The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-27
ASSEMBLY, IN
final STAGES,
LACKS DEEDS
Tax and Reapportionment
Wait With Session to End
a Week From Monday.
IMPORTANT WORK LAGS
Democratic Pledge Fees,
Salaries Bill Burdened
With Amendments.
BY BEN STERN

hTom all indications the seventy
seventh general assembly will come
to a close a week from Monday
without having accomplished any of
its principal objects.
Survey Of the record to date re-
veals no important constructive
measures enacted and the par
amount income tax bills are still
hanging in mid-air with the
prospect they will continue to swing
thusly when the closing gavel is
heard at midnight March 9.
80 far nothing has been accom-
phshed anent congressional reap
portionment. The senate, which has
three proposals for changing the
thirteen districts into twelve, is
awaiting report from its commit
tee on the subject. This body must
recommend some partition, then
after it has passed the upper house
1t will be sent on to the house to
be acted upon in the few remain
ing days.
Fees Bill Still in House
The Democratic platform pledge
uniform fees and salaries bill is still
in the house, with scores of amend
ments being prepared, the majority
OF which will raise the salaries.
The house old age pension bill is
still in senate committee, but the
senate bill, amended to raise the
minimum age for qualification for
relief from 65 to 10 years and max
ing the institution of the pension
system optional with counties, was
after a delay of almost a week,
handed down to the house for Sec
ond reading.
Danger is even threatening the
only remedial tax measure passed
this session and signed by the Gov
ernor This is the Weiss bill sus-
pending the penalties ON property
sold for delinquent taxes in 1881.
Backed by strong lobby of
county t-easurers whom the bill
robs of fees, a measure repeating the
Weiss law has been introduced and
sent on to second reading in the
house.
Robinson Fights Bill
Leading in the move to repeal
the Weiss bill is Clyde r. Robinson,
Coffin county treasurer, who
stepped into the G. o. P. chair
mans seat for. the last election.
What good was accomplished by
the 1000 farmers who came here
to lobby the corporation income tax
through the senate is problematical.
The senate spent two days reading
the bill and making speeches for
home consumption and then
adopted an amendment cutting rate
on corporation net incomes to TX
per cent from the per cent pro-
vided in the house bill
Lieutenant Governor Ed Bush,
whether sincere in his advocacy Of
the corporation tax Or not. has
made a play for its passage. He
turned over the gayel to Senator
Lee j. Hart1ell (Allen and Noble)
Republican floor leader, and then
made an excellent speech to win
the farm vote for the G. o. P. nonli-
nation for Governor
1t was learned during the week
that Bush wired Senator James E.
Watson for aid in exerting pressure
on senators who have indicated OPP
position to passage of the measure.
Senator Avoids Issue
Watsons reply indicated the
senior senator wanted to keep hands
of the ticklisf situation
incidentally, Hartzell, who made
an about face on the bill from his
previous position of opposition,
summed up the record of the as
Gembly in his speech on the bill
late Thursday: we have not done
Just right By the people back
home he declared.
Speaker Walter Myers is being
severely criticised for his failure to
name a conference committee on
the personal income tax measure
and each day the Republican side
calls upon him to tell when the
committee will be named. 1t is
also pointed out that Myers sweet
ems every important Democrat who
visits the assembly.
Political discussion was given new
squirt of life when Myers was in
troduced as the next United States
sanator, and Paul v. McNutt as the
next Governor, at the Democratic
Editorial Association dinner last
week.
Myers Boom Opposed
Opposition TO nominating Myers
began to crystalline at once and at
a conference of several leaders held
one night this week the name Of
Arthur Greenwood, Second district
representative in congress. was adj
vanced for the nomination for SEN
ator.
Names Of L. Ert Slack, for
mer mayor of Indianapolis; Evans
Wooden, nominee in 1926, and Louis
Ludlow, Seventh district representa-
tive. were also mentioned for the
same position, while a determined
effort is to be made to bring into
the field against McNutt the 1928