The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-02-10
SEN. STEVE FLEMING
CRACKS WHIP At CAPITAL
Feels Himself Safe in Allen County With Local Option
and Consequently Can Dictate in Tomlin-
son Bill Now Under Consideration.

present local option law as under no
such law. for it does not affect any of
the saloons in Allen county, wher he
does most OF his business, but he
would be damaged by the enactment
of the Tomlinson bill into law. 1t is
said now that it was the full inten-
ton of the democrats in the house TO
push the Tomlinson bill to a vote on
the reports of the committee yesterday
afternoon, but when they looked the
situation over they found that II would
not be safe to put the committee re-
ports TO a vote for fear that the bill
would be killed. Sc they put it off and
the word was passed around that they
would hold a caucus last night on the
proposition.
1T looks to me like Fleming is in a
position to just about tell the rest of
the bunch where to get Off" said one
man at the state house yesterday aft
ernoon when it was learned that the
Tomlinson bill would not come up in
the house. He would be foolish to
agreed to a bill that would do him
harm when he can go ahead under
the present law without much loss of
business"
But whether Fleming Will seek TO
use the advantage which he holds is
not known, although it 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
it 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
If he wished to.
More New House 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;
to require all county officers who
handle public moneys to give bond; to
make it a crime to misrepresent ones
lodge or church affiliations; to reuire
interurbans to maintain waiting-rooms
in towns; to place a bounty of not
more than 10 cents on crows.
The house killed a bill to erect a
statue of General Pleasant Hackelman
in Rushville. General Hackelman was
the only line officer from Indiana
killed in the civil war.
And the house killed the bill requir-
ing townships to pay a bounty of
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 killed by the house
included one appropriating $500, 900 fol
the erection of a state library and
museum, and another to abolish the
fish and game deputies.
And the senate had a lot of new
bills yesterday afternoon, also, but nom
of them were important.
~StrangIing Committee at Work.
The democrats not only have com.
to the conclusion that it is time fol
them to get busy and do something
that will look like an effort to redeen
the party pledges. but they have ap
pointed committees composed of trieC
and true party members in the hous'
whose duty 1t is to push things alont
during the rest of the session. One o
these committees in the steering com
mittee" n it is composed of Repre-
sentatives Hauck of L-awrenceburg
, Gerard of vincennes. Merriman 0
Button and Galbraith of Sunman. Prob
ably a betetr name for this committe
: would be the "strangling committee.
for it is the duty of this bunch to Sc
! to it that undesirable bills are stran
gled before they get far enough aloni
to do any harm. This committee viii