The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-10
This Is the Net Result of the
Regular Session of the In
diana Legislature Just
Brought to Close.
MANY MEASURES DIED
AT HANDS OF GOVERNOR
Of the New Measures Many of
Them Are Regarded as
Ones of Merit-TWo Num-
CipaI Bills Passed.
Palladium Bureau,
indianapolis, March 10.

Palladium Bureau,
Indianapolis, March 10.
The session of the legislature just
closed. enacted about 100 laws. More
than that number of bills were passed
but that is the number that will be
signed by Governor Marshall-and his
signature is required to make a bill a
law.
This legislature did but a little over
half the amount OF business done by
the session OF two years ago. That
session enacted 295 laws. But the
value Of session OF the legislature
does not always depend on the number
Of bills passed SO much as 1t does on
the kind Of bills passed. And In this
regard the last session will measure up
pretty we'll with former sessions.
Regular Slaughter.
Another thing to be considered is
the number Of bad bills that were kill.
ed by the last session. 1t was reg
ular slaughter house and 1t killed bills
right and left. most Of them being bills
that should not become laws. anyway.
Yesterday the clerks of the house and
the senate dumped out all of the bills
that failed to pass. and there was 3
pile of them that q circus horse could
not jump over. In the bunch in the
''morgue" were bills that proposed to
repeal the present excellent system OF
uniform text books in this state; bills
to repeal the county option law; bills
to create a public utilities commission
that would have had the people Of the
state by the throat in the interest of
the utilities corporations: bills to
change the insurance laws and enable
insurance companies to do many
things that they are not now allowed
to do: bills in the interest OF corpora
lions, railroads, traction companies.
breweries, saloons and many other
things. To have passed all of these
bills, or even a small number of them.
would have stamped the legislature as
den of robbers and pirates and would
have been q disgrace to the state.
Several Good Bills.
But there were also in the bunch
some very good bills that should have
been enacted into law. For instance
there was the bill to purify the jury
system: the bill to purify elections; the
voters registration bill: the bill to
place all county officers on straight
salaries and have all fees collected
turned into the treasury: the bill to
prohibit bootlegging Of whisky; the
bill to require all county officers who
handle money to give bond; the bill to
repeal the vicious county clerks fee
law; the bill to repeal the sheriff's in
and out fee graft law; and hundred
others that should have been passed.
But the work actually done by the leg
islature was not SO bad. after all.
The appropriations bill, as 1t finally
passed and became a law yesterday
morning, makes provision for paying
all of the appropriations and leaving q
surplus in the state treasury on Sep.
TENDER 30. 1901. Not only does II
do that. but Governor Marshall's bill,
which was introduced and passed by
both houses Monday night and was
signed by the governor yesterday. re-
duces the state tax levy one and one
u6lI CCutS anu LC0uo Sh"S esAS >ON~'
state taxes collected In 1911 and 1917
will be about $-0O.OOO less than in the
two years preceding. Even with this
reduction it is figured that the appro
priations will be paid and surplus left
| on hand.
Two Municipal Bills.
Two bills affecting cities and towns
have been passed at this session OF the
| legislature One regulates the matter
of street improvements. It provides
that when a board of public works or
ders a street improved the property
owners affected may have the right OF
appea, to the circuit court to determine
| whether the Improvement is necessary
or whether their assessment is prop
err and just Then. after the improve
ment is finally determined on. the
board of works shall advertise for bids
on not less than four different kinds
of material for the pavement. and the
bidders shall bid on all four kinds Of
material and the property owners shall
have the right to select the kind OF
material to be used after the bids are
filed. This provision. 1t is pointed
out. will prevent combinations OF bid
ders and make it impossible for any
deal to be put up that will be detri'
| mental TO the property owners.
Street improvements.
Provision is made also that at street
and alley intersections half OF the cos,
Of the improvement shall be paid by
the city and the other half by the
abutting property owners. In case
| ii is found on appeal to be inequitaoie
for the property owner to be assessed
in this manner. provision is made Ds
which the property owners half OF the