The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-02-10
The Capitol Removal.

in the House of Representatives, on
Tuesday, January Both
MIR. RAPsHER Mr.. speaker, 1 think, II my
memory serves me corr, city that it was scholar
ly Emerson who said, LET us be silent that we
may henl the whispers of the gods" and while
silence IS golden, AMI the patience of the House
Is wei nigh exhausted, ] nevertheless desire 20
make few observations upon the bill now
pending.
In the first place, Mr. Speaker, m in favor
That the resolution, or the quosuon. rather, now
the motion Tor an md, finite pOstDOnement
should be voted down; The friends Of this nil
should put 10 in cOnsti utiOnnl shape, so that II
may be amended, and tning the argument OF
the en- mics OF tins Dlll does not come with
very fine gTnce IN making u constitutional OBJ
lection while a motion for Indefinite POSTPONE.
ment is pending before the house. The bill can.
not be amended while tins motion Is pen ling,
and, therefore 1t Is uufail TO RAISE that question
at tins time, and that was the object had in
& view when when LA gave notice, at an early stage Of
as would bring It within the purview of the Con-
sutution However, preliminary to touching
upon that question, am in favor that this mo.
tiOn should be voted down, and this bill amend.
ed properly to meet all the objections which
the people of this Commonwealth, and stop this
| aglttatOD. This question has been agttated
upon the floor of this IL HOuse for wears and l ap
! prehend that II we 10 not now settle the ques-
tlOn 1t will continue to consume the time and
attention OF future legislatures. submit, Mr..
| speaker that II we settle this bill now aud
mere and submit it 10 the qualified electors OF
the Commonwealth at a general elections, that
for gentlemen to say that that will not settle
the question, that hlll can be proposed at a
that If the people Of This Commonwealth h once
put upon it their approval or reject1 1enthat will
settle the question and no representative upon
thls hoOr VIII attempt to revive this agitation.
| Therefore. am IN favor Of settling this ques.
ton now. TO stop agitation, to save time and
| money. which is valuable to this Common
| wealth, Now, Mr., Speaker, submit that there
has been no good reason given why this Ques.
uOn snail not be settled III "A fair way at this |
1 time and II this motion OO7tOOuo This hill
| definitely prevails the question cannot be set |
tled because the bill IS not III the proper shape
| IN NV Judgement to meet the purpose for which |
| it was designed Therefore, appeal to the |
members Of the House, to vote down the ques. |
f0r indefinite postponement, to allow the |
bill to be properly amended so as to meet all of |
the objections winch have been made against it |
and let 1t 90 before the people Of the Common. |
wealth, and II they say. leave the capital at |
HarrlaDurg, an content; and 1 would say |
ttignt t, here ere that am not prepared at this time
tor when the question comes up IN that shape. |
Some gentleman here has suggested that he |
don't care what the sentiment OF the people is.
l have great respect for public sentiment.
and think the gentleman from Fayette Mr.. |
Schnatterlyl, when he gave utteranoe to that |
remarkable dOctrine--that he cared nothing for
the sentiment OF the public-he did not mean
OF that maxim, centuries old 'Vox Popui, Vox
Del" or in other words. the voice of the people
Is the voice OF God, ana think that the gentle
man ron Fayette ami every other gentleman |
upon the floor must recognize that voice There
are number of reasons, Mr.. Speaker, for the
|
reasons Is that the buildings at Harrisburg are
inadequate and unfit for the purposes they are
used
Mr.. schnatterly I wish to ask the gentle.
man question.
Nj. Kspshsr. will listen to the elentleman.
Mr. schnatterly. l ask the gentleman II he
Will allow me to intelrogate him
Mr.. Rapsher. Yes, sr.
the position that Il this question were voted up.
on at general election that it could not be
again suDm tied at the next general electiOni
Do understand you to take that position.
MT Rapsher. I did not take that position.
Mr schnatterly. l understood You In your |
remarks to say that it could not be voted upon |
again What is to prohibit second vote upon
Mir Rapsher. / will answer the gentleman.
The position took is this: that II this question
is once submitted to the vote OF tho people-IO |
the popular vote, and is either rejected or ap- |
proved that that viii viTtu9lly settle the ques |
ton because / do NOT believe that anv member |
OF this House, or any other HOuse-of anv fu.
ture House would get up Rt any succeeding .
legislature and again introduce the same iden.
tlcal thing watch the people had rejected or ap-
proved, THINK popular sentiment would con. ,
generally. although am not prepared TO say
what effect popular sentiment would have upon
the mind OF the eloquent gentleman from Fay.
ette Mr.. SchnatterlyI
Mr.. schanatUerly. should like to interrogate
the gentleman agaln, so that we will get 10 an =
upon the question
MIR. Rapsher. With pleasure.
Mt. SchnatteTly. Under that clause of the
Constitution. winch provides for the submission =
Of this question TO the qualihed voters OF the !
do understand the gentleman
TO take the position that the people have n ri rht
10 pass uoon this question, OF the power that is
vested In us as legislators to submit il to the C
people at our discretiOui u
Mr.. Rnpsher. 1 think that the purpOrt ard ii
intent of the article In the Constitution is that u
shall 6e-that lt is the intention that the peO IL
Die shall decide the question rather than the II
Legislature. Philadelphia had been the capital IL
y thus Commonwealth a long number of years, CT
ma at the time when the capital was removed g
rom Philadelphia TO the CITY of Harris sburg | III
mere were potent reasons why 1t should be "
IOnei ana that just makes me think of the argu. | II
nent OF the gentleman from Nj ercer MIR. Jack. -
0nl, VINO says that most of the States of the | mr.
mon have Their capitals IN the interior of the 81
'tates, IN the small towns Mr.. Speaker, IL N.
must occur TO the gentleman from Mercer y,
MI: Jackson tMercer) did not say anything OF
bout the geOgraphica- s
Mr.. Rapsher. think 1t was the Inference of N
he gentleman Il ON Mercer Mr.. JacAsOnl de-
ired us to draw that capitals were in smaller a
itles on
NJ Jackson tLeroer). did not say anything en-
DC bout tne geographical locations did say that l.
he capital Of Stale should never be In the bO
ommeIcial metropolis If there was any other an
ity 60 make capital out of. III
MI hansher Mr. speaker, was about to E.
Nv thnt there were great and weghtY reasons a
ny these selections We're made in our early WI
lstory. The geographical position of the cap fol
al IN those days was one OF tne first and most
ltal considerations. ,
The distance question OF hundred miles, | m,
httY miles, or two hundred miles, was some uu
llng OIL the greatest Importance because IL was on
question of two three or four days travel SY
: hye-in those days, ami at the time when the Or
hiladeiphia, have no doubt that that Pb
as one OF the considerations on account thI
the accessibility Of the place ant ABOUT =
10 wear 1910 or 1874 when that removal was
ada-I do not recOllect the year-a great many
the counties which some of the learned gen. 7
emen who oppose this removal now OecuDv or 40
side in, contained perhaps not 1--WE hundred III
'uls for population, but with the Telegraph, ~
ie raIlroads and a ] these modern improve | ~ ~
eniS and prOgreSs-tme has changed these | ~,
llngS aud the argument OF gelgr phiCal posi-. | ~
On is now no longer aVallab Philadelphia IA | Na
10 great centre; the railroads and telegraphs +Ne
lhlhilate time ana space so that the old argu |
ent Of selecting the geographical centre of the
tte is of no weight or CONSIDERATION IN his .,
gumeut sin my judgment There is another al
nail reason whicn 1 think l. Of some oOnse ~ 81
L. nee. II the Legislature were Ht Philadel gonI
lia there ale many OF our constituents, m0r u toU
lanta ana business men who visit the ,itY OF ue
hiladelp 'lia, who could and would come 20 see ~
elf repre- scntatves IN the capitol whl.e no | ~
m h0rdlY ever thinks Of m liking sDeciai trip n %
the city OF uarrIs1urg nply TO tha rep m ~
sentative nld 10 soc the House la session. ~ ~
hlle thht IS no great consideration, l submit "a
at II Is consideration Of some weight.
cause think tnHt the constituency OF IA mem
II has some weight In governing his life and .
Ies OF cOndu & Now, Mr.. speaker, Tor the a
formation OF the gentleman from NOTthamp, Nrl
n He
Mr.. Summel VILE. Mr.. Speaker, would like OF s
QngsfiOn = InRr N IA II.