The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-03-01
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Legislative Correspondence.

HARRISBURG, Feb. 81, 1878.
Your Harrisburg Correspondent, owes you
and your readers an humble apology for his
neglect of the past twoweeks. 1t was owing
to circumstances over which he had no con-
troll. With faithful promise, that his let
ters whether good bad or Indifferent in your
estimation shall not again be among the
missing, he resumes the broken thread of
legislation. The sessions of the past two
weeks have been dull and uninteresting.
Last week no session was held until Wednes-
day evening. The calendar of bills on first
reading was then taken up in the House and
over one hundred bills were read. The abb
sence of quorum in the Senate prevented
that branch of the legislature from holding
any session until Thursday morning.
In the House on Friday the whole session
was consumed with the consideration of ORR
ginal resolutions which made it quite lively
for n while. a summary of Fridays work
is as follows:
Mr.. Shaifer of Allegheny desired to pro-
hibit bills from being read in place in the
House after the first of March. This the
House refused to direct Then Mr.. Heller
of Lehigh asked and obtained the consent
of the House to granting the use of their
hall to the Hon. Adam Woolever, to deliver
his far famed lecture on the enfranchisement
of woman. The request was granted and to-
night the Hon. Adam is holding forth to a
crowded house, and his remarks are being
received with tears of ioy,-but to resume
our Fridays work, Mr.. Faunce Of Philadel-
phia wanted the House to adjourn finally on
April TO- but his resolution was sent to the
committee on ways and means, and the gen.
ial John is confident that there is no way or
means by which he can get it out again.
Mr.. Schell desired change in the rules
of the House so as to prevent members from
recording their votes without rising to re.
main standing in their places until their
names are called and recorded. This is in
tended to prevent fraudulent count, and
was accordingly laid over for future consid-
Grafton.
MI. lluuu, vi hiidhClpult
selfin his old centennial war paint came
forward with a resolution, which the House
adopted and which the Senate to-day sent to
the centennial committee calling upon Con-
gress to come to the aid of the centennial
authorities with an appropriation of one
million of dollars.
Being the birthday of the "Father Of
His Country Mr. Yeakle wanted the House
to adjourn five minutes before the regular
time out of respect to the said F. o. III. G.
but as this legislature seems TO have but very
little respect for anything connected with
the good of the country,it didn't adjourn even
for five minutes.
The Senate has passed resolution to ad-
iourn sine die on March 90 but the resolution
upon being messaged to the House was laid
to rest in committee along side of Faunce's
10th of April resolution.
Yesterday evening the Senate held a ses-
sion of about ten minutes passed several
bills on first reading and adjourned.
| In the House Mr.. Souder of Philadelphia
| lIOui tuc CUuihilIco Hppoiuteu w uiaiI icso
lutions on the death of Harry O'Neill late
member from the fourth district of Philadel.
phia reported a preamble aud resolutions
which after appropriate speeches by NJ Messrs
Souder, Huhn, Long & Zern were unani
mously adopted. The House then adjourned
without doing any business, out of respect to
the memory of the deceased member. A
the close of this session the Immortal" 81
n" who was present in the lobby was called
upon for speech and responding, he enter
tained the members for half an hour or more
| He gave some home thrusts of political
nature to both sides of the House which
were much enjoyed.
To-day has been marked with little of i'm
portance in egislation-excepting the tenn
porary defeat of the Philadelphia recorders
bill. 1t fell in the House Tor want of con-
stitutional vote-the yeas were "a, and the
nays H. a political admixture in the vote
was somewhat of a surprise. Among The
yeas were seven democrats mostly from Phil.
adelpha, while among the nays were six
teen republicans.
This bill will be taken up again in the
| House, when that number in which safety
lies, is present
b.