The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-01-16


trrest. TIE various county assessnrs cuu
and should; at the same time that they d,
form their other duties, discharge the bu,
ness now transacted by the mercantile a
praiseIs- Particularly ought this to be d, 4
II the Legislature should adopt the sBgge
tion that thess licenses We paid into Il
treasures % the various counties BY tn
means a large number of office holde
would be dispensed with, their salaries save
10 tile State or counties and uuifoTmit
simplicity and convenience be promoted 1
having all taxes levied by one set of office
and paid at one time 20 the county treasure
This plan seems to be perfectly feasible. an
It's adoption would be practical concessIo
10 the universal demand among the peopl
for abolition of unnecessary officers an
complex governmental machinery"
1t Is recommended that the office of Ser
ate librarian and resident clerk of the hous
be abolished, giving to the State printer tn
Senate librarians duty of shipping publ
documents to those entitled To them and {
the commissioners of public buildings th
entire charge of the capito;. The Senat
has no library worth a librarian and tn
/ House resident clerkship is equally unnec
essaTy.
Believing that the moral effect of capita
punishment would be greater il it followed
the offense more closely, the governor urge,
that the supreme court be required TO hear
and act on such cases within sixty days af.
ter the verdict giving them absolute yriori.
ty; that the death warrant should he issued
as soon as the supreme court affi ns iudg
ment fixing the date of execution from thir-
ty to sixty dayss thereafter.
The Governor recommends that the secre-
tary OF the commonwealth, the attorney
general aud the members OF the general as
semoly be paid salaries, instead of the fees
OF the former two officials and the per diem
OF the Legislators. The per diem system is
pronounced scandaous failure and the
congressional plan Of paying legislators eve
ry month is referred to with favor.
POLL TAX ABOLITION.
Concerning the abolition of the poll tax
the message says II recommend the pas
sage OF a resolution submitting to the people
for adoption an amendment 30 the Copstitu.
ton abollshing payment of tax as quaIih-
cation for electors. As practically carried
out the paying OF poll tax as a qualifica-
ton for voting has largely contributed to de-
oauch our politics and bring our elective
system into reprOacb. 1t is a matter known
d ali men that the political parties early
contribute Immense sums from the party
.reasuries to qualify electors by wholesale
Tor partisan purposes. This system de.
grades the suffrage right is dangerous to
rec institutions, and gives the political par
lies an influence ever the INDECENT or mdif
eTEnt that % 70 4,
liar will, and prevent the baIlot-box from
ecording the unbiased choice of the people.
L tends to make elections unduly expensive
md gives rise to powerful and dangerous
'arty organizations, hostile to healthy polit- /
cal sentiment. and the main purpose of .
which seems to be, by assessment upon of
lce-bolders and in other ways, to raise
arge sums of money to control elections in /
be interest of parties and factions In the .
ostTact money qualification for votes is
n odious and undemocratic principle, at
ariance with the theory of Republican .
government, and having tendency to give .
lndue Influence to wealth and divide the .
ommunity upon the basis of riches and .
poverty. This is true whether the quaiifi- .
alton consists in the ownership of property
r the payment of tax. In point of fact,
oweYer, the money qualification required .
y our law is no qualification at all, and /
eeps alive an odions discrimination without .
he slightest effect in limiting the suffrage,
ut giving opportunity for the worst evils of .
orrupt partisaps control to the ballot 1t I
; preposterous to suppose that a citizen
therwise qualified for an intelligent exer-
Use OF the right of suffrage is made any
lore so by the payment of fifty cents, or
bat one disqualified without such payment /
; habiIitated with the high attributes OF a /
overeign elector by contributing a-half dol
Ar to the public treasury. 1 regret the end |
q view cannot be accomplished expedi- /
ously by the passage of an ordinary statute I.
nd that this relic of an age and theory in
nical to free representative government re-
uires the slow process OF a constitutional
mendment for its eradication"
The Governor deplores the laxity of the /
ivOrce lawsl six successive acts of assembly .
avi1g increased the evil and gwen the
tate an unenviable reputation for easy di- /
orce- He recommends that both marriage
nd divorce be made more dificuIt: that il /
e a misdemeanor for magistrate or cler-
yHan to mary q minor or other person in
iOlation of law. ard by prohibiting and an
ulling the marriage OF the guilty party to a
iyorce case during the other party's life.
me- that the jurisdiction Of the State
ourts be limited to divorce suits in which
he complainant has lived in the State two
ears; that three years of malicious deser-
on shall be necessary to make it valid
round, and that divorce for cruel and bar
QrOuS ahoI ha
My, on account of actual violence to the
erson
HIGH LIQUOR LICENSES.
Some space is devoted to the manifold
wills of intemperaBce, after which the Coy
rnor says: "The present laws upon this
abject are Ineffective and Inadequate. I
lerefore recommend the increase of the
Ost OF license to such a SUN As will decrease
he number of taVerns and, if possible, weed
ut the enormous number of tippling places
Thich infest the community. There ought
so to be careful regulations respecting the
ranting of such licenses, particularly in the
Irge cities, with Limitation as to the num-
er OF the population, and provisions re-
uiring the petition of citizens of the neigh
Orhood setting forth a desire for the estab-
shment of such places, and the existence
public necessity therefor. Discrimina-
on might possibly be wise in such legisIa-
on between rural districts and cities.
The Governor suggests legislative Inquiry
ito the indefinite expenses of the geological
lrvey, revision of the act of 1874 and Iimi-
Ition of the powers OF the commissioners to
cur expense. Their accounts should be
ade subject to audit. particularly their
rinting bills. The entire State printing