HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MONDAY, January 26, 1863.House bills 61 to 93 inclusive (for a description of which see pages 64, 68, 82 and 85) were read the second time and severally referred to appropriate committees.
A LEGISLATIVE VISIT.
Mr. BLOCHER offered the following:
Resolved, That the members of this General Assembly now in session be requested to visit the Legislature of the State of Kentucky, and have a general expression on the subject of the war, and to meet together in council for that purpose.
Mr. LAMB thought the Legislature would act more sensibly if they waited till they were invited.
Mr. LASSELLE offered the following substitute.
Resolvedby the House, the Senate concurring, that the members of this General Assembly will as a body visit the General Assembly of the State of Kentucky on the 18th proximo, should the same be acceptable to the gentlemen composing that body.
On motion by Mr. LASSELLE the resolution and pending amendment were made the special order for 3 o'clock p.m. Wednesday.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Petitions were presented and referred to appropriate committees, to-wit:
By Mr. GIVEN from citizens of Daviess, for additional remedies for stock killed along the Ohio and Mississippi railroad.
By Mr. WOOLLEN, from citizens of Johnson county, asking further legislation preventing negro immigration.
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES
Recommending that House bills 6, 7 and 52 (see pages 43 and 57 of these Reports) be laid on the table, were severally concurred in.
THE $200 EXEMPTS.
Mr. PACKARD offered the following, which was adopted:
WHEREAS, The Drafting Commissioner for the State of Indiana has collected from conscientious exempts a large sum of money, and deposited the same in one of the banks of this city to await further legislation from this General Assembly; therefore,
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire whether such money has been collected according to law, and if it shall be found to have been so collected, that said committee be instructed to report a joint resolution authorizing the distribution of said funds for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers, destitute widows and orphans of deceased soldiers, and destitute families of those now in the service of their country from this State. And the said resolution shall further authorize a committee of 5 to be raised, three on the part of the House and two on the part of the Senate, whose duty it shall be to take charge of, and distribute, said funds as in said joint resolution shall be provided. But if it shall be found that said money, or any part thereof, has been unlawfully collected, that said Draft Commissioner be authorized and commanded to return the same, or so much thereof as shall have been unlawfully collected, to the persons from whom the same has been collected.
STATE ARMS, &C.
On motion by Mr. BROWN, it was--
Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested to inform this House at an early day of the whole number of arms and whole amount of munitions of war, of every description, now on hand belonging to this State; the whole number of arms and whole amount of munitions of war that have been purchased for the State during his present term of office; what disposition, if any, has been made of the same; if they have been disposed of either permanently or temporarily; to what person or persons they have been so disposed of; the time at which they were so disposed of; the whole number of arms and whole amount of munitions of war that each person or persons has received, and for what purpose each person or persons received the same.
RESOLUTIONS OF INQUIRY
Addressed to appropriate committees, were offered, read and severally adopted, to-wit:
By Mr. HUMPHREYS, whether the Bank of the State of Indiana has not violated its charter by refusing to redeem its notes in specie.
page: 88[View Page 88]By Mr. PACKARD, whether the Bank of the State has not forfeited its charter by redeeming its notes with United States Treasury notes instead of specie.
By Mr. JOHNSON, what legislation is necessary to protect the interests of volunteers or their widows in lands sold by the Sinking Fund Commissioners, and whether one year should be granted them for redemption.
By Mr. NEWMAN, what legislation is necessary to punish boys who, while hunting, injure grain stacks and other private property.
By Mr. WATERMAN, in favor of the passage of a law requiring tax-payers to make oath to their assessment lists of personal property.
By Mr. SHAFFER, whether legislation is expedient to enable county boards to loan money from the county treasury, to enable the stock holders of unfinished railroads to complete the same.
UNSKILLED SURGEONS.
Mr. PACKARD offered the following, which was adopted:
WHEREAS, It is a notorious fact that the ignorance, unskillfulness, neglect and inhumanity of very many of the Surgeons in charge of our Indiana troops, a vast amount of suffering, misery and death has been entailed upon our brave soldiers in the field; therefore,
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire if there be not some legislation necessary to protect our soldiers from these grievous wrongs, and for the future, to prevent the appointment of men to that position merely for political ends, and without any reference to their qualifications or fitness, and that they report the same by bill or otherwise.
NEW PROPOSITIONS.
The following bills were introduced, read the first time and severally passed to the second reading:
By Mr. NIBLACK, [94] to authorize railroads incorporated in other States, with termini at the State line, to obtain the right of way in Indiana, to form a junction with other roads in the State.
By Mr. McGAUCHEY [95] to fix the time of holding Common Pleas Courts in the counties of Adams, Allen, Wells and Huntington.
Read twice under a suspension of the rules.
By Mr. BUDD, [96] to amend the 70th section of the Appraisement law.
