HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, Jan. 10, 1873 - 9 1/2 clock A.M.Messrs. Butterworth, the Representative for St. Joseph, Durham, for Montgomery, and Martin, for Boone and Clinton, appeared in the hall, took the oath of office at the hand of the Speaker, and resumed their seats.
The journal of yesterday was read, corrected and approved.
The Speaker. We can do nothing till we hear from the Senate. As to the Standing Committees they will remain pretty much as for the Special Session, excepting cases when gentlemen may desire to be relieved. Their construction will not be required nor will it be announced probably till Monday - There will be no call of the Committees till after the delivery of the Governor's Message. The Clerk will return all bills to the Committees to whom they were referred and in whose hands ther were at the adjournment of the Special Session.
page: 23[View Page 23]THE STANDING COMMITTEES.
Mr. Ramsey submitted the following:
Resolved, That in the reappointment of the standing committees it is recommended that they be enlarged in the discretion of the Speaker, so as to divide the honors and labors.
Mr. Branham. It is the experience of every man who has been on a committee that the difficulty is to get a majority, a quorum present. If you increase the number you increase the difficulty. I think that much the better plan would be to divide the labors; instead of appointing the same man on two or three committees put him on one; and so far as I am myself concerned I am perfectly willing to be left off all the committees or go on any, but I object to the enlargement of the committees.
Mr. Ramsey. There is no doubt that in many instances gentlemen are placed on the committees at random; and as we become acquainted perhaps it would be desirable on the part of some to have a change - and this is what the resolution contemplates; not to change the committees.
Mr. Branham. I move to make it a request to the Speaker to reorganize the committees in such a manner as he may deem best calculated to facilitate business.
Mr. Butterworth moved to lay the matter on the table.
The Speaker. The point of order is insisted on, and it will lie over.
Mr. Mellett. I move for the appointment of a special committee of five to assist in the organization of the Senate.
The Speaker. It is taken by consent. The gentleman from Delaware is Chairman. He may organize it himself.
Mr. Woollen. I move that it be composed of Democrats. [Laughter.]
Mr. Cauthorn. I give notice that on to-morrow I will offer the following: "To amend rule 38 so as to read, 'The following standing committees shall be appointed at the commencement of each session - to consist of as many members as the Speaker shall deem requisite to facilitate and dispatch business, namely:"A
A message from the Senate by their Secretary announced the organization of that body by the election of a President, Secretaries and a Doorkeeper. [Applause.]
THE GOVERNOR.
Mr. Satterwhite submitted a concurrent resolution (which was adopted) for a joint special committee of three by the House, to act with a like number of said committee to be appointed on the part of the Senate, to wait upon His Excellency, the Governor, and inform him that the regular session of the General Assembly for 1873 is fully organized and ready to receive any communication he may see proper to offer.
Mr. Edwards, of Lawrence, submitted a resolution, which was adopted, inviting the Senate to attend in the hall of the House of Representatives on Saturday, (to-morrow) at ten o'clock A. M., for the purpose of opening and publishing the election returns of the votes cast for Governor and Lieutenant Governor at the election held on the 8th of October, 1872.
Mr. Wolflin now again submitted his resolution, that each member of the House of Representatives be furnished with four copies of the Daily Indianapolis Sentinel, of the Daily Indianapolis Journal, and of the Daily (German) Telegraph - three copies of each to be wrapped and stamped.
Mr. Baker proposed to amend by adding: three copies of the Weekly Volksblatt.
Mr. Hedrick proposed to amend by way of substitute to this effect: That the doorkeeper be authorized to contract with the publishers of the Indianapolis Sentinel and the Indianapolis Journal for one copy each of their daily papers for each member of the House of Representatives, one copy each for the principal and Assistant Clerk and one copy for the Doorkeeper.
Mr. Thayer reasoned against the adoption of any such resolution as this from the provisions of the eight dollar per diem bill of the special session, and insisted on a distinct vote on this proposition as a test, showing whether in that act the General Assembly meant what they said. He voted for that bill with the distinct understanding that if he wanted newspapers and stationery he would pay for them himself. He trusted that gentlemen were honest in the passage of that bill, and stand ready to carry it out.
Mr. Shirley was opposed to furnishing papers here at the State's expense; saying it in no feeling of unkindness towards the city editors. He would take a daily paper, whether this resolution passed or not, and pay for it himself. I, therefore, move to amend the resolution so that the door-keeper shall so order these papers that they shall be paid for by members themselves.
Mr. Cowgill had voted for the per diem with the understanding that nothing of this kind was to come up. He voted for it to save, not the money of the people so much as the morality of the General Assembly.
Mr. Gifford also voted for that bill; and when it cut off the stationery, he did not understand that the newspapers for our constituents were cut off. Such was not his understanding of the bill; and whilst he was denied the stationary, he was willing to vote for a reasonable amount of papers for our constituents at the State's expense.
Mr. Lenfesty, at the time the per diem bill was passed I was in the manority. That bill could not have been passed had it not been that the stationery was cut off. As far as these papers are concerned, he has no German constituents; therefore his constituents have been compelled to pay for what they do not read. He proposed, that gentlemen go and purchase for themselves what papers they might desire to send out.
Mr. Shirley withdrew his motion.
Mr. Baker did not believe it was intended by the per diem bill to cut off the daily papers. The people want the daily papers and are perfectly willing to pay for them. He hoped the resolution would be adopted in one of the proposed forms.
Mr. Wilson of Ripley. The per diem bill cut off stationery and the newspapers, and provided that we shall furnish these for ourselves.
His people so understood it. At the late Session we paid out of the Treasury about fifty cents per member for daily papers, and he intended to furnish his constituents with newspapers, to that extent at least during this Session. He insisted that this resolution is something which we can not defend before the people - the per diem bill forbidding this additional expense - such was his understanding of the bill - and he drew it himself and so he had explained it to his people as a much needed measure to cut off the enormities of the expenditures here for stationery and newspapers. He hoped the House would vote the resolution down.
Mr. Mellett did not vote for the per diem bill, but believed not that if we wisely construe the law it would prove satisfactory to the people. He believed that the people would rather pay the full amount of that per diem, than that gentlemen should get into the habit of stealing part of it. And in order that the House may give a proper construction to that bill he would oppose any and all such propositions as this.
Mr. Kimball submitted the following by way of substitute; but it being beyond the third degree it was read for information:
Resolved, That the door-keeper be authorized to furnish five copies of each of the daily papers published in the city of Indianapolis, and that he is hereby directed to collect the cost of the
page: 24[View Page 24]same from each member, and upon the refusal of any members to pay for the same, the Speaker is directed to deduct the cost of such papers from the per diem of such member so refusing.
Mr. Butterworth understood that gentlemen do not vote for those papers for their own benefit, for every gentleman knows that they are rather an incumbrance upen his desk. I object distinctly, however, to the intimation by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. Mellett) that we have been stealing in the matter of furnishing newspapers for the people.
They are taken in the interest of the people; and they were paid for by the State in the in-interest of the people. When the per diem bill was passed, he did not understand that it cut off the supply of papers; but still he did not think the people were much benefited by them.
Mr. Cauthorn. I move that the further consideration of this subject be postponed till the second Tuesday in March next.
Mr. Branham. I move that it be indefinitely postponed.
Mr. Shirley agreed fully with the gentleman from St. Joseph [Mr. Butterworth.] This matter of furnishing papers was not a matter of stealing, but custom - a custom, in his experience, which was rather burdensome. He had the honor of representing a constituency of reading men, and if they do not feel disposed to take the daily papers for themselves, he would not be their agent by voting to furnish these papers; it would be doing injustice to his people.
Mr. Thayer demanded the previous question' and there was a second by the House.
The Speaker ordered: The first question is on the adoption of the substitute for the resolution of the gentleman from Vanderburg, (Mr. Walflin) that the door keeper contract with the publishers for the Journal and the Sentinelone copy to each member and the clerks and doorkeeper.
Messrs. Mellett and Thayer demanded the yeas and nays; and the substitute was rejected - yeas 0, nays 91.
The question recurring on Mr. Walflin's resolution for four copies, it was also rejected - yeas 2, nays 87.
Mr. Cauthorn submitted a resolution to the effect that the compensation of members of the General Assembly, fixed by the act of the special session of 1872, is in full for their services, and includes all the allowances for stationary and newspapers; and that said act cut off all allowances for stationery, stamps and newspapers.
He said this act was passed by this General Assembly, and we have a right to determine and declare here what was our intention in passing this act. The time may come when the question will be raised as to whether we intended to cut off newspapers as well as stamps and stationery. The House had already construed the act negatively, and he desired now to give it this affirmative shape.
THE STATE PRINTING.
Mr. Shirley desired to call up the consideration of his bills [H. R. 9 and 30] with reference to the office of State Printer and the State's printing.
The Speaker - The gentleman's motion will be in order when the standing committees shall have been appointed.
A messenger from the Senate announced the concurrence of that body in the resolution for a Joint Special Committee to wait on the Governor.
The Speaker announced that the Secretary of State had filed with him a bill of the Special Session with the Governor's veto, returning the same to the House of Representatives. He did this to excuse that officer from the custody thereof.
On motion of Mr. Hardesty, the matter was laid on the table, and made the special order for Thursday, two o'clock P. M.
Mr. Satterwhite, from the Joint Special Committe to wait on the Governor, reported the discharge of that duty, and the Governor's pleasure to deliver his biennial message at two and a half o'clock this afternoon. The report was concurred in.
The House took a recess till two o,clock P. M.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
A message from the Senate announced the concurrence of that body in the resolution for the biennial message convention at half past two o'clock.
The joint convention of the two Houses was then organized, and the Governor was introduced and delivered his biennial message. [See Appendix.]
The Speaker - What disposition will the House make of the message of the Governor?
Mr. Baker submitted an order for printing 1,000 copies.
Mr. Woollen proposed 5,000 copies.
Mr. Wolflin - And 1,500 copies thereof in the German language.
Mr. Hardesty (by unanimous consent) introduced a bill [H. R. 268] appropriating $100,000 to defray the expenses of the Forty-eighth Regular Session of the General Assembly of the State of Indiana. (Appointees of the Senate and House to receive $5 per day.
The bill having been read, on motion of Mr. Cauthorn, the bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
A message was received from the Senate announcing that that body adopts the concurrent resolution to open and publish the gubernatorial vote on Saturday.
The House then adjourned.
