The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-05
Senate Committee on Public Morals
Reports FavcrabIy Sunday
Baseball for Large Cities.
MORE PAY FOR HIGH JUDGES
HOUSE PASSES SALARY BILL AFTER
STRENUOUS DEBATE.
Important Legislation Considered In
Both Houses--Routine of Senate
and HOuse-Legislative Notes.

The bill to give Indianapolis Sunday base
ball divided interest I'm the Senate yester-
day with the bill introduced by Senator
James p. Gray, of Evansville. providing
that If any railroad a part of which is In
this State shall be sold under foreclosure
proceedings. the purchasers may sell or
lease the road or any part OF 1t to any rail-
road corporation, the line of which con-
meets with or intersects the road which
is sold
The baseball bill had been under consid-
Grafton by the committee on public morals,
and the report OF the committee await
ed with anxiety, not only on the part of
the supporters of the measure. but on the
part Of the opponents. The railroad bill,
popularity known as "the railroad consolida-
ton bill" was newmeasure. the provisions
of which had been guessed at and discussed
for several weeks. Senator Grays meas
ure is. in way, substitute for the Joss
bill vetoed by the Governor at the session
of the last Legislature. but it is less COM
plicated, and is said to be free from the
Objectionable features Of the railroad con-
solidation bill which created such a>furore
in the General Assembly of 1901.
FAVOR BASEBALL BILL.
The committee on public morals. of which
Senator Will r. Wood, of Lafayette is
chairman, after going into all phases of
the situation and hearing numerous ex-
pressions from citizens interested one way
or another, presented a unanimous report
favoring the passage Of the measure. The
bill, however, had been amended in COM
mittee room. and had been so changed that
Sunday baseball is not proposed alone for
Indianapolis, but for every other city in the
State of over $1,000 population. Senators
representing Fort Wayne. Muncie. Marion.
Evansville, Terre Haute and other of the
larger cities. had stood out for an amend
ment letting their cities in with Indianapo-
lis, and the committee found it advisable
to broaden the scope of the measure so
that it would apply to all Of the larger
towns of Indiana.
There had been some feeling that the bill
should be made to apply to Indianapolis
alone, but the senator's from other cities de-
clared that public sentiment forced them
to take the stand that Sunday baseball
should be legalized in their own towns.
Senator Wood, chairman of the committee,
made the report of the morals committee to
the effect that the bill should pass as
amended. and the report was concurred in
by an overwhelming vote: Only a few
of the senators voted no" 1t is believed
that the bill will pass in the present form.
oped, principally in the form of petitions
from ministerial associations and church
societies over the State
The railroad consolidation bill-so dubbed
for the want of better term-was brought
forward in the introduction of new bills.
1t is briefly drawn and free from the COM
plexity and voluminousness of the Joss
bill, which occupied the attention of the
Legislature of 1901. Senator Gray who
fathers the measure, says it is designed al
most wholly TO permit the Illinois Central
system in indiana, and that there is nothing
about the bill which it is desired to conceal
or to present to the public in disguised
form. The Illinois Central, Senator Gray
says, has had difficulty in securing clear
title to that part OF its system which runs
through Indiana, and the purpose of the
bill is to give the road an opportunity to
secure a title free from complexities and
The text Of the bill is as fol-
lows:
TEXT OF RAILROAD BILL.
"A bill for an act authorizing the sale,
transfer or leasing of railroads which
have BEEN. or may hereafter be sold. in
foreclosure proceedings. and other matters
Herewith and declaring an emer-
gency-
Section 1. Be ii enacted by the General
Assembly of the State of Indiana, that
which is situated within this State, shall
have been shall hereafter be sold pur-
suant to the decree of any court in fore
closure proceedings. the purchaser or pur-
chasers thereof, their grantees, successors
In title, or assigns, may sell or lease the
same or any part thereof to any railroad
organized or existing under the
laws of this State or any other State whose
whether directly or by ferry or
w q tracks of a bridge ma nv nr Of
terminal company or over the tracks of an
other railroad company, connects with or
such railroad sold or leased
aud whose railroad is not parallel or a
competing line with the railroad of the
corporation SO purchasing or leasing; and
any such railroad of the corporation so
acquiring the same shall have, and may
exercise, all of the franchises. powers,
privileges. immunities and capacities Of the
or companies which constructed
or owned such railroad so sold. and shall
nave all the franchises, powers. privileges,
immunities and capacities conferred by the
general statutes Of this State upon rail-
road corporations organized or existing
under the laws thereof, and shall, in respect
TO the railroad so purchased or leased, be
subject to all the duties. burdens and obli-
cations imposed by law upon railroad cor
porations organized or existing under the
laws of this State. Provided, That at any
time within sixty days after such sale or
such lease, the owner of any stock of such
selling or such lessor corporation who may
for any county in which any portion of such
railroad may be situated by fling a Pc
tition in the nature of an action against
such purchasing or such lessee corporation,
together with the certificate or certificates
or stock sued on or a copy thereof to have
the value OF his stock determined and ad-
judged and upon final adjudication upon his
petition the purchasing or the lessee cor
poration shall pay to him into court for
his beneft the sum determined and adj
judged to be the value OF his stock, and
upon such payment such stock shall be as
signed TO and belong to the purchasing or
the lessee corporation, and shall be trans
ferred to Ii.
by deed or lease heretofore made.
or any railroad or part thereof in this State
which would be valid IL this act had been
in force are hereby legalized.
Section 3. Whereas an emergency is
declared to exist for the immediate taking
ERECT of this act, the same shall be in
force and effect from and after it's pas
sage"
MR. GRAY'S EXPLANATION
Explaining the purpose of the bill, Senator
Gray said yesterday: 1.-The bill authorizes
the sale, transfer or leasing of railroads
which have been. or may hereafter be, sold
in foreclosure proceedings. The purpose
Of the bill is to allow foreign railroad cor
purchase or lease from persons, individuals
or corporations which have bought rail-
roads in Indiana under foreclosure pro-
ceedings. 1t is the sole intention of the
bill to enable foreign railroad corporations
to pick Up broken links Of their roads In
the State of Indiana and TO get them under
one continuous management where such
Indiana roads have been sold out under