AFTERNOON SESSION.
Mr. FOULKE, rising to a question of privilege, said he had the authority of the Senator from Crawford [Mr. Benz] for the statement that he was approached by a party asking him how much he would take to vote for the metropolitan police bill. Therefore Mr. F. moved that a Committee of Three be appointed to inquire into it, with power to send for persons and papers.
The motion was agreed, to, and subsequently the Lieutenant Governor made the Committee to consist of Messrs. Foulke, McIntosh and Youche
JOHNSON AND OVERSTREET CONTENT.
Mr. McCULLOUGH resumed his speech interrupted by the noon recess. He quoted very largely from the testimony taken before the Committee, and favored the adoption of the minority report submitted by himself, declaring that the charge of bribery is fully made out and sustained by evidence.
Mr. FOULKE spoke in favor of the majority report. His remarks will be printed hereafter.
Mr. SAYRE contended that the action of the sitting member was not bribery, even if taken in the sense the Senator from Gibson [Mr. McCullough] wants to give it. Instead of there being testimony that would convict Senator Overstreet of the charge. It is not even a contract that could be enforced in a Court of Justice, where the plaintiff is required only to establish his case by a preponderance of testimony. So far as illegal votes are concerned there were just as many on one side as on the other, and neither will exceed a half dozen or ten when the proof comes to be examined closely. But even if there were forty or fifty illegal votes as the Senator from Washington [Mr. Voyles] has said, Mr. Johnson would not be entitled to the seat, for Mr. Overstreet's majority was eighty-five, and if even fifty votes were taken therefrom there would still be left a clear majority of thirty-five. His judgment was that neither of these majority reports should be sustained by the Senate, but that the majority report should. The three Republican members of the Committee, and the Senator from Allen and Whitly [Mr. Bell] and the Senator from Marion [Mr. Fletcher], who signed that report after listening patiently to the testimony and able argument, have submitted it to the Senate, as their judgment justified by the facts in the case.
Mr. WILLARD spoke in favor of the substitute report [Mr. Voyles']. His remarks will be printed hereafter.
Mr. OVERSTREET spoke in his own behalf. His remark i will be printed hereafter. The question being on the report submitted by Mr. Voyles-see page 221 of the Brevier Reports as a substitute for the majority and minority reports from the Committee on Elections-see page 2[?]4 of these Reports-it was rejected by yeas, 22; nays, 24, as follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Benz, Brown, Compton, Davidson, Duncan, Ernest, Faulkner, Hilligass, Hoover, Howard, Hutchinson, Johnston of Dearborn, Johnson of Tippecanoe, Marvin, May, McClure, McIntosh, Null, Richardson, Smith of Jay, Voyles and Willard-21.
Nays-Messrs. Adkinson, Bichowski, Bundy, Campbell, Fleming, Foulke, Graham, Henry, Hill, Keiser, Lockridge, Lindley, Macartney, Magee, McCullogh. Rahm, Ristine, Sayre, Smith of Delaware, Spann, Van Vorhis, White, Yancy and Youche-24.
So the substitute report was rejected.
The minority report was also rejected by yeas, 2; nays 40.
The report of the majority of the Committee was concurred In by yeas, 24; nays, 22, as follows:
Yeas-Messrs. Adkinson, Bichowski, Bandy, Campbell, Fleming, Foulke, Graham, Henry, Hill, Keiser, Lockridge, Lindley, Macartney, Magee, May, Rahm, Ristine, Sayre, Smith of Delaware, Spann, Van Vorhis, White, Yancy and Youche-24.
Nays-Messrs. Benz, Brown, Compton, Davidson, Duncan, Ernest, Faulkner, Hilligass, Hoover, Howard, Hutchinson, Johnston of Dearborn, Johnson of Tippecanoe, Marvin, McClure, McCullough, McIntosh, Null, Richardson, Smith of Jay, Voyles and Willard-22.
So the majority report was concurred in.
PAY TO PAGE AND SECRETARIES.
Mr. SPANN offered a resolution which was adopted allowing the pay of a page for twenty-eight days to Arthur Moody.
Mr. VOYLES offered a resolution authorizing to pay Albert J. Kelley and Harry Huffstetter-$300 each for preparing an index and calender for the journals, when the work is completed.
On motion by Mr. McCULLOUGH the resolution was referred to the Committee on Claims
HYDRAULIC COMPANIES.
On motion by Mr. Campbell, the Constitutional rule having been heretofore suspended for that purpose by a two-thirds vote of the Senate and the bill [H. R. 286] to empower manufacturing companies to take and hold stock in corporations furnishing water power, was read the third time and passed by yeas, 85; nays, 2,
page: 281[View Page 281]SPECIFIC APPROPRIATION BILL.
On motion by Mr. VAN VORHIS the specific appropriation bill [H. R. 460] was taken up, read twice by title, under a suspension of the Constitutional rule by a two-thirds vote, and referred to a Committee of the Whole of the Senate to-night at 7:30 o'clock, with instructions to report at 9 o'clock to-morrow.
On motion by Mr. RISTINE the Senate refused to concur in the House amendments to his bill [S. 88] to amend the Horse-thief Detective Company Organization act, and asked for a Committee of Conference thereon.
Then the Senate took a recess till 7:30 o'clock.
