AFTERNOON SESSION.
On motion by Mr.VIEHE, the Senate refused to concur in the House amendment to the probate bill [S. 351], and requested a Committee of Conference--Messrs. Viehe and Grubbs being appointed as such Committee on the part of the Senate.
FEES AND SALARIES.
The bill [S. 369] to provide fees and salaries for certain County officers was read the second time and ordered engrossed by yeas, 28; nays, 22.
Mr. HENRY moved to reconsider the vote ordering the bill engrossed.
page: 168[View Page 168]On motion by Mr. BROWN, this motion was laid on the table.
Mr. CHAPMAN moved to suspend the constitutional rule that this bill may be considered engrossed and read the third time, and on this motion he demanded the previous question.
The Senate refused to second this demand.
Mr. BELL said the bill would add $5,000 to the salary of one officer in Allen County and leave two others with but a meager sum.
The motion to suspend the constitutional rule was rejected.
Mr. CHAPMAN made a ineffectual motion--yeas, 28; nays, 10--to make this bill a special order for to-morrow at 9:30 o'clock--two-thirds not voting in the affirmative.
GENERAL APPROPRIATION BILL.
Mr. FOSTER moved that the Senate adhere to its amendment to the bill [H. R. 422] making general appropriations for the years 1881-3.
Mr. BROWN always doubted the propriety of appropriating more money in this bill that the law provides as salaries; and though supporting the increase, he would not stand one minute in the way of concurring in a report which passes so important a measure as the general appropriation bill.
Mr. GARRIGUS raised a point of order that the report of a Conference Committee must be concurred in or rejected as a whole.
Mr. HENRY voted for the increase in the appropriation bill to prosecuting attorneys, but was willing now to recede,
The motion to adhere was rejected.
REVISED STATUTES OF 1881.
The Senate returned to the bill [S. 437].
Mr. MENZIES moved to strike out the clause requiring the statutes to be printed in one volume, if practicable.
The motion was rejected.
Mr. SAYRE moved to amend so as to make the pay of the Board of Revision $4,000 a year instead of $3,000. The services of these gentlemen are richly worth $4,000 a year. He referred to sums paid Revision Commissioners in other States, and thought $4,000 little enough. The member of the Revision Board from his part of the State abandoned his professional business at a sacrifice in order to engage in this work.
Mr. SHAFFER moved to reduce the sum to $2,500 annually for the work already done, and $4,000 for the future.
Mr. VAN VORHIS, judging from the work already done, thought $2,500 a year is enough, but for the future thw ork is of a different nature, and is worth more.
Mr. GRAHAM favored the amendment proposing a salary of $2,500, regretting to attack the sum appropriated in the bill, because he had the highest respect for the members of the Board of Revision.
Mr. GRUBBS opposed the amendment to the amendment, believing it too small, and he also opposed the amendment, believing it too large, but he favored the sum named in the bill.
Mr. GARRIGUS had seen members struggling for days to keep from making the pay of Prosecuting Attorneys $200 a year more. He thought there was too much money proposed to be voted these gentlemen, for work that has had to be doctored up by the Legislature after having been gone over line by line by a Revison Committee of our own. The salaries given to Circuit Judges is ample, and all he was willing to vote for.
Mr. BROWN stated there were thirty-eight bills here undisposed of that have been prepared by this Commission. In the last twenty-five years there has not been a Legislature which has kept more closely to honest work than this, and most of this work has been based upon what has been prepared by this Revision Committee. He would stand by the proposition of the Senator from Wabash [Mr. Sayre] to pay $4,000 a year.
The amendment to the amendment was rejected.
Mr. CHAPMAN moved to substitute $3,000 a year. He desired to be liberally just.
This amendment was rejected--yeas, 19; nays, 24.
The $4,000 amendment was rejected, and the report of the Committee making the pay $3,500 per annum was concurred in without a division.
On motion by Mr. SPANN, the bill was amended as as to give the preference to resident bidders, other things being equal.
Mr. GRAHAM offered an amendment, which was rejected, striking out the provisions giving copies of the Revised Statutes to Members of the Legislature, Town Trustees and County Officers, except Clerk, Auditor, Treasurer, Sheriff and Recorder, and reducing the profits on the sales of copies from 100 to 25 per cent.
Mr. HENRY moved to strike out the clause giving a copy of the Revised Statutes to each Member of the General Assembly.
The LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR declined to entertain the motion because its subject matter was embraced in the amendment just voted down.
The Senate amendments were ordered engrossed.
WAR LOAN BONDS.
On motion by Mr. CHAPMAN, the bill [H. R. 409] to authorize and provide for the payment of the War loan bonds of the State, was read three times--twice by title only--and finally passed under a dispensation of the constitutional restriction.
L. S. SHULER--T. N. JONES.
On motion by Mr. BENZ, the bill [H. R. 479] for the relief of Lawrence S. Shuler and Thomas N. Jones was read the first time and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
The Senate took a recess till 7:30 o'clock p. m. to complete the reading of the bill [H. R. 393] defining public offenses.
