THE CLERKS, ETC.
Mr. Kimball, from the Committee on Ways and Means, returned to the House the bill amendatory of the act of last session [S. 68] supplemental to the act in relation to the organizations of the two Houses of the General Assembly, etc., with amendments inserting appropriately ''the principal and principal assistant clerks of the House of Representatives, one additional clerk between them; the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee on Public Buildings, and the Committee on Benevolent Institutions, one additional clerk.
Mr. Wesner proposed to amend the bill further; "and that the doerkeeper be allowed to employ two additional assistants to perform such, other duties as may be assigned them."The amendment was rejected.
Mr. Walker proposed to amend the bill by striking out lines 22 to 25 in section one; and by striking out section three. What I desire is simply to leave the Senate without pages for their principal and assistant secretaries and without their pages or their messengers for their Committees - strike out all except the two.
Mr. Johnson called for the reading of the bill as proposed to be amended.
The reading showed that the amendments propose to strike out the allowance of one page for the principal and assistant secretary or the Senate and the allowance for three additional doorkeepers for the Senate; and that they propose to strike out the third section for allowing messengers for the standing committees of the Senate.
The amendments were adopted, and then the amendments were ordered to be engrossed and the bill was ordered to the third reading.
Mr. Kimball, from the Committee on Ways and Means, returned to the House Mr. Givan's bill; [H. R. 60] to provide for the assessment and collection of taxes for municipal purposes on the shares of stocks owned in banks and banking associations doing business in this State, with a recommendation that it be laid on the table, which was concurred in.
Mr. Baker submitted a preamble and resolution reciting that the general tax assessment law passed at the last session has not yet been sufficiently published; and the printed copies thereof being exhausted, the Secretary of State is hereby instructed to contract for the printing of 5,000 additional copies of page: 112[View Page 112] said act, to be by him distributed amongst those entitled to receive the same in the several counties and towns of the State. He said there were 5,000 copies of that act printed under the former order, and they have all been exhausted, and there is a demand for them by the business men and others in all parts of the State; and because the law was passed with an emergency clause, it is certainly our duty to supply this demand.
Mr. Gifford. The Secretary of State has made the request that 5,000 copies more be printed.
Mr. Brett. All the officers who are required to act under the provisions of that law must have been supplied, for there was a sufficient number printed. The bulk of the matter of the act Sias reference simply to the provisions for its enforcements; therefore, he should oppose this order for additional copies.
Mr. Baker. The reports distributed have been sent only to the county officers. The people ought to have this law in their own hands; the radical changes which it makes in the assessments demands that we should supply the people with it. I understand that the matter is yet in type, and it will be but a small expense to get these additional copies.
Mr. Thompson, of Elkhart, stated his information that there are but twenty-four copies remaining of the former order, and he knew that copies of the act were demanded by business men in his region.
Mr. Shirley expressed his opposition to the passage of the resolution.
Messrs. Lenfesty, Cobb, , Billiugsley and Glassgow supported it.
Mr. Brett suggested further that it was made the duty of the assessors to furnish the taxpayers with their estimates in blanks; that the greater portion of the tax assessment law has reference to the details prescribing the duties of the assessors and the collection officers, in which, of course, the people have no interest. All the information the tax-payer would require will be found in these blanks of the assessors. And besides this, the assessors do not commence until the first of April, and by that time copies of the law itself will be in the hands of the people in considerable numbers. And unless it were for the purpose of giving the printer a job, he could not see the demand for this resolution.
Mr. Mellett and Mr. Blocher spoke further in favor of the adoption of the resolutions.
Mr. Cobb proposed to amend the resolution by striking out the words, "to the several counties and towns," and inserting words so as to make the order to require that these copies "be furnished to members of the General Assembly for distribution,"
Mr. Baker accepted the modification.
Mr. Gifford moved to lay the amendment on the table, but it was accepted.
Mr. Ogden proposed to amend the resolution toy striking out and inserting so as to make this order for distribution by the county auditors of the several counties of the State, which was agreed to; and so the resolution was adopted.
