The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-13
When Lieutenant Governor
Hall Received It He Prompt
ly Turned It Over to the
Morals Committee.
ROAD HOUSE feature
WILL BE TRIMMED OFF
Public Utilities Bill introduced
In the House That Promises
To Be Unpopular Gar
rard'S Bill.
Palladium Bureau.
lndianapolie. Feb.

indianapolis. Feb. IS.
Speaker Honan had to almost fight,
yesterday. to have his own way on the
que stion of adjourning the house until
Monday. Several of the easy-going
members who do not care much
whether school keeps or not wanted
to adjourn until Monday at 10 o'clock.
But Speaker Honan told them no, that
they must meet today and transact
business. They objected he insisted.
He told them plainly that there
should be no more fooling around and
they should either play ball or get off
| the lot. And he had his way about II,
and there was a session this forenoon,
but none this Sfternoon
A Mountain Of Bills.
The speaker has more than 100
bills on his desk ready to be handed
down for second or third reading. and
he understands fully that unless the
members attend to business they will
not get much done. He did not pro-
pose TO quit when there was lot OF
work to do. In the senate. however.
II was different. Some one made a mo-
tion to adjourn and 1t was carried
without much of a stir.
Hall Gives Surprise.
Everybody in the senate. esterday.
| was surprised when Lieutenant Gov
ernor Hall handed down the Tomlin-
son bill and referred 1t to the conn
mittee on public morals. This IL the
| liquor bill that passed the house
Thursday along toward night II was
sent to the senate yesterday and no
| time was lost in getting the senate
machinery busy with II. There seems
to be a disposition now to push IL
a good many OF the members of both
houses are tired of having the saloon
question before them week after week
as the paramount ISSUE" They
want to get at something else. but up
to this time there has been little
| chance for anything else because the
saloon bill was in the way and oc-
cupied about all OF the time and n.
tention.
Will Trim Amendment.
There is good reason to believe. n
has been stated. before. that the SEN
ate will trim off the amendment made
in the house to permit the granting
Of licenses to road house saloons with
in four miles of a city. make the IL
| cense fee a straight one thousand dol.
lars and then pass the bill. II it
passes the senate in that form and
come back to the house It may or may
not get through the house In that
shape. Some Of the democrats Of the
the road house feature. and II one or
two votes were to be lost It would kill
the bill. So. there il no certainty
yet that the local option Law win be
repealed. There are two democratic
senators who will stand pat against
repeating the Law. They are McCarty
and Tilden. On the other hand there
are four republicans who are count
ed on to vote for repeal. They arc
Wood. Gonnerman. Durre and Orn-
dorf. But It is not yet certain that
either Wood or Gonnerman will vote
that way. They will insist on q high
license feature in the bill. and II II ID
not placed there they may oppose IL.
The general understanding is that
the Tomlinson bill viii be reported
out of the senate committee early
next week and that 1t will forced to
passage as rapidly as possible.
Goes to the People.
Representative Hewig, of Evans
| vile. introduced bill yesterday. that
| is likely to attract a good deal of af-
| tention. His bill proposes that when
ever a franchise for any public utility
is asked for from a city the question
of whether ii shall be granted shall
be submitted to a vote Of the people.
II the people vote for It the franchise
| would be granted. II majority vOt-
ed no it would not be granted. This
| bill is in direct opposition to the pub
lie utilities bills that have been In
troduced In the legislature. These
bills. especially the one th4t has beDn
introduced by Garrard, the democsaf1e
floor leader Of the house, would tako
away from the city entirely any Co.
troll over the matter Of fr1ne1jses an1
vest exclusive power In that 15rsefioa
in the railroad commissioo Tbs
commission woul have power 10
grant a franchise to any corporation
that might wish to establish . water.
gas. electric light. telephooe. tsle-
graph or other kind Of plant n any
cffy without asking the effinenR A. -