Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-04-08
LETTER FROM HARRIsBURGH.
HaRrrsBuRo, April Sd, 1857

April fools, but sometimes it is of themselves.
While the Senate was in session on the morn
ing of the LIST, two members OF the House of
Representatives appeared within the bar, and
were announced as q committee from the
House. OF course the business of the Senate
was suspended to hear their message. The
self-constituted committee advanced few pa
ces, made their bow, and retired. The Senate
now discovered that they were April-fooied,
and took quite a laugh upon it. But the wor-
thy Speaker of the Senate did not let the mat
ter end here. Shortly afterwards, the Ser
| geant- at-aIms appeared before the bar of the
Speaker, having of this self-constituted
committee (Mr. Heistand) in charge, and the
Speaker announcing him prisoner of that
body, said-ssSir: you have been guilty Of a
gross contempt of the honor and dignity of
the Senate. Nothing but the fact that this is
the first of April, saves you from a severe rep
rimand. AS it is. you can CO." And the SEN
ate had its laugh renewed.
There are now two bills before the Senate
fixing the number of Senators and Represen-
! tatives, and forming the State into Senatorial
and Representative districts. The one was
read by Jordan, it being the report of the ma
jority of the committee appointed for this pur-
pose, and the other by Brown, from the mi
nority. Mr.. Browns is the Loco Foco bill,
and presents no fairness to the American Re-
publican party. He is INSCRIPTIONS in his
| party prejudices. Indeed, the members from
! Philadelphia county, Brown, Wright and In
gram, are the most disagreeable men you meet
on 'the hill.''
By the bill reported by the majority of the
committee, the ratio of taxabes to Senator
| is fixed at 17O1l, and to a member of the
House of Representatives., it is fixed at 1916.
BY the minority report, the ratio of taxables
to Senator is l161S, and to a member of the
House it is the same as fixed by the majority
| bill. The difference in the two bills, in the
ratio ofLtaxables to Senator, arises from this
fact. The majority bill gives to the city of
| Philadelphia members, and the minority bill
| gives it five, two to what was the city proper,
and three to what was the County of Philadel-
phis, before the act of consolidation. The
number of Senators in both bills being fixed
at 33, the one bill divides the whole number of
taxables, (leaving out Phil.,) by 90 Senators,
the other by %. This makes the difference in
| the ratio.
In the majority bill, Cleariield is in a Sena-
torial district with Jefferson, Elk and Cambria,
and is numbered 81 ; aud the return judges of
this district are TO meet in the borough of
Clearfield.
Forest, Elk and Clearfeld are put together
for one member of the House of Representa-
tives, and the return judges to meet in the
borough of Clearfeld.
suppose the majority bill will pass with
some amendments
BY the minority bill, Clearfeld is in the 14th
Senatorial district, which is composed of So
merset, Cambria and Clearf1eld, and the coun-
ties OF Clearfeld and Elk elect one member to
| the House of Representatives.
In the evening session of the 1st inst, the
Apportionment bill reported by the MAORI
ty committee, was taken up, and passed the
Committee of the Whole, with the following
slight amendments TO strike Jefferson from
Indiana county, and allow the latter one rep
resentative, and to add jefferson to Armstrong
county, and allow that District two representa-
tivet. Also, to strike out one of the two
members from Butler county, and to separate
Ellie county from Crawford county, and allow
each two members. On the til coming up for
second reading, the first section relative to
the Senatorial Districts was negatiyed by a
vote of Is to IA, as follows
Ycas-Messrs. Cofey, Finney, Flennikcn,
| Frazer, Gazzam, Gregg, Harris, Jordan, Kill
linger, Lewis, Myers, Sellers, Shuman and
Taggart.
NavS-Msserz alb
well, Ely, Evans, Fetter, Ingram, Knox, Lau-
bach, Scofeld, Souther, Steele, Straub, Wal
ton, Welsh, " ilkins, Wright.
Messrs. Scofield and Souther moved to re-
consider the vote, and to postpone the subject
for the present. Mr.. Browne called the yeas
and nays on the motion to postpone the con-
sideration of the bill, and the motion was lost
by vote of 16 yeas to l6 nays, Mr.. Crabb vo-
ting with the Democrats. Mr.. Wright called
the yeas and nays on the motion to reconsider
the vote, by which the first section Of the bill
relative to the Senatorial districts was mega
tiyed. Mr.. Scofield moved to adjourn, which
was agreed to, by a vote of IL to 15-a strict
party vote, all the members being present, ex-
cepting Mr.. Penrose.
Messrs. Souther and Sco1eld knew perfect
ly well what they were doing when they voted
with the Democrats on the adoption of the 1st
section of the bill. This section gives Phila-
delphia four Senators. If these two Senators
had voted for the section, it would have made
a tic vote, and the section would have been
lost. AS it is, by voting with the majority
they could move reconsideration and try il
again when Mr.. Penrose is present.