The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-21
Henry w. Marshall, I'm Decfdiag
Against Sayre's Motion, Sarcastfc-
ally Scored the .'Watch Dog"
GRAY FOUGHT FOR HIS BILL
SENATE, HOWEVER, KILLED THE
FREE. TEXTBOOK MEASURE.
Voting Machine Bill Passes Upper
House-Vincennes University Claim
Commission-News and Gossip.

On Wednesday the House enjoyed the
most dramatic fight of the session; yester-
day it indulged in the longest parliament
tary wrangle. The entire forenoon session
and a half hour of the afternoon were de-
voted to the adjustment of the point raised
by Representative Sayre Wednesday aft
ernoon that the House journal showed two
members incorrectly recorded in the vote
on House bill No. 2SS
In the end Mr.. Sayre won in his con-
tention that the journal should be cor
rected, but failed in his plan to get the
bill back before the House, for when il
came to correcting votes it was found that
three mistakes had been made and that
while the Affirmative votes of Messrs. Gully
and Green should be changed to the mega
tive, the negative vote of Mr.. Sherman,
the sage of Decatur county and sayre's
seat-mate, should be changed 10 the af-
firmative. leaving the bill with 81 afirma-
tive votes, the constitutional majority
necessary to pass any measure.
An ulterior motive is ascribed to Sayre
in his fight on the question, as it is claimed
that he not only wished to have the votes
of Gully and Green correctly recorded but
that he wished to get the bill, which is the
one increasing the salary of the Governor
to 5000. back before the House SO that he
might try TO recommit il with instructions
to report an amendment thai would leave
the salary of the Governor at the present
figure of 5000 and fix the salaries of the
judges of the Supreme and Appellate courts
at 5000 and s4,25o. respectively. The MEM
Der from Wabash neither affirmed nor de-
MED that such was his intention, but as
he opposed the bill increasing the salaries
of the Supreme and Appellate judges to
$1,000 and voted against the bill increasing
the Governors salary, Ii is regarded as
probable that he desrous of getting
another whack at the bill with the hatchet
which he has used so effectively all through
the session.
DECISION OF THE SPEAKER
The question was the first thing taken up
yesterday morning as the unfinished busi-
ness of the day before. On Thursday even-
ing Sayre had raised the point question:
ing the record of the House and had Of
fered a motion that the journal be cor
rected and that the bill be recalled from
the Senate inasmuch as after the correc-
ton had been made In the vote Il would
be shown that the bill had failed to pass
The speaker had taken the motion under
advisement and had said that he would
make his decision yesterday. To this Sayre
assented.
Immediately upon convening yesterday.
after the reading of the journal had been
dispensed with, the speaker first handed
down the affidavits OF Charles De Vault
Phelps Darby and w. r Miller EMPLOYEES
of the House. In which these men averred
that the vote on the bill In question had
been correctly recorded He then read his
which the speaker had carefully prepared
and which scored Sayre caustically. was as
follows:
THE chair takes the liberty 10 state that
the gentleman from Wabash has no right
to challenge the integrity of the journal of
the proceedings of the House relating TO a
session when he was absent from the
House and when he could not possibly have
any personal knowledge OF the correctness
of the proceedings as set forth I'm the jour-
nal. Neither has he any right TO impeach the
honesty and integrity of the employees OF
this House, who are under oath TO honestly
and faithfully discharge the duties of their
positions. The chair prefers to accept the
sworn statements Gas just read OF the roll
clerk and the indorsing clerk (who could
have no interest in the vote) as TO The
curacy of the roll of the House upon the
passage of the bill in question and that OF
the journal clerk--that the journal shows a
just and true record OF the proceedings
they actually occurred-to that OF a men,
Der who was absent from the House during
the proceedings heretofore referred TO and
who has no means OF knowing other than
the mere statements that the journal is in
correctly made by two of the minority
| members of the House who might possibly.
| for political reasons, desire TO have their
| votes changed upon the records or this
| House.
.'The chair fully understands that at the
/ beginning of the session the gentleman
| from Wabash assumed the responsibility of
| looking after the personal privileges of his
| deskmate (the gentleman from Decaturl,
with more or less success, but why he
should arrogate unto himself the privilege
of extending the protectorate to members
| of the minority side. thereby jeopardizing
the disputed but often proclaimed leader
| ship Of the gentleman from Johnson and
| the gentleman from Jay, to tenderly guard
| and protect the personal privileges OF each
/ member of the darkened side of the cham
| ber is more than the chair can compre-
| hend.
..House Rule states that when the vote
is taken upon the passage of any bill or
Joint resolution, and when the same may
| be demanded by the House. the clerk shall.
after the roll has been gone through. first
read over the names of those who have
answered I'm the affirmative and then the
names of those who have answered in the
negative, in order that II he has made any
mistake in noting the answer. or IL any
member has made mistake I'm his answer.
| the mistake OF either may be corrected.
| .ITnder this rule there Is no provision for
correcting a mistake or either the roll clerk
| or a member after the result OF the vote
| has been announced. House Rule Is pro-
| yfdes that any member may change his
| vote before the result is announced. and
afterward, provided such change win not
| affect the result. The chair is unable TO
| find any rule or precedent under which the
/ vote on the lassage OF the bill may be
| changed nor the journal altered after the
| reading OF the same had begun and the
| further reading being by motion dispensed
with. which, under the House rules. 10
| equivalent to the adoption OF the minutes.
Therefore the motion IN not I'm order,
and neither is the question a privileged one
10 the gentleman from Wabash"
| Mr.. Sayre promptly took exceptions to
the speakers statement that he had net