The Lake County times., 1907-02-09
General Assembly Closes
First Portion of Term
In Oratorical Whirl.
BLIND TIGER IS A GO
Senate Decides In Favor of Constiu-
tional Convention-Looks Good
For High License.
Especial to Lake County Times). !.

Indianapolis, Feb 9.-The first half
Of the sixty-hfth general assembly
ended with a bang yesterday. when the
house passed in the midst of a whirl
of orato-y the Ganiard blind tiger"
bill. The vote stood 81 to 81. Fur
ther anelysis of the vote on this meas
ure shows that 81 republicans voted
for the bill, including Elliot of ST. Jo-
sep5, Dwyer, Stults; II democrats vot-
ed for it; 10 republicans voted against
including Ratliff. Johnson and 27
democrats voted against the bill, in
Guiding Simon, Moon, Parker. Freuch
tenischt. Wells. Hay and Joyce. Wat
son. a republican, voted for the meas
ure. too.
There were nine absentees who did
not vote OF this number at least four
were thought to be favorable to the
measure and five perhaps against it. A
full vote. therefore, would have
brought out about So in defense of the
bill and AZ against it,
1t was a little bit better victory
that the temperance people had in
mind; the margin was just a little
greater than they though they would
have. Consequently they were very
much elated over the success of the
measure.
Now the $1,000 license is up to the
house. The prospects on this measure
look about as the prospects on the
"bnnd tiger bin did Thursday. Argu-
Ing from that therefore it would seem
that this measure9 would go through.
And If a vote were to be taken on it
today nothing could stop 1t. The house
adjourned for the day, however. and
nothing can be expected before the
first of next week. In the meantime
both sides of the controversy will have
the opportunity of prolonging their suit
before the members of the house The
feeling IS on the whole. however, that
this measure will go through, sub
stantially as it passed the house
$1,000 license with a division of $500
and S400. The division may be chang
ed to one of $500 and $500. This is
the most likely change. If one is made.
Constitutional Convention.
The senate decided in the afternoon
in favor of new constitutional con-
vention. The Wood bill passed the
senate providing that in September of
this year there shall be a special cleo
ton to elect delegates to a constitu-
tional convention. The vote stoS1 81
to on the measure. Exactly the same
vote carried through Ganiard's pri-
vate banking bill, after some amend
ments had been made One of the i'm
po~tant bills introduced at the after
noon session of the house and senate
was the bill to regulate the conduct
Of fraternal associations further. The
most important provision of this bill
is that the rates for fraternal insur-
ance shall not be less than those pre-
scribed BY tho American Fraternal
congress. This Is the bill proposed by
the state auditors Office and the fact
that there are 50 many members Of
fraternals in both the house and SEN
ate argues rough journey for the
measure.
Already among the members of the
general assembly there is talk OF the
Introduction of a bill that will aim to
cure the alleged insurance evils that
are cropping out In such a startling
way at the examination of the State
Life Insurance company The bill pro-
posed provides. In the first place that
every Indiana company or any size
shall have a board Of fifteen directors
chosen by the policyholders direct
All Of the present directors Of mutual
companies would be legislated out of
office. and the election of fifteen di-
rectors under the law would be under
the control Of the insurance commits
sioner.
Scandal Helps Babcock-Farbcr Bill.
The feeling is that the state Life
story will be the largest single factor
In passing the Babcock- -Farber insur-
ance bill Until the stories came out
with reference to the alleged graft of
$4,000 by two of the directors Of the
State Life. prospects We're not good
for the passage of the measure This
$4,000 story seems to have been pref
ty wen authenticated by the witnesses
before the state auditor. though both
Quinn and sweeney denied the whole
story Of Nick. the real estate dealer,
In their testimony yesterday, however,
they were woefully at variance. not
only with each others statements, but
with their own statements at different
times.
This investigation has caught the
eyes Of the general public as well as
the members of the general assembly.
The little room was crowded yester
day afternoon when Quinn, Mrs. w
r. Mick and James r. Wilson We're on
the stand. Their testimony bore out
that of ". E. Mick himself. and was
contrary to that OF Quinn and Sweeney.