Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-03-31
Letter from Harrisburg.

Senate, have been fully laid before your readers,
was the special order for Tursday last. No
extensive debate was had upon its provisions,
and no material amendment made to the first
section. The clause in the first section, provi-
ding that the bill should go into operation i'm
mediately after its passage, was extended to
the first day of July next, and with this amend
ment it passed second reading by the following
vote =
Yeas-Messrs Browne Crabb, Darsfe, Fer
guson, Flenniken, Frazer, Hamlin, Hogc, ia
mison, Jordan, Lewis, Mellinger Piatt, Pratt,
Price, Skinner, Taggart, Wherry-1S.
Nays-MesSrs. Buckalew, Cresswell, Frick,
Fry, Goodwin, killinger, M'Clintock, Walton,
llester, Speaker-I0.
Present and not voting-Hendricks, Quig-
gle, Sell ers, Shuman.
The further consideration of the bill was
then postponed until the next day, when it was
again postponed on accou mt of the indsposition
of Mr.. Buckalew, who intends to be heard in
opposition. lie has uniformly opposed the en-
actment of a prohibitory law and every mea-
sure approaching to it. He tn inks that the
pending bill will not have the de sired effect of
decreasing intemperance This opinion is not
shared by majority of the Senate, who have,
in measure, been committed to the support
of this bill. There is no reason to doubt that
it will pass by very decided majority, and
most probably during the coming week.
The veto of Governor Pollock of the bill to
incorporate the Pottstown Bank, shows in ra-
ther clearer light, where the Governor stands
on this vital question that the uncertain terms
of the inaugural While the Governor is to
commended for the decided position he has ta-
ken against the inordinate increase of banking
privilege of discrimination, which will be odious
to large number of his party friends, and ex-
tremely delicate and difficult to exercise. A
firm determination to veto all applications
would have placed him in much more COM
Portable position, and created fewer personal
enemies. He has no doubt assumed this posi-
tion, so unpleasant to himself personally, from
a firm conviction of duty. 1t will be curious
to see how his peculiar party friends, constitu-
ting majority of more than two-thirds in the
House of Representatives, will act in the face
of this veto-whether they will pass this bill
over his head, or derive some new and enlight-
ened ideas from the veto. They could not
meet the question immediately, but postponed
it in order to afford time for careful perusal and
consideration.
The bill to extend the charter of the Bank
of North America, for the period of twenty
years after the expiration of the present char
ter, passed the Senate Thursday morning by
larger vote than has been obtained for any
bank application this session, yeas Is, nays 5.
The present charter will expire early in the
year 1851
The bill relative to Estates held for corpo-
rate, religious and charitable uses the sixth
section of which prohibits the holding of church
property in perpetuity, as now practiced in the
Catholic Church, under the sanction of law
passed in 1914, was under consideration in the
Senate yesterday. When this bill was first
presented, it will be recollected that the Bish-
ops of Philadelphia and Pittsburg, each memo
rlalIzed the Legislature against the passage of
this sixth section, or any alteration in the man.
ner by which church property is now held in
that church, by the Bishops or Trustees. The
reasoning of these memorials failed to convince
the committee of the impropriety of repeating
the act of 1874. Mr. Price entered at length
and very fully into an argument in support of
the pending bill, and among other facts, stated
that the opposition was almost entirely confin.
ed to the Ecclesiastics of the Catholic Church
and that he had received number of letters
from intelligent Catholic Laymen entirely an
proving of the object of the bill, extracts from
which he would take the liberty to publish. in
connection with the remarks he made on this
question.
The amendments to the Constitution nro.
posed by Mr.. Crabb, requiring a residence of
twenty-one years in this country by foreigners
before they can become citizens of Pennsylva-
MA, are now on second reading in the Senate
The proposition was originally offered as an
amendment to the resolutions passed at the last
session, extensively published for general infor-
nation, and again passed at this session. but
were ruled out of order, when they were again
introduced as distinct measure The plan of
the prevailing party seems to be to have the
amendments of last session defeated in the
House of Representatives, aud these substitu-
ted therefor. If the original proposition should
pass the House, and be submitted to the peo-
pied at the next election, no other measure
could be again voted upon within FIVE wears.
the Constitution requiring that no amendment
shall he voted upon oftener than once in 6vo