THE NEW STATE HOUSE.
Mr. HEFFREN called up the special order, being the bill [H. R. 466] supplemental to an act to authorize and provide for the erection of a new State House.
Mr HAM moved that the bill and amendments be indefinitely postponed.
Mr. SMITH, of Tippecanoe, was of the opinion that this is an effort to hand over unfinished to dilapidation and decay the new State House. This means to add not less than $200,000 and probably $1,000,000 extra expense to the State House before it is completed. It means a delay in the completion of the building of from two to five years. It means to take from the State of Indiana at least $1,000,000. It means to leave idle $1,000,000 in the State Treasury. It means legislation to the damage of the people, and not in the interest of the people or the State He desired to eater a protest, not on the Journal, but a protest in debate against this action, and he would leave it for the future to determine whether or not he had protested wisely as to the consequence of this legislation should it be passed. He had not been asleep, he was not blind, he was not deaf, and he would give this a the sequence of what will follow.
Mr GIBSON would not grant that the gentleman from Tippecanoe [Mr. Smith] was not asleep on this question. He desired to say to him that just such speeches were made in the House two years ago. The gentleman from Knox (Mr. Williams] championed these men two years ago when they said they would throw up this contract if the Legislature did not grant them an additional appropriation of $500,000, and the foundation would be left open to the ravages of the weather for the next two years When the members of the Investigating Committee asked Mr. Howard if he would put any more money in the building he avoided the question, and would not answer until chased in to a corner, and then he said he would not. These contractors do not need any more money, for under the present law they can draw 90 per cent. of the price of their work as soon as the estimate is made.
Mr. GIBSON moved the previous question, which was seconded by the House, and under its operations-
The motion to postpone indefinitely was agreed to by the House-yeas, 49; nays, 45-as follows:
Yeas-Messrs Bowers, Bowles, Bryant, Cabbage, Carr, Chandler, Davis, Deem, Eley, Ferriter, Fisher, Fleece, Gants, Gerber, Gibson, Gordon, Graham, Greene, Ham, Kennedy, Kester, McCormick, McMullen, Marsh, Mauck of Harrison, Miller, Mock of Wells, Montgomery, Mutz, Peters, Pruitt, Pulse, Robertson, Robinson, Schloss, Shaffter, Shaw, Smith of Blackford, Smith of Perry, Spain, Stevenson, Stucker, Tuley, Weaver, Whitsit, Williams of Knox, Williams of Posey, Woodling and the Speaker-49.
Nays-Messrs. Adams, Akin, Antrim, Barr,
page: 289[View Page 289]Beeson, Best, Brazelton, Campbell, Chittenden, Frazee, Frazier, Furnas, Genung, Gilman, Hanson, Heffren, Helms, Henderson, Howland, Huston, Jewett, Knowles, McClelland of Lawrence, McClelland of Porter, Mellett, Mering, Moody, Mosier, Nave, Pettibone, Shively, Shockney, Smith of Lagrange, Smith of Tippecanoe, Sterret, Stewart Straughan, Sutton, Thomas, Thompson, Westfall, Wiley, Wilson of Kosciusko, Wilson of Marion and Wright-45.
So the bill was indefinitely postponed.
Mr. GORDON moved to reconsider the vote just taken and to lay that motion on the table.
The latter motion was agreed to.
