The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1862-01-30


letters and petitions earnestly requesting
it, and when convinced that it would prove
beneficial, and was desired by the people
of the county, that | determined to secure
the passage Of an act similar to the one III
question No bill having Been sent me,
it devolved upon me to draw one myself,
and while making preparations TO that
end, my attention was particularly called
to a couple of bills which came up, or IL
nal passage, on the 18th of February
One of these was entitled "An Act to tax
Dogs in the county of Erie" and the 9th
er was an act to extend the Blair county
law to the county of Crawford. After
examining both carefully, 1 concluded that
the Blair county act was the better one,
and believing its provisions in harmony
with the wishes of those asking a similar
ena,tment, determined to adopt it. In
the bill extending it to Crawford, there
fore, 1 proposed at first to embrace Cam
bria also, but did not do so for the reason
that the bill had already passed the Sen
ate, and the member from Crawford was
anxious to have it pass the House without
amendment, in order that it might receive
the Executive approval, and become law
as soon as possible.
Having both passed the House, on the
18th of February, the Erie county bill
was taken to the Senate and the Craw-
ford county bill was sent to the Governor,
whose signature it received on the 9th
of the same month. With this precedent
before me, | drew up bill extending the
Blair county act to Cambria, which was
read in place and presen ted to the House
| on the 1st of March following. Knowing
the member frsm Crawford to be expert
| enced in matters of legislation, and sup
posing Of course that he knew whether
the Blair county act was in force or not,
at the time his bill passed, did not even
think of making any inquiry or examina-
ton in relation to it; nor was it natural,
under the circumstances, that l s hould do
SO. BY the passage of the act extending
it to Crawford county, both Houses, as
| we'll as the Governor, had but few days
before recognized it as an existing law,
| and in the absence of any knowledge or
information to the contrary, it would have
been exercising more than ordinary pru-
dence to have looked further.
On the 26th of March, my bill passed
the House, and it was, believe, in the
evening Of the same day, that l first learn
| ed that the Blair county act had been re-
| pealed. My informant, if mistake not,
was the member from Blair, who merely
stated it as an impression. Having ex-
| amined the matter, and found his state
ment to be correct, the next morning,
March 27th), I went-to the Senate with
a view of having the bill either indefinite
| ly postponed, or not called up at all.
But Senator Hall, with whom conversed
in regard to it, informed me that it had
already been passed
1t was then quite too late In the ses-
sion to introduce another bill and secure
its passage, or it is quite likely [ should
have done so. But regarding the one
passed as being imperative, I gave the
matter no further thought, until informed
one day, by the member from Erie, that
the bill passed in relation to his county
had been vetoed by the Governor. In
volving, as I thought, precisely the same
principle of taxation, though not the same
in detail, l supposed indeed that mine
would share similar fate. / was some
what surprised, therefore, when on the
Sth of May, in Message announcing the
approval of some three or four hundred
bills, found it too among the number.
| Here, then, was law which, though
regular enough on its face, was neverthe-
less very doubtful and defective in its
character-not to call it an absolute null
| lity. Perfectly harmless in itself, and
obligatory upon nobody, the attempt to
enforce its provisions, after knowledge
Of the facts, could only be viewed as a verv
| delicate and hazardous experiment While
therefore [ have no desire to shrk any
| responsibility attaching to the passage of
the bill, or which might or could have
legitimately resulted from it, yet I wish
If distinctly understood that T am in M