The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-06-27
OUR HARRISBURG LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.

From our Regular Correspondent.
HARRISBURG, PA, June 20 1885,
AFTER THOUGHTS ON THE LEGISLATURE.
For the past five months visit to the
Capital at any time of day or night
would reveal to the visitor hustle, noise,
excitement and continued hurrying too
and fro Of those who were in some way
interested in the present session or had
some employment of some kind about
the Hill. All this is now changed. The
old building is quiet and only an occas-
ional visitor can be seen making his way
up to the building The Senate is locked,
the House likewise, and only by the
back way can any one be admitted into
either room. The desks of the members
are cleaned out, the tags containing the
name and district of the member are
torn of and silence reigns supreme. The
only man about the House whose famil-
lar iace we were wont t. see is Andy, the
chief page. Andy is L good-hearted, de-
formed and dwared little fellow who has
the respect and esteem of all the mem
bers, senators and page boys.
As | stood in the old rotunda and
looked about me l thought what poor,
miserable, dirty, dingy, smoky old thing
this building is. The rickety old stair
case leading to the top is ahout worn
out, many places in the upper hall the
boards of the floor are broken through
and patched, and looking at the building
in any way you wish, you will find that
| it is a poor excuse Of building for the
Capitol of this great and wealthy State.
| When | recall the beauties and splendor
of the Capitol at Albany, when | reflect
upon the building at Columbus and read
OF the great cost and splendor Of some Of
| the Western CapitOls l wonder why We
PennsylYanians should not have Il State
House of which we could feel proud.
The present dirty old sweat box was in
directly the cause of the death of two
members during the last session and will
be good trap to catch sickly and weak
legislators who may be caught within its
walls in the future.
As l stood in the House and glanced
about me and saw the vacant seats, /
pointed out for myself the seats that
were occupied by the different men and
then | thought, Here sat Mr.. Colborn,
just back of him Mr.. Boyer, over yonder
Mr.. Faunce, and just back of him Craw-
ford, who was the skillful leader of the
minority, a little further over sat DIR.
Altman, who has by this time come to
the conclusion that there is something
in name, his name being at the head
of the roll call, made him vote first on
! Il =,
keep posted on all bills or he would vote
wrong. BE it said to the Doctors credit
that he very seldom asked to have his
vote changed Not far from DR.. Alt
man is the chair occupied by old man
Lowry, and then | thought of what |
heard the night before last. One of the
Philadelphia members who was sitting
close by me forgot or did not hear the
bill read upon which he was called t.
vote. He turned to the next man and
asked him how "old man Lowry voted,
and when he was told he remarked
"Then it is safe for me to vote that way
l then asked him why he should be gov.
ened by Mr.. Lowry's vote, said he
"Old man Lowry is the best watch doc
in the House, we are always safe to vote
as he does" "But what would you have
done had you not heard Mr.. Lowrv't
voteW "Then | should have voted as
Mr.. Colborn voted, for they are the best
watch dogs in the House, and very few
bills pass without their knowing what
they are. There are no ten men in thi,
House who could run State cheaper
than those two.
Thinking as | did Of some of the
measures that were defeated | was re
minded of the bill that was 20 give Col
Thomas $4,000 to take care of and fiN
up Pennsylvanias exhibits at New Or
leans. l thought Of the different meth
ods that were taken to have the bill
passed, and when the case was hopeless,
how Col Thomas went ahead and took
charge of and fixed up the exhibits, paic
for it out Of his own funds and now since
it has been discovered that the Colone
had, by his energy, a real creditable eX
hibition for our State, some one intro
duced resolution into the House, which
passed, that the thanks of the HousC
, should be rendered TO Colonel Thoma,
for his energy and tact put forth in tn,
r management of the affairs at New Or
leans. ! wonder that some of the mem
) hers did not blush with shame torhinl
that they should ask Col. Thomas, mucl
p less refuse to pay him, for upholding tn,
interests Of the State. If they recog
nized his services as being worthy o
thanks they should at least have had tn,
decency TO pay him what he expended
This House should be ashamed OF its in
! gratitude toward this man who has don,
! SO much and who expended bis none,
and time for the interests Of the State.
Passing this, | thought of the bill
which was to reduce the number of mem
bers Of the House to ono hundred. Thi
was one of Mr.. Laury's bills, and when
= come to think of it, there is more wis
J dom in it than appears at first sight
! Speaker Graham said fact which hayu
= no doubt was said before, that largt
1 sodies are umieldy and in grea
= measure retard legislation. New Yorl
| State, with population Of nearly twic,
2 rs many us this State, has only ~
2 members and 3S senator's, while thi
State has POI of the former and 80 ofthl
l latter. There is some truth in this as
sertion and considerable wisdom in 'ol,
E man I.aury's" bill
/ thought Of the behavior Of the mem
bers, their character, their ability, thei
zeal, their devotion TO labor, their car
! nest desire 10 do the will of their con
! stituents, the amount of work they di,
! and concluded that they were abou
+ equal if not a little superior to the bod,
! which met here only year ago. A
this point Andy called 10 me and saiC
that the RECORD is behind hand and I
, is no telling when the last copy will b.
, printed. | then concluded that il WA
/ time for me 10 take my departure anc
! say good bye 10 the old Hall and all ia
associates aud all the pleasant memories