The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-02-25
Measure Which Governor
Ralston Sponsored Passed
the Senate BY a IMAM
imous Vote.
CAREFULLY FRAMED
IN PARTY CAUCUS
Some of the Provisions the
Governor Wanted Were
Turned Down-Long Fight
Now Ended.
(National News Association)

(National News Association)
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25.-With but
one new amendment act on the ad-
ministration on public utilities bill
passed the senate today by practic-
ally Unanimous vote. Forty-eight
senators, all that We're present, voted
for it. Senator Kistler and Senator
Sexton were absent on account of sick
ness.
The new amendment adds a clause
to section eighteen and provides that
the executive officer or majority of
the board of directors of any public
utility corporation must be bona fide
resident of Indiana.
The long promised agreement on the
Shively-Spencer public service COM
mission bill was reached by the Senate
caucus last night. The bill as turned
out of caucus had new section pro-
viding against the invalidation of the
act by reason of the voiding of any
part of it, and the so-called steam
railways" amendment is eliminated.
In spite of all Governor Ralston has
said as to the need of an open fight
over the utilities bill. the caucus was
held behind closed doors.
Not only did the caucus bind the
forty Democratic senators to vote un-
changingly for the bill as amended in
caucus, but there was an agreement
under which the bill was to be passed
in the Upper House just as it emerged
last night from midnight caucus.
Though the Democratic senators
who have been sighting the public
utilities bill and who have been trying
to weaken the measure persisted in
display of scorn for the Governors
appeal for an open playing of the big
utilities game, it was mighty tame
bunch of braves that finally got down
to business in the caucus.
Some Points Opposed.
Incidentally the Senate caucus bound
dts members to vote irrevocably for
some things Governor Ralston and
some of his friends did not want.
While supporting many of the Ralston
amendments to the utilities bill, the
caucus did not accept all of them. For
example, the caucus voted to give the
public service commission discretion
as to the matter of permitting the is
sue Of refunding bonds to retire dis
counts incurred or pair after Feb. l,
1913. 1t has been argued by the
friends Of the bill that the commission
should have no such discretionary
power and the Governor yesterday sug-
gested clause against the issuance
of refunding bonds at discount.
In q prolonged conference in Cover
nor Ralston's office yesterday a num-
ber of new agreements as to amend
ments to the utilities bill were made
and. most of these were adopted at the
caucus last night.
While it was stated following the
Senate caucus that the Governors con-
ference had agreed to adopt the "con-
sent of the commission" amendment
to the refunding bond clause of Sec.
80, it is limited that the Governors
conference agreement was thrown
away by the caucus and that the for
mer program of the Senate conference
was carried out in place of the Gov
ernor's program.
Thrash Out Questions.
In the morning conference Senators
Stotsenburg, Curtis and Shively, with
Governor Ralston and ohm A. Lapp,
legislative reference librarian, thrash
ed out the issues involved in the con-
flicting amendments proposed. and ar
rived at an understanding, according
to later statements. Again in the late
afternoon Governor Ralston talked to
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