Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-05-17
The State Legislature.

An impression appears to be extant
Chat the lower House OF the General
Assembly of the state is very much be.
hind with its business, while the Senate
has made rapid progress with its share,
and is ready for adjournment at any
time. The fact that the so.called great
newspapers Of tho state were never
more badly represented at Harrisburg
than this winter, and that their editors.
in.chief are almost to "A man bent upon
misrepresentiEg the Democratic party,
is mainly responsible for this. The
truth is that no house Of Representa-.
tives has ever in the history OF the state
accomplished so much and such good
work in the same length OF time. The
Senate, it is true, is "A digniGed body OF
capable gentlemen. who have been
creditably attentive to their duties, and
have gotten along admirably with their
own measures. Ii must be remembered,
however, that OF tho Senators but
twenty-five are fresh from the people,
70 to speak. while Of the House, the
entire two hundred and one members
come within that category, aud AS a
matter in consequence the relative
amounts of new work assigned by the
people to the two Houses respectively is
about in that proportion. Under these
circumstances il was of course much
easier for Il small body, more than halt
OF whose members had at least two
years experience in legislation, to get
through with it's small share, than for
the large body, unwieldy because Of its
Size, and composed almost wholly OF
men newly come to the duties OF law
making, to rid itself Of it's proportion.
Then, the constitution requires that
appropriation and revenue bills shall
originate in the House. These are
really the most important OF aa the
legislation. And the House has already
passed finally all the state aPpropria
tions, or appropriations to purely state
Institutions. And it will have all the
others disposed OF, 20 far as it i- con
cerncd, rs we'll as all the revenue bills
inside, probably, OF the coming week.
Besides oil this. the great bulk Of the
Legislation ranking next in importance
originated this year IN House bills. The
three apportionmcnt bili-, the labor
legislation, the jenkins license biil, the
Constitutional Amendments the Sweeney
uniform ballot bill, the Philadelphia
Recorder repeal bill, and score OF
Others we cannot just now call TO mind
are among this number. These arc
either in the hands Of the senate, or
finally Disposed of 10y the House. The
Senate still has most Of those which
have gone to II under confederation,
either in committees or on tho calcn
dars-none Of them in a very advanced
stage. Tho Recorder hill b. the only
one Of them all that has finally passed
the senate. There are very many bjlls
in tho House calendars that have not
been reached, and probably will not be.
4 number Of thesc are important to
this section or that, or this interest or
that. NevertlSlcss, the state could far
better afford an adjournment without
the passage Of the senate bills still IN
the House, than without that Of the
House bills now in the senate or Ia 60
there this week. From now on the
House will be engaged mostly with local
or special legislation. The senate. on
the other hand, will have al it can 10
to dispose Of the Ersvcly important
matters that have been sent in from the
House. Both bodies have done good
work, the House the better, If anything
Of the two, and this is the most 70.
markable, we repeat, because Of its un.
wieldiness as to the size and the mex
perience Of most Of its mcmbcrs.-
Ini0n Lcafer.