The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-02-14
TIMES BUREAU,
AT STATE CAPITAL

At STATE CAPITAL.
+ Indianapolis, Ind. Feb. 14.--In spite
| of the fact that there is lively inter-
est and strong demand for such in
stitutfon IT Is not at all likely that any
thing at all will be done at this session
of the Legislature toward the establish
ment of state penal farm, such as
has been suggested a number of times.
A bill has been introduced in the senate
for this purpose. butt 1t will die In com
mittee. according to some of the mem
bers.
| wo plans have been proposed for the
establishment OF the farm. One is that
the state should acquire large amount
of the cheap swamp land In the north
western part of the state. drain 1T and
improve 1t and make II into a state
farm Under this plant the convicts at
the state prison at Michigan City would
be placed on this farm and would be
!employed In making road material.
brick and such things. This plan is
favored by the labor organizations OF
the state on the theory that 1t would
furnish employment for the convicts at
the same taking them out of competi-
ton with free labor which Is controlled
by labor unions.
Another plan contemplated in a bill
which will probably be introduced IN
the senate is that the state forestry
Preservation IN Scott county should be
converted into state farm, to be un-
der the control o fthe board of trustees
of the state reformatory at Jefferson
willie. The state farm in the northern
part OF the state would be run in con-
nection with the state prison.
4 II the state forestry reservation
should be made into a state farm it
would be the plan to have sent to that
farm all men sentenced to a term of
six months more IN a county jail
anywhere in the state. Boys. also, too
young to be sent to the reformatory
and too old for the boys school at
Plainfe1d would be sent there.
}, But the senate committee on finance.
!: to which the state farm bill was re-
ferred. has about made up Its mind that
the state has no money for tbs pur-
: pose. Tie committee acknowledges
: that the idea Is a good one. and that
: the state would money on such
J an institution. 1t says that it would be
; a good investment IL the state had the
money to invest in 1t, but that the state
cannot do anything along that line
now. when there is a deficit Of 1915. 900
for the present fiscal year staring the
state in the face.
Representative Guild. of Pulaski
Starke and St Joseph counties. intro
duced a bill in the house that aroused
a storm of protest from a number OF
the small towns of the state. 1t pro-
vided that in towns of 1900 population
or less the town board could turn over
the town schools to the township trus-
tee and let him operate them. This
would abolish the school board and give
the school property to the township
Letters and protests began to pour in
against the bill. and the education COM
mittee in the house. to which it was
referred. made number of changes in
: the bill, so as to remove the objection
able features. The bill has passed the
house.
Before passing the bi1l." said Rep
Preventative Cook, chairman of the com
mittee. I'VE made out of it what VIZ
think is a very good measure There
has been objection to the bill and NJ
? doubt the objection was vel founded
i We find, however. that some people DE-
mot know that the bad features of thu
original bill have been removed b,
. amendment
The Guild bill now provides that tn,
= township, on a vote of its cities. ma,
lagree to take over the school propert!
: of an incorporated town that has 800
population or less. but the people of tn,
= itown. by vote must be in accord will
n the movement. and must agree to tn
; Establishment of the town board o
n school trustees and to the turning owe
= OF the town school prperty to ths town
= ship trustee and to the custody of tn
j. township
The original bill provided hat tn
d town board could turn over the schoc
= property-to the township and abolis
n the school board and abolish the schoo
- town This feature we changed so as t
a. give the people say. We did the sam
20 thing on the side of the township. l
+ we had not done so the incorporate
>, town might dissolve its school towr
10 join the township to build a fine town
Is ship high school in the town or nea
,e it, this year. and then next year incor
10 porate and take over the buildin
r which the whole township had had
ia lpart IN providing.
4 I'VE amended the bill so as to pre-
a. vide for the reimbursement or tn
W township when the school property
RS taken back by the transportation c
If the town The reimbursement featur
err of the bill it passed the house,
e. mutual, and is fair to all parties. W
Is believe
We
ID 1t looks like the back of the bi-paI
III tisan combine. composed of Senate
c. Wood. Kane. Kistler and Stotsenburi
al in the senate has been broken, and thu
II from now on there will be less of tt
~ effort on the part of the combine
control legislation. The combine mad
the fight of its life against the Grut
referendum bill and on the first voi
1t prevented the passage of the bill ]
the first place the combine tackled c
"a enough amendments to make the bi
IS worthless, the theory being that II
at, passed at all 1t should pass in for
IN. which would be the least objectionab
r. to the corporations which would
u affected by it. Then when they had Il