Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-06-14
The Legislature and tho Appor
tionmentS.


CATION of the legislature to respect and
obey the constitution of the state, has
been entirely ignored. Especially
since the constitution of 1873 was
adopted, the members Of that party in
the legislature, each and every one Of
whom took an oath "to support, obey
and defend it, have apparently taken
a pride in showing their contempt for
it, and in utterly disregarding itsplain
and mandatory provisions When the
present legislature met on the ID Of
January last, it was an open secret
that the Republicans did not intend
to pass any apportionment bills al
though required to do SO by the con
stitution itself. While apportionment
bills were introduced in the Senate,
the apportionmcnt committee of that
body never met until the house bills
were sent to them. Then every posi-
BILE delay was resorted to in order to
postpone the passage Of any bills on
the subject until SO near the day Of
final adjournment that the differences
between the two houses could not be
compromised or adjusted. The result
was that no apportionment bills were
passed, and the Governor has called
the legislature together in extraordi'
nary session to do this work which the
constitution makes obligatory.
That Hoyt or Hartranft would not
have done what Pattison has il true.
They seemed to care as little for the
obligations Of their oath "to support,
obey and defend the constitution As
the legislature did. 1t is different
now. That the Republican senate is
responsible for the failure Of the APP
portionmcnt bills and consequently. tor
the expense Of an essra session, no
impartial or candid man can deny.
That from The assembling Of the leeis.
laturc to the adjournment on the 9Th
Of June, the Republican leaders in.
tended to prevent these bjils from
passing is known to every intelligent
person familiar with Pennsylvania
politics. Let the responsibility rest
upon them, aud let the people hold
them to a strict accountability for the
result. But, is the Democratic house
altogether blamelcss in the mattcr2 IF
not, let the people understand it aud
hold its members to their share Of the
responsibility That Speaker Faunce
had an unusually difficult task to per.
form in the selection of his committees
at the beginning Of the session, in
consequence Of the great number of
new and untried men is undoubtedly
true. That mistakes we're made in
selecting the leading men on many
important committees il probable
But had the Speaker and the other
experienced Democrats in the house
looked after these green committeeman
as they should have done, the mex
cusable delay would not have occurred.
There is no good reason why every
apportionment should not have passed
the house and been sent to the senate
before the middle Of February instead
of the middle of April. Take as an
example: The judicial apportionment
bill read in place in the house January
10, was not reported from the com.
mittee till March 9th, and did not
pass the house until after the expira-
ton of the first hundred days of the
session. Why was this delay? That
the Democratic members of that COM
mittee wilfully and intentionally held
the bill back in order to play into the
hands of the Republican leaders who
desired to prevent its passage, We do
not believe. 1t resulted from their
incspacity or their inexcusable stupid
ity Again, early in the session the
Republican senate passed joint reso-
luton to adjourn finally on the Both
of March. This resolution the house
held for months aud then amended It
to make the final adjournment June
9Th, the earliest possible time after
their ten dollars per diem ceased,
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