The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-05-16
HOUSE REJECTS
UTILITIES BILL
Object 10 Amendments Made By
Senate Committee.

Republican and Democratic Floor
Leaders Dsnounce Changes as Be-
trayal OF People Into Hands Of
Monied Interests Declare High.
saIaried Lobby on Hand to See
That Teeth" Were Properly Ex.
tracted-senate Probers May Wait.
Columbus, o. May l2.The house
Of representatives Hatly refused TO
concur in the senate amendments to
the Winters public utilities bill, the
vote being 81 to IA. The measure
was turned over to conference
committee named by Lieutenant Gov
ernor Nionols and Speaker vining.
The senate members are Stockwell,
Mcclure and Bader. The house
members are Langdon, Fitzpatrick
and Winters.
Those who voted in favor Of con-
curing were Democrats Behne OF
Williams, Donson and Gebhardt OF
Montgomery, Finley of Morgan. Good
bread of " yandot, Gotshall of Knox,
Leathers and Thomas Of Wood, Nye
of Pike, Stambaugh OF Hardin,
/ N'arnes of Holmes and Winters OF
Erie. Republicans-Guard of Cham.
paign, Jenkins of Madison, Lowry of
Lawrence. Ratliff of Hamilton and
Reid OF Fayette.
When the bill came up in the house
the progressives, both Republicans
and Democrats, opened I big fight to
put back some of the teeth" which
| the senate had extracted. The bill as
passed by the senate, containing
more than 200 amendments that
were put in, it is alleged, at the so
| licitation of public service corpora
tions, came up in the house for con-
currence in the senate amendments.
Representative Price Russell OF
Wayne county, Democratic floor lead
er, made the fight against the concur
renee. This bill is fraught with
Gfeat danger to the people of Ohio
said Russell.
'"The corporations have been here
with well-paid lawyers and lobbyists;
the people have not been represented
only as we are called upon to repre-.
be had by sending it to a conference
committee and at least, we can not
get worse bill"
Roasted by Langdon.
This bill as it now stands is the
worst bill ever presented to al Ohio
legislature since have been a mem
ber," said Representative Langdon of
Warren county Republican floor lead
er. "The basis on which the COM
mission must work damns the bill.
Back of the bill are powerful infiu-
ences to get mergers and issue mil
lions of watered stock. We ought to
stand or fall on the proposition that
we won't see the people robbed. In
the senate nobody looked after the
peoples interests they were looking
out for the other side of the proposi-
tion. We are doing the people a
great wrong if we concur in the SEN
ate amendments"
Special interests forced those
amendments down the throats of the
senate" said Representative Kilpat-
rick of Trumbull county. ''It is bet
ter to have no bill at all than this
one in its present shape. It's fight
now between the people and special
privilege"
Representative Hillenkamp of Lu.
cas- county also denounced the bill
as an outrage.
Representative Ratliff of Hamilton
county and Representative Winters
of Erie county urged the house to
concur in the senate amendments
saying the senate amendments did
not lessen the strength of the orig
inal bill.
The Finnefrock senate bill prohib-
iting students who are temporary res
idents of college towns from voting
in the county in which the school IS
located, was passed by the house by
vote Of 70 to 3S. The bill was
amended to include all classes OF
temporary residents of counties. The
amendments seek to stop f1oaters
from voting in large cities. A spirit
I'D fight was made on the bill by Rep
resentative Crist of Delaware, who
urged that it's passage meant the dis
franchisement of nearly all the stu
} dent vote in the state. The bill now
: goes to the governor.
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