The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-10


agree to a bill that would do him harm
when he can 60 ahead under the pres
ent law without much loss of bust
ness"
But whether Fleming will seek to
use the advantage which he holds is
not known. although 1t is easy to see
that he could do SO. Thus far he has
declared that he is keeping hands off
the local option fight for the reason.
as he says. that If he were to get into
1t actively the people would say that
he was in for personal reasons. But
1t is admitted that he could dictate
terms to the rest of the democrats
who are working for liquor legislation,
Ii he wished to.
Thirty-four New Bills.
Thirty-four more bills in the house
yesterday. Will they never let up?
Among them were these: To prohibit
prosecuting attorneys from taking any
part in labor Injunction suits; to place
all prosecuting attorneys on salaries;
o require all county officers who
handle public moneys to give bond:
to make 1t crime to misrepresent
ones lodge or church affiliations: to
require interurbans to maintain wait
ing rooms in towns; to place bounty
of not more than ten cents on crows.
The house killed bill to erect a
statue of General Pleasant Hackelman
in Rushville. Gen. Hackelman was
the only line officer from Indiana kill
ed in the civil war
And the house killed the bill re-
quiring townships to pay a bounty of
one cent for rats killed. the cent to
be paid when the slayer presents the
tail of the dead rat to the trustee.
This bill has been called the prize
freak of the session Other bills kill
ed by the house included one appro-
priating 100000 for the erection of
state library and museum and another
to abolish fish and game deputies.
And the senate had a lot Of new
bills yesterday afternoon, also, but
none of them were important.
A "strangline" Committee.
The democrats not only have come
to the conclusion that it is time for
them to get busy and do something
that will look like an effort to redeem
the party pledges but they have APP
pointed. committees composed of tried
and true party members in the house
whose duty it is to push things along
during the rest of the session. One of
these committees is the steering
committee" and it is composed of Rep
~1r p%ot re
Garrard, of Vincennes; Merriman, of
Button and Galbraith, of Sunman.
Probably a better name for this COM
mittee would be the "strangling"
committee, for it is the duty of this
bunch to see to it that undesirable
bills are strangled before they get far
enough along to do any harm. This
committee will say which bills shall
be pushed forward and which shall
not. 1t other words, it will decide
on the plan of action each day and
outline the general policy of the demo-
cratic majority in the house. And
when this strangling committee de-
cides that bill shall be passed an
other committee composed of Repre-
sentatives Behymer, of Elwood: Sci
densticker, of Indianapolis; Sweeney,
of Tell City; Thornton. Of New Al
bany and Sunkel, of Clay City. will
get out among the democratic men,
bers of the house and pass the word
that they are to vote for it. And this
latter committee is to see to it that
no democrat introduces or supports
any bill that is not in accord with the
democratic state platform. It is to be
from now on scramble to get right
with he platform II hey can. 1t is adj
mitted that it is little late for them
tobegin, but they may get something
done even at this late hour.
There was a general feeling about
the state house today that the effort
on the part of the school book lobby
and some of the legislators to repeal
the uniform school book law will fail
and that the law will not be changed.
One of the men most prominent in the
fight said today that he feared their
effort to upset the law would not
carry.