the bin re-
piled to Mr.. Van Fleet. He said that while
the frieds of the bill were willing to have
IL amended in any reasonable manner he
wanted to tell something that he knew
about one OF three men cited by the mem
Der from Elkhart.
Zone OF those men," he said. ''who has