BILLS ON THE FINAL READING.
Mr. Garrigus' bill [S. 165]: To legalize the Greentown and Jerome Gravel Road, of Howard County, coming up in regular order, it was read the third time.
Mr. GARRIGUS explained that the bill had reference entirely to a local matter, This Gravel Road has been in existence about ten years, and has expended some $38,000. There is no litigation pending and there can be no trouble ensue from passing the bill.
It was passed by yeas, 45; nays. 0.
Mr. COFFEY's bill [S. 41] to amend Section 48 of the act to divide the State into Judicial Circuits, was read the third time.
Mr. COFFEY explained that in Bartholomew and Brown there are four terms in each County, as the law stands. In Bartholomew County each term is continued for eight weeks, and in Brown County for two weeks, Eight weeks is not required in Bartholomew to transact the business of that county. In two weeks in Brown County the business can not be transacted. This bill reduces the terms in Bartholomew County one week and increaser the terms in Brown County one week. It meets the approval of the Circuit Judge and of members of the Bar of both Bartholomew and Brown Counties.
The bill passed by yeas, 45; nays, 0.
Mr. Kahlo's bill [S. 108]: To amend Section 3 of the act touching the creating, laying out and plotting of town plots etc., approved May 20, 1862 and to legalize the acknowledgment of such plats and records of the same, was read the third time.
Mr. GRUBBS said: As the law now is plats of towns must be acknowledged before Justices of the Peace or Recorders, while this bill allows such acknowledgment to be made before any officer authorized to administer oaths. The second section legalizes all acknowledgements heretofore taken of plats before such officials.
The bill passed by yeas, 47; nays, 0.
Mr. Traylor's bill [S. 17] concerning parties to action, was read the third time.
Mr. TAYLOR stated the object of this bill to be to permit persons owning real estate, either in or out of possession, to convey the same, and gives grantees in all cases the right to bring suit and quiet title in their own names. Under a decision of the Supreme Court last November, a circuitous way has to be taken in such cases, which is not practicable, and will be avoided by the passage of this bill.
Mr. BELL, but for the decision referred to, would oppose the bill for fear it would produce lawsuits and useless litigation; but if a suit can be maintained in the name of one person for the use of another, he saw no reason why the person for whose benefit the suit is instituted should not be permitted to bring it in his own name. He hoped the bill would pass.
The bill passed by yeas, 43; nays, 2.
Mr. Van Vorhis' bill [S. 93], to establish a State Board of Health and presenting a system of registration and vital statistics, was read the third time, and failed to pass--yeas, 19: nays, 26.
Just before the final adjournment for the day, this vote was reconsidered, as was also the vote ordering the bill engrossed, and it was recommitted to the Committee on Public Health and Vital Statistics.
Mr. Henry's bill [S. 151], to amend Section 7 of the act providing for the incorporation of Building and Loan Associations, so that the loan may be repaid at any time, being read the third time--
Mr. HENRY stated: The amendment proposes that the borrower may repay his loan by paying to the Association the full face of his loan, receiving a credit for all he has paid in for dues with 8 per cent. interest from the time it is paid, and a portion of the discount or premium ha has paid, which shall bear the same proportion to the entire premium paid that the unexpired time for which the loan was made bears to the entire time for which it was made, and then he goes out of the Association. The present law will break up all these Associations if allowed to stand as it is, and this bill should pass in justice to the members of these Associations.
The bill passed by yeas, 47; nays 1.
On motion by Mr. Hart, the consideration of his bill [S. 37], to amend Sections 49 and 53 of the as- page: 112[View Page 112] sessment law, heretofore made a special order for to-day, was postponed till to-morrow morning at 10:30 o'clock.
Mr. Coffey's joint resolution [S. 5], requesting Indiana Congressmen to favor the passage of some law of Congress for the pensioning of ex-soldiers who were prisoners in the late war, being read the third time--
Mr. CHAPMAN should vote against it, because he did not know what the Keifer bill is. While he is as warmly interested in those who served in the war of the Rebellion on the Union side as any man can be, he believed a great injustice to the country has been perpetrated under the cover of pension laws. He did not believe a wrong should be perpetrated against the country under the name of pension law, no matter how deserving to the gratitude of the country, or however much deserving of a pension those may be who served in the war of Rebellion on the Union side. Then, again, he believed those who represent us in Congress, and have a full opportunity to know what the provisions of the Keifer bill are, will act fairly and properly upon it when it comes before them. He should, therefore, be compelled to vote against this resolution.
Mr. COFFEY introduced this resolution by request. He was not the author. He could say with the Senator from Marion (Mr. Chapman) that he is not acquainted with the provisions of the Keifer bill. This resolution was drafted and handed in by an ex-prisoner of war, who stated that there is an organization of ex-prisoners of war, and through tha organization they were pressing the passage of the Keifer bill. Since the resolution was i troduced he had seen several ex- prisoners and he had seen several ex-soldiers, and all were in favor of the Keifer bill. He did not know whether the principle was right to pension all ex-soldiers, for many of them are stout, able-bodied men; but there are many who were confined in Southern Prisons during the war who are to-day disabled as a consequence, and under the laws, as they stand to-day, are not entitled to a pension, though many such are in indigent circumstances. If it is the design of the Keifer bill to pension such soldiers as have lost their health he would favor it. At the suggestion of several Senators, he moved that the resolution lie on the table, in order to give time for investigation into the subject.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr. Langdon's bill [S. 149] to amend Section 28 of the act of May 12, 1869, for the organization of Savings Banks, being read the third time--
Mr. LANGDON explained the bill requires that these Savings Banks shall reserve not less than one-half of 1 per cent. per annum of their deposits, and surplus fund until the sum equals 25 per cent. of the amount of the deposits so held. The present law provides a surplus of but 13 per cent,
The bill passed by yeas, 39; nays, none.
Mr. Urmston's bill [S. 58] to amend Section 74 of the Common School law of March 6, 1865, so that the principal of all school moneys shall be loaned at 6 per cent. per annum paid annually in advance, being read the third time--
Mr. URMSTON suggested that the bill was not correctly engrossed. The Committee recommended that all in the bill relating to the rate of interst the judgement should bear, stricken out.
Mr. BELL stated the purpose of the bill was to reduce loans from 8 to 6 per cent. of the school moneys; and this amendment is needed if the purpose is to keep the school moneys at interest all the time. He moved the bill be re-engrossed.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr WOODS offered the following concurrent resolution:
Whereas, The Kankakee River, in the State of Indiana, may be made a navigable stream through the counties of Lake, Newton, Porter, Jasper, Laporte, Starke and St. Joseph, a distance of eighty miles from the town of Momence, in the State of Illinois; and,
Whereas, the channel of the said river can be straightened and deepened for an expenditure of $100,000; therefore,
Resolved, By the Senate, the House concurring, that the Senators and Representatives of the State of Indiana, now in the Congress of the United States, are hereby requested to vote for an appropriation by the General Government of $100,000 to be applied in deepening, widening and straightening, wherever necessary, the Kankakee River, in the State of Indiana, and to use their best efforts to secure the passage of the same.
It was adopted.
Mr. Van Vorhis' bill [S. 162] to amend Section 3 of the act of February 20, 1867, relating to the Incorporation of voluntary Associations, was read the third time.
Mr. VAN VORHIS stated that this bill was intended to enable Literary and Scientific Associations in the various Counties of Indiana to form a State Association by means of delegates from the County bodies, there being now no law permitting such a State organization.
The bill passed by yeas, 37; nays, 0.
And then the Senate took a recess till 2 p. m.
