The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-12
PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE.
Senate.


HARRISBURG, Jan. l2.-Mr Nagle presented the
petition OF Thomas w. Price and sixty-nine Others
OF the District Court committee will be therefore
chosen.
Philadelphia and Camden.Bri and Ferry CON-
pany by way of Windmill Island.
Mr.. Connell called up his resolution liking the
time for the appointment OF committee to try the
Dechert election case.
Mr.. Davis said two other cases would be brought
op at once.
Mr. Connell insisted on the constitutional require
ment To appoint the committee at once.
Mr., White denounced the postponement as an ar
roRant assumption OF authority.
Mr.. CoDnells motion was defeated by party vote.
House of Representatives.
The Speaker announced the standing committees
MIR. Strang made statement that petition had
been presented purporting to be from citizens OF
Philadelphia cOntesting the seat OF Samuel Hagan
ep The act OF 1899 provides that all such petitions
10 the Legislature shall have the certificate OF either
sioners setting forth that the petitioners only
qualified electors of the county. Instead OF this
certificate there is a different one attached to the
records OF Philadelphia that the parties were duly
Mr. Strang held substantially that the records
were not sufficient evidence that the sgners OF the
petition residents OF the district and qualified
voters al the time OF the election In view of the
defective paper he moved TO reconsider the vote by
which the House had yesterday agreed to choose a
committee to-day al half-pa II O'Clock.
have arisen If the Senate had not refased yes
terday TO have appointed committee in the case OF
MIR. Dechert. Mr.. Strang could not permit the gen.
tleman to give such wrong explanation OF his
motives.
Mr.. Sehnattery said that the certificate was that
OF a City Commissioner who had refused at first to
take testimony and to sign the paper, but had been
compelled to do so by the Court of Common Pleas.
This court had itself dictated the form OF the cerG-
cate.
The hour OF halfpast IL having arrived Mr. Quigley
Dem called for the special order, viz the drawing
OF the Election Committee.
Speaker Webb decided that the pending motion,
viz.Ithe motion to reconsider had the preference.
The debate was continued by Messrs. Elliott, Mar
SHALL Mann, and other Republicans who held in
substance that the defect in the form OF the certi-
cate was fatal, and the fact that the OF
the petitioners on the records was not evidence
that they had been only qualed voters at the time
of the election. on the other hand the Democrats
contended that the certificate set forth that at the
time of signing the petition the parties whose
names were appended thereto were legal voters
and that the signature of the Commissioner and the
Recorder OF Philadelphia was sufficient evidepce.
The language OF the certificate is as follows 81
hereby certify that the names of the signers OF the
foregoing petition appear upon the records on file
in this office as qualified electors at the last cleo
tion, and so far as is shown by said records were
qualified at the time OF signing said petition.
THOMAS nj. LOCKE, City commissioner.