The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-10-09

1
lpany the ten thousand dollars bonus
paid into the State Treasury annu-
ally by the New York aad Erie Rail-
road Company, under the ffth sec
tion Of the act Of March, 1916. Soon
after the adjournment NY attention
was directed to the subject, and to
guard against less, caused the At
torney General to give notice to the
New York aad Erie Railroad Com
pa1y that ,he State would look TO
thst corporation for the payment Of
the annual bonus as heretofore, not
| withstending the passage Of the sup.
plemsnt referred TO / regard the
latter es having been enacted and
approved through inadvertence in the
hurry of closing sefsion, and, rs has
ty and ineonsidsrats legislation. at
variance with the settled policy Of
the State, and highly prcjudicial to
the public interests; and | therefore
earnestly recommend its immediate
repeal, or at least 80 much Of il as
relates to the bonus.
No action having been taken, 10
| 1872 be sgain alluded to it as fol-
lows
"Tbe Milford and Matamoras Rail-
road Company. About
the close Of the session Of the legis-
laturo ia 1870, an act was passed and
/ approved entitled a supplement to
the Milford aad Matamoras Railroad
Company The fourth section Of
this enactment seems 10 have been
intended 10 take from the State and
give to the company the ten thous.
and dollars bonus paid into the State
Treasury annually by the New York
and Erie Railroad Company under
the iftb section ot the act of 26th
March, 1916. Soon sfer the sd-
ljournmsnt my attention was directed
TO the subject, and to guard against
loss, ! caused the Attorney General
to give notice ID the New York and
Erie Railroad Company that the
State would look TO that corporation
for the payment of tie annual bonus
as heretofore, Notwithstanding the
passage OF the supplement referred
to. | regard the latter as having
been enaced and approved through
inad7erlelee in the hurry Of a clos
i0g session, and, as bas.y aud inc0n-
sideFate legislation, at variance with
tbs settled policy Of the State. and
highly preiad;ci2l to the public inter-
ests, aad / therefore earnestly repeat
the recommendation 10 nv last al
uual message for the immediate re-
pest cf this obnoxious law, or at least
Of thar part Of it which relates 10 the
bonus The State having long since
abandoned the policy of paying mon
ey out Of her treasury for the con-
struclion Of railroads, there is Meth
er equality or justice in allowing this
enactment to remain in force"
A repealiHg bill was introd need q
1872 The remarks OF Senator War
fel, of Lancaster, 10 be found ia the
Legislaiire Record Of the. year,
pages $50 toS63, gives a complete
exposition Of the fraud. ~ parpeses
and projectors.
ID this speech Mr. Warlel gave
the history Of the bonus Of ten thous-
and dollars from the Erie Railway,
and its attempted diversion from the
State Treasury TO that Of the Milford
and Matamoras Railroad, setti0g
forth how tha. cue w H. Dimmick, a
member OF the House of Represen-
tatiees from Pike county, owner of
.5S3 shares Of the Milford and Mata-
mcras Railroad Company, while sew
enteen shares oaiy were divided
among six other stockholders, TO bring
the company under the law and en-
title il TO a charter, on April 2i 1870,
five DAYS before the adjournment,
read 10 place the obnoxious supple
meur. with the saGke concealed So
i0geuiously away down 10 tee fourth
and last section, and had II railroad
ed through the House under a sus-
pension Of the rules bow shat the
Journal Of the Senate showed tae bill
60 have been reported without
amendment, and that no record of it's
having been amended or passed the
Senate could be found, bar that an
entry in the House Journal made il
appear . have been returned from
the Senate with amendment which
was eoncGrred in. The Senate had
no record Of such amendment, nor
could he ascertain what the amend
meut was. The Senator continuing
spoke as follows:
"Bus there are those who allege, in
Justice to the legislature. that this
bill never did pass, in the shape in
waich 1t is now found, bat that the
fourth section was attached after the
Others had been agreed TO by both
Houses, aud ibe Journal Of the House
fixed up accordingly. Be this as II
NAV, | have no means Of proving or
disproving such allegations | know
onlv this, there is most singular
waat Of everything that might show
the bin 10 have been properly con-
sidered IL is well known that copies
of all bills are preserved by both
Houses, but this is al exception. |
have carefully examined the files on
both sides, end had others 10 assist
me. who were more familiar with the
arrangement of the papers, bat We
have been unable - Ind anything in
relation to this bill, though the num-
bers preceding aud succeeding are
there and everything else that We
had occasion TO lock Tor. The tracks
are we'll covered. The parties who
managed this brilliant financial
scheme knew what they were doing,
and they left no documentary tell
tales behind, 10 rise up aad plague
them afterward."
Then after quoting the obsOxiogs
section he conunues;
There is the little joker-ptrt OF
M act entitled simply n supple
ment % the Milford aud Mata moras
Railroad Company And in this
connection | want 10 call the aiten-
tiou of the Senate to section $, article
NJ. of the constitution o. Pean-
sylyania, which provides that 40 bill
shall be passed by the Legislature con
tanning more than enc subject, which
shall be clearly expressed in the title,
except appropriation bills