The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-05-17

have no recollection of the passage
of this bill. The 2nd section relating
to crossings of lines of railroads IL
seems TO me could not have escaped my
III L had participated In action
on 1t, as the matter of crossing at grade,
&c, received some attention, and re-
garded IL as delicate matter to inter-
fere with.
Yours
q. B. DELAMATER.
=. ST. can not now recollect any
thing of this particular bill. L will en-
deavor TO inform you if IL should be
brought to my memory upon reflection.
G. B. ID.
TUNKHANNoCK, Pa, June %, 1871.
DEAR SIR Yours of the 10th inst,
enclosing copy of Senate bill No. 22l2
reached me yesterday.
L have no knowledge whatever of
any such bill. / am sure an important
bill like that would have engaged the
attention of some of the vigilant eyes
of the Senate. Its No. indicates that it
must have been introduced at the last
of the session and the journal should
state by whom. This bill, If it passed
at all, must be classed with hasty legis-
lation and is o proper subject for the
Governor. Truly yours.
p. NJ. OsTERHoUT.
INDIANA, June 16, 1871.
DEAR SIR: / have your note enclos.
ing copy of bill "relatiDg to legal pro.
ceedings by or against corporations" l
do not think any bill of this character
passed the Senate. was member of
the Judiciary General Committee of the
Senate. sought to follow and ex-
anime all general legislation relating to
legal proceedings. 1 am confident
no act like the one you enclose me ever
passed the general Judiciary committee
of the Senate at any meeting when /
was present. My attention was special
ly called to the subject matter of this
bill by attendance occasionally on the
sittings of the Supreme Court where
some litigation was pending on the
matter of the crossing of railroads at
grade. If any bill like the one you
enclose me had been before the Senate
and passed would have known some.
thing of it. | think the enclosed bill
ne yer passed the Senate.
Very truly
HARRY WHITE.
DEAR SIR: This Senate bill, No 2212,
did not pass the Senate as am ready
and willing to testify. You are aware
with what vigilance l kept watch on
every bill of the kind, and it was sim.
public bill of the kind to have been
passed without my knowledge. l have
written to the Governor denounciug it
as fraud, and requesting him to with
hold his approval. =
Yours truly.
II. BRUCE PETRIKIN.
Similar letters were received from
Senators Evans, Brooke, Brodhead, AL
len, Anderson, Billingfelt, Duncan,
Kerr, Knight, Olmstead, Purman, Da-
Wis, Rutan, Turner and Wallace. Let
ters to the same purport were sent by
Representatives Meek, Chalfant, Viii.
son, Noyes, Hall, Speaker Webb and
others.
In the face of all this testimony, John
Geary signed the bill and then had the
brass to sit down and write the follow.
ing letter:
HARRISBURG, Aug. 3, 1871.
DEAR SIR: l have the honor to &C.
knowledge the receipt of your letter of
the End inst, in which you speak of a
former letter bearing date June 9th, on
the same subject. / regret to state that |
the letter last named by you has not |
been received.
In consequence of not hearing from |
any one on the subject of refusing my |
signature to Senate bill No. 2212, and |
Of heavy pressure and explanations ON |
the part of the friends of the bill, it |
was signed and is pow law.
/ regret doing this, but / can see no
other way now to remedy the matter,
than for the honorable gentlemen you
ls,f lhse, grounds iG5 You 70 have stated, and it
will afford me much pleasure to sign
such act.
Yours very respectfully
JNo. w. GEARY.
His statement that he had heard |
nothing on the subject is false, as the
lates of the letters show.
Now the whole object Of this fraud |
oy the Pa. r. r. Co. was to effect the
pending litigation in the Supreme |
Court, and having the forms of law,
Judge Thompson was constrained to |
decide that "for the present it must be
as binding"
True, the Catawissa Company have
their road, and the facts
above stated were fully shown at Har-
,isburg last winter, yet the paid agents |
,f the Pa. n. r. and its hired members
n the House refused to pass bill re-
oealing the fraud, or to even allow it
% come up for discussion.
We have gone into detail in this mat
Ter to illustrate how legislation is pro
cured at Harrisburg, and to show how
rotten and corrupt the men are there
whom "the people" delegate to make
avs for them.