The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-01-29
KING CALLS
THE BILL
FOOL ISL
Representative Says That
Few Foreigners Gould
Tell the Exact Day on
Which They Came to This
Country.
TIMES BUREAU
AT STATE CAPITAL.


Indianapolis, Ind. Jan. 29.-Repre-
sentative King, of Wabash county, says
he has a grave doubt to constItu-
tfOnaIity OF the Strickland bill, passed
by the house, yesterday, which seeks
to prohibit the illegal voting of for
eigners at elections.
This bill provides that when a man
offers to vote at an election and is
challenged he must, if of foreign birth,
tell where and when he was born, when
and at what port he landed, whether
he has ever voted in this country how
long he has lived in the United States,
the state of Indiana, the township and
the precinct. If his answers do not
correspond with the requirements of
the law for qualified voters he shall
not be allowed to vote.
Few Who Could Tell.
King says that there are very few
foreign-born citizens in this country
who can tell today what ship they came
on to America, and that the mere fact
that this is one of the essential ques-
tions under this bill which, if the voter
cannot answer 1t, will disqualify him
as a voter, will be unconstitutional be-
cause it will disfranchise a man who
has every legal and constitutional
right to vote.
IF this law should be declared I'M
constitutional" said King, the only
thing that would be left standing would
be the provision repeating the present
law regarding challenging voters"
Strict Party Vote.
The bill passed the house by strict
party vote, all the democrats voting
for it and the republicans against it
But there is little likelihood that il
will get past the republican senate
The republicans say they are for cleo
ton reform laws, but not disfranchise-
ment of honest voters.
Somebody has seen something real
or imaginary and has struck out in the
dark" said King The bill is ridicu-
lous. A few Hunkies up in the north
west part of the state are the boyle al
which they are driving, but this bill
will work greater damage than bene-
fit"
Increase In Lake County.
Senator Mattingly says that the gen
eral tendency of his fee and salary bill
which he introduced, in the senate yes
terday, is to lower the salaries o.
county officers in the various counties
although. he says, in some of the larg
err counties Of the state increases ar,
provided for Taken as a whole how
ever he says, it will mean a smalle
aggregate outlet of the peoples money
In some of the larger Counties h,
said, where there has been great in
crease in population an increase il
salary is provided for In Lake coun
ty, for example, some of the county of
fcers are spending all their salary il
. paying deputies. In that county tn
bill makes a decided increase in salar
les.
But taking everything into consider
alton there would be a decrease in tn
total salaries under the bill. At pres
4 ent, county auditors, for example, re
ceive a stipulated salary and in add
q ton they receive pay under the coun
ty reform act and $50 year under tn
s depository law. Taking all of the ex
ira remuneration into considerable
q my bill would provide for decreases
n most counties"
The Mattingly bill provides for in
4 Icreases in Marion county. In thi
& county the salary OF the clerk, includ
y ing all allowances is $4,000 a yea
The Mattingly bill would fix the clerk
salary at $4,000. Increases in othe
offices would be ais follows: Audito
$17,50 to $4,000; sheriff, $4,000
$4,000; recorder. s12. 500 to S16,5Ot
commissioners, $4,000 to $4,000.