Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-09-21
The Recorder Bill Swindle.
RECORD OF CANDIDATE DAVIES AND GREER
on THE SUBJECT.

on THE SUBJECT.
From the Harrisburg Patriot
The present recorders Office of Phila.
delphia is an extravagant and unneces.
sary office created by the legislature of
1878 rs a profitable place for Hon. NJ.
S. Quay in return for his valuable ser.
vices through many campaigns 10 the
Cameron managers. Before the act Of
1878 the recorders office was compare.
lively unimportant and inexpensive.
BY that act powers heretofore belonging
to other State officers were given 10 the
recorder. He was given the appoint.
ment of mercantile appraisers, and the
sole power OF their removal. He was
given the power to advertise the ap.
praiser's lists for four weeks in six news.
papers of the city. This alone took
yearly 100000 from the State treasury.
lie was given the power TO hear appeals
from the action of the appraisers. by
this means a premium was put upon
improper taxation, as under the act be.
fore the appeal was heard the shop
keeper was obliged to take an oath be.
fore the recorder that he had been i'm.
properly taxed. For this oath he was
charged fee which went into the pock.
ct OF the recorder. The office was al.
togethe paid by fees which were said
annually to reach anywhere from $7j,.
600 TO 100000. The eNtravagance of
the Office, its shameful impositions, its
useless and unnecessary character, and
the fact that il was created solely for the
benefit of one or more politicians, caus.
ed a storm of indignant protest frotn
the citizens and taxpayers OF Philadel.
phia and n demand for the repeal OF the
obnoxious act OF 1878.
Accordingly two bills for that purpose
were prepared by the Citizens Commit.
tee OF One Hundred and presented in
the House Of Representatives for the
abolition of the office. These were
known as House bills Nos. PA and 27j.
The former, No. PA was bill totally
repeating the act Of 1878. The latter.
No. 27j, provided the method for bring
ing suit TO recover delinquent licenses,
and substituted the serving Of notices
personally upon all persons appraised
instead of advertising the lists which il
totally abolished. These bills were op.
posed by all the " rooster element IN
the House. They resorted TO every
means possible TO defeat the passage OF
the bills. FllIibustering, disorder, per
sonal abuse, and the most disgracelul
proceedings were of nightly occurrence
when these bills were called up for pas
sage. But the united press OF Philsdel
phia was in their favor, councils passed
resolutions asking their passage, the
Committee Of One Hundred sent a del
egation to Harrisburg to urge their pos
ssge,and they were finally passed despite
all opposition, the friends of the meas.
ures in the House being under the able
leadership OF Hon. Charles $. Wolf, Of
Union county, Hon. Edward Law, Of
Philadelphia and Hon. J. Il. Niles. Of
Tioga county. The bills we're sent over
TO the Senate for passage, when the re.
lation Of Davies and Greer to measures
Of Reform soon became apparent.
In the Senate, April 81, 1881, LcgisiI-
lIkUc Record, volume ii, page 1895. Sena
tor Gordon offered resolution TO In.
struct the committee on municipal sf.
fairs to report House bills IA and 2T5
and place same on the calendar, said
bills having been in possession oi the
committee unreported fifteen days or
since April 6. The vote was as follows
on the resolution
AYEs--messrs Alexander. Coke, Emory. Evsrhart.
aosdon. Gruf Hereisr Kaufman. Laird, leo. Mctfru.
~ Nelson, Itoss, Stewart, Thomas, WoiSrrt0u--lG.
SsYs--MeSsrs Arnholt. BoERs Cochran, Cooper.
DAVIES, Grady, GREER, Herr, Jones Koeiisr. Tanis
McNsilI, Mylin, Sewmyer. Norris. Parker. Reyburn
Roserts, Roger, Smiley, Upperruan, Sewell-2A
Six days offer this, on April 81, bill
No. 274 was reported with certain
"boss amendments which will hereaf.
ter be explained. In the Senate, May
10, 1882. LegisiatiVe Record, page Sl3,
Senator Gordon offered second resolu.
ton to discharge the committee on mu.
nicipal affairs from the further consid.
Grafton of House bill No. 27j. This bill,
which had passed the house after the
most violent and persistent resistance
by the "roosters OF that body, was re.
ferred to the Senate committee on mu.
nicipal affairs That committee held
the bill and refused to report il. In
other words they tried TO smother IL.
IL took away from the recorder of Phil.
adelphia the advertising OF the mercan
tile appraisers liss, which useless sdver.
tising cost the state over Sixty Thou.
sand Dollars annually. The ''roosiers"
of the senate did not desire 10 take
from the recorder the expenditure OF
this large sum which was distributed
among dependent party organs that
were said 10 "diyide" il with the poll.
ticians controlling it. As above shown,