HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
WEDNESDAY, January 30,1861.Mr. HEFFREN objected to the usual motion to dispense with the reading of the Journal of yesterday, to enable him to call atten page: 130[View Page 130]tion to the fact that the clerk did not enter on the Journal any motion or resolution ruled out by the Chair. He subsequently withdrew the objection, and submitted the following order, which was adopted: That the Clerk be directed to make an entry in the Journal of all motions and resolutions decided to be out of order.
PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS.
Mr. ROBBINS presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Fulton county, for amendment of section 70 of the Assessment act, so as to require the township assessors to make their reports to the March-session of the commissioners.
Mr. STOTSENBERG presented the remonstrance of a portion of the citizens of Newton county, against any change or relocation of the county seat of said county. It was signed, he said, by about 280 citizens. He had been desired to say, on their behalf, that the present location of the county seat was proper and eligible, on the line of a railroad, and in the trade center of the county, where all the farmers come to sell their produce. Some $1,200 have been subscribed for the public buildings at this point, which would be lost if the county seat were taken away. They state, also, that as for any imputations that have been cast upon the memory of the late Gov. Willard, they are utterly groundless. Perhaps it would have been better for them to have been presented, so that he could have met his accusers face to face while lining.
The remonstrance was read and referred to the Committee on County and Township Business.
Mr. EDSON presented the petition of Andrew Thew and others, citizens of Posey, county, asking for legislation that shall offer a reward of $200 to $300 a piece for catching horse thieves; which was referred to the Committee on Rights and Privileges.
Mr. WELLS presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Pike county, asking for a law to authorize Dam Companies ; which was referred to a select committee, namely: Messrs. Wells, Horton and Brett.
Mr. NEBEKER presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Mound township, in Warren county, against the present township law, as placing too much power over common schools in the hands of the trustees; which was referred to the Committee on County and Township Business.
Mr. WOODRUFF presented the petition of sundry citizens of Indiana, recommending to the patrenage of the General Assembly, The Anti-Stuffing and self-Detecting Patent Ballot-Box of M. J. Shinn, of Richmond, Indiana; which was referred to the Committee on Elections.
Mr. BRYANT presented the petition of sundry citizens, for enclosing the Tippecanoe Battle Ground; which was referred to the Select Committee on that subject.
Mr. WOODS presented the petition of Johnson, Wheeler, and others, citizens of Lake county, for a law to make timber stealing larceny, and punishable as such; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. FISHER, from the Committee on Ways and Means, returned the resolution for an amendment of the assessment law so as to allow tax-payers to deduct from the actual value of all their taxable property, the actual amount of their indebtedness, with the expression of opinion that legislation thereon is inexpedient.
[A message from tee Governor transmitted information in response to a resolution of the House from the President of the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, and the Secretary, Auditor and Treasurer of State with reference to the amount of fees and perquisits received by them and paid into the Treasury under the act of March 5, 1859.]
Mr. DAVIS said, many pay taxes on more than they are worth. He wanted a just law of taxation, and would vote against concur, ring in the report of the Committee.
Mr. PROSSER. The law as it stands, in his judment, was a good deal better than the proposed change. If the changes were made as desired by the gentleman from Scott, then the floating residents wonld pay no more taxes. It could not be otherwise. For example: Here are two men living neighbors. One has a piece of land, and happens to be out of debt. His land is worth a thousand dollars. The other neighbor has his means amounting to a thousand dollars invested in stock, horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs. Under the proposed change the former would be taxed beyond a doubt. But the neighbor whose means are in stock, happens to be in debt to the amount of a thousand dollars, and he takes his indebtedness from the amount of his taxable property, and there is in his hands a thousand dollars worth of property on which not a cent of tax is paid. The merchant would take his indebtedness out of his taxables, and escape also.
Mr. FISHER. If you had a law according to the resolution, not a dollar of tax could be collected from any railroad company in the State.The report was concurred in.
Mr. STOTSENBERG, from the Committee on the Organization of Courts of Justice, returned Mr. Cameron's bill (3) to amend the Common Pleas act so as to provide for holding said Court in the County of Newton with amendments recommending passage.
The report was concurred in and the bill ordered to be engrossed.
Mr. ORR, from the Committee on Rights and Privileges returned the resolution for a repeal of the law requiring Justices of the Peace to pay $1 fee for commission, with a recommendation for indefinite postponement.
