The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-08
Bolting Republicans stand by Their
Declaration and Twelve United
with the Democrats.
MEASURE SAVED BY TWO VOTES
SLACK, MINORITY LEADER, CLAIMS
ROLL WAS UNFAIRLY TAKEN.
Insurgents Make Determined Effort to
Block the Bill-HOw the State
IL Redistricted.

The legislative apportionement bill is now
ready for the approval of the Governor.
The Senate passed the House enacting
clause to H. B. 413, to which had been add
ed the joint caucus measure, yesterday fore
noon on strictly party vote, and a few
minutes later it was presented in the House.
The House concurred after a lively fight
AS a curtain raiser to the action on the
apportionment bill the House voted down
a motion to suspend the rules and place on
its passage Senator Smiths bill providing
that in the legislative joint district NOM
mating conventions the counties in the dis
trict by reason of an excess vote shall have
tual excess vote entities them to. This bill
was passed by the Senate Friday, and the
House Republicans who objected to the
joint caucus action on the apportionment
measure said they would not oppose the
latter bill any further if the House would
pass the Smith bill.
Sparks, of Rush, offered the motion to
suspend the rules and pass the Smith bill
and the House had voted to second the mo-
ton before more than a dozen members
knew what the bill provided. Then there
was lively scramble on the part of the
representatives from the more populous
counties of the State-those that are in Joint
districts by reason of an excess vote-ard
as result of their activity the motion to
suspend the rules failed to carry. 1t re-
qured 81 aye votes and but As could be
mustered to % noes. The bill was then read
a first time and referred to the Committee
on elections. where 1t will die a peaceful
death.
STOOD BY DECLARATION.
bill had been made virtually a dead letter,
stood by their declaration to fight the ap-
portionment bill. Twelve of them-Branch,
Caldwell, Hume, Kline, Miller, Mitchell,
Patton, Salisbury, Salmond. Sherman,
Stookey and Watson-united with the DEM
ocrats in an effort to defeat concurrence
in the Senate amendments. Hume made a
motion that the House nonconcur, and ii
was promptly seconded Bamberger moved
to table the motion to nonconcur, and on
this the ayes and noes were vociferously
demanded from every corner of the hall.
The roll call showed As ayes to "A noes
and the motion TO table prevailed. The
speaker then put the question of concurring
i'm the Senate amendments and declared il
carried by viva voce vote. The volume
of noes was undoubtedly much greater than
that of the ayes, but that was due to the
better lungs on the minority side, one of
the Democratic members alone--Boyd, of
Putnam-being able to make more noise
than any other ten men in the House IL
was apparent from the roll call which jlst
preceded that majority of the members
favored concurrence, and from this fact
the speakers ruling was justified.
Ten minutes later Slack. the minority
floor leader, arose to what he termed a
question Of the highest privilege" He
said that the speaker had announced the
vote on the motion to table the motion to
nonconcur as 46 ayes to A noes. and that
he was firm In the belief that there was a
mistake in this vote. He asked that the
vote be verified. His request was held out
of order, as II should have been made be-
fore the vote was announced.
The insurgents were not to be downed
without another struggle. or at least with
out making a valiant effort TO start another
fght and early I'm the afternoon session
Slack, seconded by Bader. sent up a mo-
ton to reconsider the vote by which the