The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-02-02
OUR HARRISBURG LETTER.

hARRIbbURG, January ol, 1910
There has been no lack of exciting topics
and lively debates In both the Senate and
House during the last ten days. While the
Senate has been fighting over set Of reso-
lutions endorsing the Congressional compro-
mise bill, the House has been just as earn
estly engaged in debating the question Of the
removal of the capital to Philadelphia. The
matter Of endorsing the electoral bill was
practically settled in the negative by its ref
erence to the Committee on Federal Rels-
tions. There has been a rumor extant to
the effect that two or three of the Republi-
can members of this committee would unite
| with the Democrats and report the resolu-
tions to the Senate with a favorable recon-
mendstion and that then enough Republican
Senators woald vote for them to secure their
passage. At last accounts: however, they
still hung fire in committee aud the general
opinion j. that they will never emerge from
their present seclusion. Similar resolutions
were offered in the House and were referred
to the Committee on Federal Rel 'tioLs of
that body without debate.
The proposed removal of the capital to
Philadelphia received its quietus in the
House yesterday, a motion 10 indefinitely
postpone the question being adopted by a
vote Of 124 yeas to 81 nays
During the protracted debates upon this
bill its friends and opponents became very
warm in their arguments and botn ltsrris-
burg and Philadelphia received some com
plments of a very dubious character Har-
risburg was called little, insign ticant, one
horse inland village. that lives through the
summer npon what ii made Oft of the Legi,-
lature in t6e winter; aud Philadelphia was
alluded to Al a perfect sink-hoe Of corrup
tion, full of siIares and temptations that
would beguile simple Legislators from the
rural districts and ruin them, should it ever
become the capital OF the State. Tho dba'e
wound up with fight between the Phila-
delphia and Pttsburg delegations as 10
which of these two cities had been most sue
cessful in sucking the State Treasury teat
during the last two years. The only point
established beyond a doubt was that both
had sucked hard and drawn copiously from
the bags of the Commonwealth.
Quite little breeze was raised in the
House on Friday last by the introduction of
resolution by Mr.. Long, of Allegheny, de-
clarng that Hayes and Wheeler had receiv-
ed majority Of the electoral votes legally
cast and were therefore elected, and ought
to be inaugurated by the constituted author.
ties on the 4th of March next. Seeing that
the resolutions would be adopted by the
House, the Democrats refused to vote, and
left the hall for the purpose of leaving the
House without quorum. The yeas and
nays we're called and as was expected there
was no quorum voting. The Democrats
thought they had accomplished their object,
| and several Of the more unsophisticated of
them re.entered the hall, whereupon the
Speaker ordered the roll to be called and d.
rected the doorkeepers to allow no member
to pass out until it was completed. A quo
rum having thus been secured, vote was
again taken and the resolution was adopted
by large majority.
Last evening the House Committee or
Vice and immortality agreed to report the
local option bill with favorable recommen-
dation. Nearly every day petitions are pre-.
sented praying for its passage, and when it
gets fairly before the House there will be a
perfect deluge of them from all sections of
| the State. There has been quiet but
strong pressure brought upon the committee
to smother this bill, but they have at last
decided to let it loose, and members will
now be compelled to face the music. Not
withstanding the assertions of the friends Of
the bill and their seeming confidence, am
decidedly OF the opinion that it cannot pass
| this winter.
As yet no bills have been passed by the
House, but, what is perhaps still better, it
has defeated several. Over hundred bills,
however, have been favorably reported from
the various committees and are in such
shape that they can be disposed of without
wasting any time. The session will proba-
bly, be short though busy one. A resolu-
tion has been introduced providing for f.
nal adjournment ON the 18th day Of March
next, and it will probably be adopted.
B.