Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-07

In the hands Of the clerk, who will have
nothing else to do but to prepare the
budget and statistical Information.
The Legislature also granted Governor
McCray's desire for a revision of the
State board of pardons law. When he
assumed office he ordered the board to
meet monthly and announced that all re-
! quests for executive clemency would first
go to the board. In line with this he
had the assembly amend the law giving
the board members $500 year and had
them placed on $40 per diem basis. The
| new law also gives the board court
! powers and authorizes it to call witnesses
| If 1t desires.
Governor McCray also got through the
bill making the board of agriculture a
| department of State, a subject that had
proved bitter bone Of contention during
| the previous administration. The effects
| of the board, which heretofore has been
a quasi public institution, are turned over
to the State and it will hencefOrth func-
ton as a part of the Indiana govern
ment
Among other bills either directly sought
| by the Governor or sanctioned by him
were those establishing the Riley hos
pital in indianapolis as a memorial to
$1,000
| of the Attorney General to four years
amendments of the blue sky law. the leg
| islative reapportionment, making the
! registration lists for the next general
| election permanent, making the absentee
voters law apply to voters who are ac-
| tuaIly absent, providing for system of
| highway patrols under the supervision
| of the county road superintendent, max
| ing the basis of delegate repres entation
400 instead of 200 voters and the consti-
! tutiOnal amendments.
! The Governor did not enter whole
| heartedly into the scheme for a central
| board of trustees for the State colleges,
which will fail Of passage, but promises
/ to come back at the next session with
a plan whereby all the State institutions
will be placed under the Jurisdiction of
a single board.
| MARION
/ COUNTY BILLS.
Marion County, especially some of the
officials in the courthouse, Jared we'll at
the hands of the Legislature, because of
! an insistent and persistent lobby of Re
! publican leaders.
| OF outstanding importance to citizens
generally are the three bills giving the
city and county the authority to cooper
ate in building the World War memorial
and giving the State permission to ac-
cept the gift.
The county and city are authorized IA
join in acquiring the tract Of land be
J tween st. Clair Park and University
! Square lying between Meridian and
Pennsylvania streets. and to present it to
the State as the site Of the 100000
memorial structure.
The Legislature considered a bill calling
for removal of the Blind Asylum, which
occupies part of the proposed site, but or
assurance that the memorial would MOI
be built for two years it eliminated the
removal provisions. However, 1t lei
stand an appropriation for the acquire
ment Of a new site in Marion County ant
provides for a commission to select the
place.
Under the provisions Of the memorial
bills, 20 per cent Of the taxpayers of th'
city and county may petition for a refer
endum on the proposal to issue bonds t.
| acquire the site.
An important measure was the Benedict
bill, introduced ostensibly to place
! Marion County Office holders on a salary
basis and to eliminate the fee grab sys-
TEN, which has become notorious here
Instead OF doing that, however, 1t really
! gave the treasurer more money and made
him the dispenser of political patronage