South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-21
Action Follows Passage of
JOneS-Rinear Primary Bill
by Lower Body After Senate
Thought 1t Killed.
II MDIANA'S G9 TM
| GENERAL ASSEMBLY
| FROM THE NEWS-TIMES
u INDIANAPOLIS BUREAU

INDIANAPOLIS. Ind. Feb. 90
Rapid fire action in favor of limited
suffrage for women startled the side
line observers in the senate today
when under a suspension of the rules
the senate passed the Maston suffrage
bill, 81 to 3. The dissenting votes
were cast by Sens. Kinder, Zeering
(democrats), and Reser republican,.
The passage of the bill was decided
upon in a secret caucus of the ma
jority senators before the opening OF
the session today.
Information had reached the SEN
ate leaders that the house contem-
plated passing the suffrage bill today,
putting responsibility for killing the
measure upon the senate, as was done
yesterday with the Jones primary
election bill. The senate majority
acted promptly and now responsibility
for the suffrage measure rests with
the house.
Whca the result OF the vote was
ssnnVUaCsd - round 0l applause from
many women who were attending the
senate session was Joined in by the
democratic and republican senator's
Another deluge of petitions favor
ing statewide prohibition descended
upon the house today from is cOun-
ties, bearing signatures OF 5,7S5 vot-
ors and 5.193 women, and between
this and the senate passage of the
suffrage bill, the lobbyists for the
liquor interests have been thrown into
wild furore, acting as though they
had been put completely to rout
Leaders Of the house tonight were Civ
ing the senators the laugh, and have
them quite as wild with fear as are
the liquor men, that the house Will
also pass the MastOn measure and
shoulder the entire suffrage question
upon Gov. Ralston, who says he viii
sign it.
Primary Situation Queer.
The direct primary election law
question in the 69th general assembly
tonight presented the most compli-
Gated situation il has yet adopted.
The house, after weeks Of lodging on
the bill. introduced by Rep. John i.
Jones, providing for statewide prl-
mary elections. party organization Of
ncers to be elected as we'll as nOmlna-
tions made for all candidates for Of
ice. passed the measure by a vote Of
So TO 80 late Friday afternoon. The
democratic party made a direct ap-
peal 10 the republicans to join il on
the vote and succeeded in getting
seven OF the republicans and the bull
moOser, Rep. John W. Judkins OF
Wayne county, TO do so. The remain
ing republicans voted against the
measure The democratic majority
voted solidly for the bill after glow
ing speeches thereon were made by
many democratic Representatives. Only
two democrats, Sare and Branaman,
the floor leader. intimated that they
did not think the principles OF the pri-
mary election law would be safe.
These. however. declared they would
vote for the measure in order to re-
deem the party platform pledge.
To unbiased viewers of the entire
primary situation tonight it seemed
that the vote OF the senate the day
before TO kill the Rinear bill exactly
identical to the Jones bill. has leased
up on the members Of the house TO a
very apprecia BILE degree. only a day
before the house passed the bill with
q whoop, II seemed almost certain
that the measure would be killed or
at least would find but few OF the
democrats voting for IL. although they
had placed IL IN their party platform
and the national heads of the party
had used every effort 10 insure that
the present legislature lived up 10 the
party platform pledge It is known.
however. that many of the democratic
house members doubted the advisable
ity OF passing such a law
Senate TO kill Bill.
But. unless conditions change rap
idly in the next few hours. il seems
defeated in che senate. although the
vote was close there when the Rinear
bin was up. only two votes separat-
ing the measure from majority. II
may be possible that friends OF the
bin now. on the theory that the re-
demption of the party pledges should
be put ahead of personal beliefs as
TO the right or wrong OF #. may sue
ceed in getting it passed when il
comes up for action in the upper
house early next week.
But that there was a great deal of
real relief among the house members
when IL became apparent that the
slaughtering OF the measure would bc
done In the senate-if any We're TO be
dOne-is certain. and that fact OF
course. had much 20 do with the sud
den realignment of the house demo-
Gratis. In the last few days also such
party leaders as the governor and
Thomas Taggart-althougfl they were
known 10 De against the bin person
aIly-suddenly had changed their