The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-24
Senatorial Race Dies Down in
Interest and Legislators
Begin to Think of Meas
ureS.
UTILITIES COMMISSION
BACKED BY SHIPPERS.
Question of Establishment of
Such Body Causes Worry
Liberals and Brewers
May Have Split.
BY Ellis Searles.

Indianapolis. Ind, Nov. 24.-There
has been let-down in the senatorial
race during the last few days and it
looks like there will not be much doing
in that line until some time next
month, when the various candidates
will open their headquarters in this
city and begin rounding up the votes.
l.. Ert Slack. of Franklin, who has up
TO this time been the most active cad
didate in the bunch, says he will be at
Columbus all week trying a law suit.
and that this will keep him out of the
game at least for that length of time.
John w. Kern has been sick for sever
al days and scarcely able to be at his
office at all. Therefore, his candidacy
has had TO drift along on the uncertain
waters of the campaign. b. +. Shive-
ly has not been In town for two weeks
and nobody seems to know whether he
will ever get back. John z. Lamb
drops over from Terre Haute once In
while long enough to deny that he is
out of the race. then he goes right
straight back home. ajor G. v. Men,
zies, OF Mt. Vernon, went home several
days ago after remarking that he Is
well pleased with his prospect, but he
is coming back in short time and
open headquarters, and then he says
the fur will fly.
Graft Seems Doomed.
But while the fight for the senate
rial toga has simmered down to a qui-
ct affair, there are good many things
that are agitating the minds of the
members of the coming legislature.
One of these is legislation to eliminate
graft in public offices.
Senator Salem d. Clark of Marion
county, has in preparation bill which
he believes will do much toward bring
ing about this end. He says his bill
will provide that prosecutins for EN-.
bezzlement may be begun at any time
after the embezzlement is discovered.
Under the present law, he says the
prosecution must be started within two
years. He says 1t is easy enough for
crooked official to have a man elect
ed to succeed him who will cover up
the crookedness and keep it covered
any length of time, thus preventing
the embezzler from being prosecuted.
His bill will cure this, he says.
The question OF establishing a pub
lie utilities commission in this state,
is also troubling the members of the
legislature. The plan is backed by
the Indiana Manufacturers and Ship
pers' association, representing 200 of
the leading shippers and manufactur-
ers in the various cities of the state,
and 1t Is expected that it will WELD a
great power In the legislature. Two
years ago this association forced the
passage Of what is knoNn as the Ship
pers' Bill, giving shippers some rights
that even railroads are bound to re-
spect, and it believes that 1t can go
farther this time and get the public
utilities bill through.
A meeting of the association has
been called for December 8 and 10, at
the Claypool hotel in this city. when
the public utilities bill will be dis
| cussed and plans laid to bring it be-
fore the General Assembly.
Liberals Against Brewers.
II is said that there is about to be q
break between the brewers and the
Liberal league. which was organized
some weeks before the election all over
the state. The Liberal league has
hundreds of members among the lib
eral minded people of the state. the
people who believe that Governor Han
ly forced a bitter dose down the
| throats of the people when he COM
PEELED them TO accept the county local
option law. Officers of the Liberal
league declare that the brewers are
not in any manner connected with
/ their organization. except that some of
| them are members individually, and
that they have nothing to do with the
control or conduct of the organization.
They say they are organized to protect
the personal liberty of the people from
| any and all persons or organizations.
and they believe that the people need
protection against the brewers the
same as against any other injurious in
fluence.
| II Is given out that the Liberal
league does not care whether the coun-
/ ty local option law is repealed or not
Ii does, however, insist that the legis-
lature shall enact new laws that will
further control the saloon business. Il
| favors the plan of limiting the num-
| Der of saloons to one for each 500 in
/ habitants and a law that win send Q
saloon keeper to jail for the first vio-
lation. and revoke his license for the
second violation Of the saloon Law.
But 1t goes farther, and says that It
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