HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MONDAY, Jan. 26, 1885- 2 p.m.Speaker JEWETT announced that the session would be opened with prayer by Rev. E.S. Frazee, Representative from the county of Rush.
The journal was dispensed with.
NEW PROPOSITIONS.
The following described bills were introduced, read the first time and severally referred to appropriate committees.
By Mr. PLEASANTS [H. R. 248] to prohibit druggists from selling liquor in larger quantities than a quart without keeping an account of it. By Mr. SMITH, of Perry [H. R. 249], to establish provisions for private corporations.
By Mr. McCLELLAND [H. R. 250] to provide for the incorporation of railway companies.
By Mr. HARGRAVE [H. R. 251] concerning the relocation of towns.
By Mr. HARGRAVE [H. R. 252] concerning taxation, designating land exempt from taxation.
By Mr. GORDON [H. R. 253] concerning highways and supervisors thereof.
By Mr. GORDON [H. R. 254] concerning highways and supervisors thereof.
By Mr. ENGLE [H. R. 255] concerning proceedings in criminal cases.
By mr. ENGLE [H. R. 256] concerning public offenses and their punishment.
By Mr. FRAZEE [H. R. 257] to enable owners of land to drain it
By Mr. HOBAN [H. R. 258] to provide for the repair of abandoned turnpikes.
By Mr. HOBAN [H. R. 259] to permit seining in rivers where the fish due during the summer.
By Mr. BEST [H. R. 260] to fix the salary of certain officers of the State.
By Mr. BEST [. R. 261] to regulate the taxation of dogs.
By Mr. - [H. R. 262] to provide for a State Board of Health.
By Mr. PATTEN [H. R. 263] relating to attorney's fees.
By Mr. SMITH, of Tippecanoe, [H. R. 264] relating to drawing, etc., in public schools.
By Mr. OSBORN [H. R. 265] concerning the manufacture and selling of iron to corporations.
By Mr. HAWORTH [H. R. 266] concerning highways and supervisors thereof.
By Mr. PRUITT [H. R. 267] to prevent the stealing of horses and mules.
By Mr. MURPHY [H. R. 268] to provide for the inspection of steal boilers.
Pending the introduction of bills -
The Speaker announced the following committee on the part of the House to investigate that portion of the Governor's message referring to the State Treasurer, viz: Messrs. Patten, McMullen, Gooding, Sayre and Brownlee.
SENATOR VORHEES'S SPEECH.
At half past three o'clock Senator Voorhees, ex-Senator McDonald, Hon. William H. English and Secretary of State Myers appeared upon the floor of the House entering by the cloak-room, and their coming was the signal for a general clapping of hands, nearly all the members rising to their feet. A resolution, which had evidently been prepared before the coming of the distinguished Senator, was sent up and read by the Clerk, asking for a committee to invite Senator Voorhees to address the body at 4 o'clock. As he was already present, the Speaker said the appointment of the committee would be dispensed with. The Senators at this time en page: 98[View Page 98] tered the hall, and Senator Voorhees was introduced and said:
GENTLEMEN OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF INDIANA, AND LADIES AND GENTLEMEN - It was with no purpose to interrupt your proceedings except for a few moments that I have called this afternoon to pay my respects to you. I did so earnestly desire to look upon this Legislature that I could not withstand the temptation to cross the mountains and see you together as I saw most of you singly during the recent canvass of the State.
I desire to renew my acquaintance so pleasantly made at that time, and to embrace the opportunity to express, as far as in the feeble power of words to express, the gratitude of my heart for your generous confidence in your recent action. I have been now for a number of years one of the representatives of the State of Indiana in the highest representative position she has to give. I can claim but one merit, and that, I believe, the people have granted, and that is that i have aimed under all circumstances, earnestly, and without evasion or reservation, to stand by the interests of the people of Indiana as I understood them. And in saying this I can speak without partisanship or lines of thought, for I can appeal to the searcher of our hearts that no man, woman or child of any party or of any complexion of politics or religion, or even race and color, has ever applied to me for anything within my power to grant in the way of assistance that I have failed to respond to the best of my ability.
To my political friends on this occasion I tender my sincere heartfelt thanks; to my political opponents I have non but the best wishes and the utmost kinds to express.
The public man who expects to be successful must at least be faithful to the people. I think we are prone to underrate the perception or intelligence of the people: and how quickly they understand whether a man is in earnest upon their aide or not. When this Government was founded the great question prevailing in the minds of thousands of men was whether a government of the people could stand; whether a government could be based upon the intelligence and the virtue of the people unrestrained by kingly authority of power. It was a question yet unsolved in this history of men but it has been solved in favor of the theories of our great Revolutionary ancestors. We have reached a period when it behooves us to look closely to the issues which will begin appearing; issues which involve the power and right to the power on the one hand, and the pretentions of corporate powers, monopolists, upon the other. In contests like these I shall stand as i have heretofore, to the best of my knowledge and ability, on the side of the laboring masses of the country, in the fields labor all the prosperity of this Nation is involved. The laboring interests of the country are to be cared for, and when I speak of these I speak with not the sligtest design of arraying, even in thought, the interests of labor and wealth, because in the business interests of this country lies the prosperity of the laboring man. The business interests of this country in the broadest sense embracing finance, revenue, and all kindred interests are connected intimately with the prosperity of the laboring man; and the wise man, the faithful man in public position, is truest to his trust when he does not make hostile issues between different classes of industry and wealth but tries to harmonize them and consequently increase the prosperity of the country. I will not proceed into any extended remarks that I might make upon this and kindred thoughts. One word, however, for our great and glorious State. You have in keeping here the interests of the greatest State, according to area and population, that lies under the American flag. Indiana is not of the large States in territory, not one of the large States in acreage or in square miles, but she ranks alongside of those who the largest in the American Union. In point of diversified interests, agricultural products, manufacture resources and products, as well as educational advantages, Indiana is second to no State.
In the last thirty years she has made more progress in educating her people, spent more money per capita, according the number of men, women and children in her territory, than any other State in the Union or any other Commonwealth on the globe.
I am not a States-right man in the sense of those who once believed that a State has right to break its relations with its Union. I never held such a thought in my breast; but at the same time, I have the keenest possible State pride in the State that I represent in the Senate of the United States, and I appreciate the continued compliment which this great State has bestowed upon me. You are the law-makers you legislate for future wealth and future prosperity and happiness, and you have wanted me to work with you in the seat of the General Government in doing my duty there. I can only say that I renew the vows that I took upon myself, when something more than seven years ago I took the oath of office to serve these people faithfully and well. Here in your presence now I renew these vows, that if life and health are granted me by the beneficient Providence for the next six years, I shall serve the interests of this State faithfully and well to the best of my ability.
At the conclusion of Senator Voorhees' remarks loud calls were made for McDonald, and he responded as follows:
GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATURE OF INDIANA - came here to join with you in paying our respects to our distinguished Senator-elect, and not to undertake to address you.l But, gentlemen, when Senator Vorhees referred to Indiana I knew it would be cold day when Daniel W. Vorhees could not speak a good word for Indiana, and it would be cold day that I would not willing listen to him, not for a brief time, but for any length of time, in discussing that subject. I am glad, fellow-citizens, that my fortunes have been cast in this State, where I have lived now for over fifty-five years, and hope to live the balance my days. One word I may say in addition to while Indiana is one of the most prosperous States in the Union, she has within her limits the largest proportion of homesteads and family homes of any State in the Union. We do not have large domains held by single persons; but farms or homes of honest industry, of independent American industry, ar found all over our State. When we have a political contest, it is no boy's play. Our political adversaries are worthy of our steel, and sometimes they are able to vanquish us and take away the prize, but when the battle is over we are friends together and citizens of the State of Indiana. Let me make one suggestion to you, that, perhaps, has not come into your minds with reference to the late political contest that has secured for my distinguished friend the seat in the United States Senate, and that is that proportion to its voting population than any State in the Union. [Applause.] I am speaking by the book, for according to the statistics, well authenticated, of the entire possible vote in Indiana of every man who is qualified under the constitution and laws of our State to vote, we voted within 7 per cent. of that whole voting population. While no other State came anywhere near to us. Ohio was next; she lacked but 12 per cent. West Virgina followed her and many States did not cast but half their votes. The returns show that while we were busy our adversaries were busy also, and every bush in the State of Indiana was shaken for page: 99[View Page 99] the vote that might be behind it. My friends, for our party to have triumphed under such circumstances is certainly a glorious victory, and I hope our Republican adversaries will never have any cause to complain. I think we will take good care of them. They are our fellow-citizens; they are not alien enemies that by some strange choice settled among us. We can't freeze ourselves without freezing them.
Now, my friends, I have spoken longer than I intended to do, so I thank you kindly.
Hon. William H. English was then called for. He said it was not his wish to make a speech. That he had attended only for the purpose of hearing our big-hearted and big-brained Senator, Daniel W. Voorhees. H said that in attributing these characteristics to his friend Voorhees, he did not wish to be understood as speaking disparagingly of our other Senator, as he considered Senator Harrison a gentleman of ability and thought that Indiana, as a whole, could afford to be proud of the ability of her representatives in the Unite States Senate.
The House adjourned.
