The state journal. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-10

aIOuSEu
to the necessity for effective action. and
1t behooves the General Assembly, in re-.
spouse to that just sentiment, to look the
question fearlessly in the face, and adopt
such 1udicious measures as will at least
affect an amelioration of the evil.
The returns of the county commission
ers show the presence of 6,359 licensed
drinking places in the city OF Philadel-
phla alone. This is at the rate of one
saloon for every 12j of the population
men, women and children. How many
unlicensed places there are must be lett
to conjecture. This ratio is probably
| maintained in most of the cities. Such
a statement is of itself sufficient proof
that our present license laws are i1offect
I've as a proper regulation of this traffic.
The evil and wrong Of drunkenness all
admit, and the law recognizes. The var
lous regulations respecting the licensing
OF taverns, and the punishment of public
drunkenness, is the assertion by the law
OF the right and necessity of statutory
control and restriction. The advocacy OF
such legal restraint is therefore no new
doctrine. What is now contended for is
what all fair-minded persons must admit
are ineffective and Inadequate |
therefore recommend the increase
of the cost of license to such sum as
will decrease the number of tavern, and,
if possible, weed out the enormous num-
Der of tipping places which infest the
community. There ought also to be
careful regulations respecting the grant
ing of such licenses, particularly in the
lorn To 10
number TO the population, and pro-
visions requiring the petition of
citizens of the neighbOrhoOd set
ting forth desire for the
establishment of such places, and the ex-
istence of public necessity therefor.
Discrimination might possibly be wise in
such legislation between rural districts
and cities. The details Of such a meas
ure however, Gas the whole subject
matter) are for the wisdom of the Gen
eral Assembly. Whether such changes
in the law as have suggested will pro-
! duce the desired end. can only be deter
mined by time. They will certainly
have tendency in that direction, and
| they are recommended as a practical
effort for the accomplishment Of much
needed reform.
! The Extravaganza OF the Geological Survey.
| The making and publishing of the GeOlOg.
| ical Survey of the State Is a matter that l
think calls for legislative survey. his I'M
| dertaking began in the year 1878, and since
| then there have been expended in its publ
cation alone in July l. 1884, the following
| 23l AZ; paper, $lO82R is. The cost OF the
| work completed since July lst last Is: Print
ng 81 NOV II hand dfs
| printing, $4,000, and for paper S., H0
| These sums aggregate for pu6ltca-
10 this amount tho commission having the
| survey IN charge has expended about $780,
| 900. making the total expenditure for this
| work over one million dollars. There have
| been published IS volumes, at an average
| cost OF about $1,000 per volume. or each
| volume there have been printed from 1900
! to 5000 copies, making the COST OF each
| book from three to five dollars. The work
| is still uncompleted, and additional
appropriations wlll probably be asked
money is spent upon this undertaking, 1t
seems TO me there should be some under
! standing arrived at as to when this enormous
| outlay viii cease, whether the value of the
whether the work so far paid for has been
! economically done, and the money Judi
ciOusly expended. The act of 1874 providing
fOa the survey should be carefully reVisedb by
the Legislature, and limitations put
upon the powers of the commits
sioners to entail expense. The sal
ares OF JDe SICOIOBl5t anu us hSSisl
ants, and the form and character of the
publications, arc now exclusively within
The discretion Of the Commission. This
should be remediGd by provisions regulat.
ing to some extent the cost to which under
taking can be carried. Particularly should
the printing be brought within some reason
able limit, and a method devised for some
careful audit, and supervision of the ex-
pense thereof, which, at present, seems to
be without any responsible check or control
specific Sums Should Always BE Appro-
pTiated
As related in some degree to this subject,
1 recommend that IN all cases of expendi-
ture OF public money there should be Il spe,
cifc and limited sum appropriated, ana no
expense should be authorized without
fixed limit rs to It's amount. 1t Is not un-
usual-particularlyw with respect to the pub
lie printing-for a certain rate to be named,
mon y as may be necessary" Its exceed
ingly doubtful whether such so-stVled apprO-
priatiOn5 conform to the constitutional re-
QuirementS of an appropriation bill. How
ever that may be, the method Is an exceed
ingly loose and unwiSe one Such an I'M
limited draft pom the treasury Is at yari-
ance with all sound business principles 1t
Is this system that has in part given rise to
the eXtravagant amount and character of
the public printing. The enormous nun
Der OF public documents printed, their
great size, the unnecessary and useless
quantity of matter with which they are
filled, have long been Il matter of known
extraVega So glarIng had this waste be.
its correction in part, by reducing
the number of volumes authorized 30
to be printed. The defect in the law Is in
not appriatlng q limited amount In all cases,
beyond which the cost of publication can
not 60 There is not the slightest practical
difficulty in doing this, with reference to
done, there would soon be reduction IN the
size and cost of public documents, without
any diminutiOn of their real usefulness as
sources of popular information
Repeal the Present State Printing Law.
The repeal of the present State Printing
law is recommended, and the passage OF a
new statute based upon the principles sug-
gested, with q further and additional safe
guard thrown around the expenditures in
that department by the specific limitations,
and thorough system of audits and ac-
counts. The expense for printing for each
department of the Government should be
paid from definite appropriations made di.
rectly TO each department upon warrant
drawn by the head of each department,
| which, when approved, shall be COULTER
| signed by the Auditor General. There has
been abuse in the public printing, and there
| will always be liability thereto, so long IS
| the present loose, irresponsible and unbusI
ness-lif1e system Is continued.
Your attention is also called TO my views
| on the subject of advertising expressed in
former message. a judicioas supervision of
| this subject must necessarily result in the
| saving OF large sums OF money to the Com
monW ealth, as Is abundantly illustrated by
| the fact that the payments Tor advertising
! in the State Department. for the years 1888
| and 1884 have been 1896 Sc, as against $780,
| DIG % for the years 1881 and 1882 showing a
saving on that item of $4,000 06.
recommend the repeal of the act pas sed
| in 1868, taking from the council of the city
| OF Philadelphia the control OF the streets of
| that city in regulating the rights of passen-
! ger railways thereon. The charters of in
| corporation of most Of the railways, passed
| before that act, explicitly give to the city
! the power to impose reasonable regulations
and duties upon the roads in connection
| with the streets. The act of 1868
seems to have been intended solely
| for the benetlt of the railroads., and its pas
sage utterly ignored the rights of the people
and authorities of that city in their high
ways, Indeed the powers expressly given
to the city by the characters of these cOrpo-
| rations were of the essence of the grant and
were needed restraint upon the companies,