The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-03-10
Harrisburg Correspondence.

! Y HARRISBURG, March 7th, 1874
Among the resolutions offered in the
House since my last letter was one by Mr..
| Piper calling for information regarding
the number of employees paid by the Leg
islature and making the apparently singu-
lar assertion, that the members were
| grossly ignorant of the number of its en-
ployes." The House has now decided what
the number of these retainers and their
salaries shall be, and how liberal they are
too, both in numbers and pay, the number
for the Senate being 45 and for the House
| 54, at an expense of $40, 900 per annum.
| In this connection / will refer to bill
introduced by Mr.. Sheibley, of your dis
trict, regulating fees and increasing the
pay of county officers. One portion of this
bill, that which regulates fees, is all right
but what need is there of increasing salar-
les of Commissioner, when applicants for
the Office are SO plenty at the present rate
What private individual will insist on pay
ing SO per day for men to perform work for
him when plenty of good men are pleading
for the place at half the priceP When our
Legislators learn to conduct the public
business on the same principles they will
bring to play in the conduct of their private
affairs, there will be some healthy changes
made. But it is astonishing how liberal
officials are, when the money they vote
does not come fIom the individual pocket.
A bill has been introduced in the Senate
which will have the effect to cut down some
of the perquisites of the Prothonotaries and
Registers, in the larger counties, by fixing
the salary at $4,000, and giving the State
half Of the fees collected in excess of that
amount.
The bill fixing the salaries of the Judges
throughout the State has passed the House,
and leaves the pay of all except the Judges
in Philadelphia and Allegheny, the same
as at present, $4,000 per year. Orphans
Court Judges are to receive So, 500. The
bill has to go back to the Senate for con-
currence.
The judicial apportionment bill has
reached the House, where it is meeting with
much opposition and many changes are
proposed. The conflict of opinion is SO
great that very likely no changes will be
made, as IL will be impossible to please all.
And just here it will be proper for me to
correct a statement made in a former letter
regarding Senator Dill From what have
since learned, i find that instead of neglect
ing the interests of Perry county, that he
has earnestly worked to harmonic the
interests of the whole district, and that
probably no district in the State has a
more efficient Senator, or one more anxious
to faithfully serve his constituents.
A Senatorial apportionment bill has been
reported in the Senate, dividing the State
into so districts. and in this arrangement
Perry and Franklin are coupled together as
the 33rd district. AS it is probable some
changes will be made l will not send the
entire list until the bill is finally passed.
AS at present arranged, the apportionment
is complete muddle, cutting up counties
and cities, so that it makes mix as remark
able as clearinghouse hash. The special
committee on the Banking Swinde" have
made report, which shows that Mr.. RIGHT
myer, postmaster to the Senate was also
mixed up in the fraud, and that the charges
against Dimmick and Kreiter, are sustain
ed by the evidence. The report of the
committee was accepted and the committee
discharged.
The Cassville investigating committee
report that they have exhausted the appro-
priation of $1,000 and ask more money,
which was granted.
The Senate have passed bill appropria-
ting $1,0O0,000 to the Centennial exposi-
tion. This Centennial business will be
found very high priced whistle to the
4" dear people" before they are done with
it. s.+n.. -a .... n.,l
The bill authorizing the payment of the
papers for advertising the New Constitu-
tion, hangs fire wonderfully, and the mat
ter has now been referred to special CON-
mittee of five. No doubt portion of this
delay is due to the swindling charges made
by few Of the papers. The only proper
way to pay this bill, as all other bills for
public printing is to base the price, on the
number of the circulation. A person get
ting circulars printed does not expect to
NOV fOt ha tn,,ld
carried into all public printing? u
To-day neither branch of the Legislature
is in session, having adjourned over until
Monday. QuID NUNc.