The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1877-02-09
OUR HARRISBURG LETTER.
HARRISBURG. Fehrnary Z. 1877.

HARRISBURG, February 7, 1877.
The Senate has gotten away ahead of the
House in the business OF the session, but
yesterday the House made start to catch
up and actually passed bll--passed one
bill and defeated two Others. SO you see
we have got down to business in dead earn
est-and mean to keep at it, On and after
next week there will be two sessions of the
House on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs
days from 10 a. m. to l p. M, and from
to 8 p. m. A resolution has been adopted
to adjourn finally on the 18th day of March,
| and there seems to be a determination to
have the work ofthe session finished by that
time.
Two bills were favorably reported from
committee last week, and will soon come be-
fore the House for debate, that promise to
stir up much bitterness between their re.
spective supporters and opponents, the Lo-
| cal Option bill and the Boom bill. The
Local Option bill is substantially the same
as the one repealed in 1875 except that it
does not allow cities to vote separately upon
the question of granting or Withholding Ii
censes BY emitting this provision of the
old bill the local optonists hope, if the bill
becomes law, to capture several cities that
would vote for license if they were allowed
to vote separately from the counties in which
they are situated. The friends of the bill
claim that it is gaining strength every day.
This may be so, but, nevertheless, the pros
pect for its passage is very slim thus far.
Though its advocates are working hard and
display "a great deal of energy, its oppo-
nents do not seem to be at all alarmed or
anxious about it and express the greatest
confidence in their ability to defeat it. Pc
titions praying for the passage of the bill
continue to pour into the Senate and House,
but petitions do not count for much in
matter that has been so often and 30 thor
oughly discussed, not only in the Legislature
and the public prints, but in every town and
village, and perhaps family, in the State.
The Boom Bill referred to above is an act
repeating several supplements to the bill
granting charter to the Susquehanna Boom
Company, by which the company was per-
mitted to increase its tolls for boomage
This bill re.opens the fight between the
Boom Company and the lumbermen which
caused so much scandal at Harrisburg last
winter because of the notorious attempts of
both sides to carry their point by buying
the votes Of legislators. Peter Herdc, of
Minnequa and Boom Bill fame was in town
the other day. His presence at Harrisburg
is generally supposed to indicate lively times
in the Legislature and rattlng volley of
champagne corks all along the line.
Quite lively futtcr was occasioned
among the leading orators of the House
few days ago by the introduction of reso-
luton providing that hereafter all speeches
in the House should be limited to ten min
utes in duration. Eight or ten gifted speak
ers at once arose to oppose the resolution.
1t was denounced as an attempt to cut off
debate, to strangle free speech and prevent
odiOus and corrupt measures from being ex-
posed and defeated. The gentleman who
introduced the resolution vainly explained
that it was merely intended to save time
and expedite business. The tslking states
men proved too much for the quiet ones and
the resolution was defeated.
Last week bill giving authority to may
ors Of cities of the first class to preserve the
peace at election polls and forbidding sher-
ifs of counties to appoint any deputies to
be present at any polling place was declared
unconstitutional in the Senate by majority
of one--all the Democrats and four Repub-
licans voting against the constitutionalty of
the bill. On Friday last substantially the
same bill was introduced in the House BY
Mr.. Hall, of Philadelphia. 1t Immediately
raised a rumpus among the Democrats, who
asserted that as Philadelphia is the only
city of the first class in the State the bill is
purely local one and therefore not in &C.
cordance with the provisions of the new
Constitution. 1t was finally referred to the
Committee ON Municipal Corporations and
will be reported favorably. When it comes
before the House there will probably be a
fierce fight over it.
A petition presented in the House by Mr..
spang, of Bedford, on Friday, created gen.
eral laugh 1t was from citizens of Bedford
county, asking for r reduction in the salaries
of members Of the Legislature. Spang
couldn't help laughing himself.