Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-07
TALK AT THE CAPITAL.
Subjects That KindIe the Fires Of Oratory
in State LeGislntors-Patriotic Ideas In
Conflict With Sense of Dufy-Things of
RuroI Tnfnrnaf.


in State LeGislntors-Parriotic Ideas In
Conflict With Sense of Dufy-Things of
Rural Interest.
lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
HARRISBURG. March 6.-There hasn't been
great deal this session to call out bursts OF
oratory The subjects before the Legislature
have been mostly unexciting and common
place. The discussion on second reading OF
the Embarrassing bill stirred up some OF the
Allegheny City members, who thereby brought
many of the Philadelphia delegation to their
feet. The Pittsburg members, who have a
more immediate interest in the subject
than their Allegheny City colleagues,
did not come to the rescue OF the
latter in the fight, but the recent action of the
Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce may act as a
stimulant to them. That feature of the bill
that would act virtually as a bar against the
building OF new roads into the city was ex-
planned at some length to the Legislature by
Representative Shiras, but it didn't prevent an
overwhelming majority voting for the bill on
second reading. One remarkably peculiar
feature developed during the debate was the
practical unanimitv with which the Philadel-
phians agreed that the western city which is
now in the second class, and the other western
city that expects to be must accept what the
Philadelphia1s declared to be good thing
regardless of whether these two interested
places considered 1t good thing or whether
they didn't Third reading of the bill, how
ever, is yet to come
The greatest amount of oratory indulged in
by the House was worked Off on Captain
Browns flag bill. 1t was all of decidedly pa
triotic character, the opposition proclaiming
devotion to the old flag while at the same time
objecting to the expense. The bill providing
penalties for officials who do not give old SOL
diers preference in employment made a great
amount of talk, in which patriotism also ran
rampant. There was more straight business in
this debate than in the other, because it was
matter that went right at the tender spot of
the practical politician. His love for
the old soldier and his belief that
the offices ought to be divided according
to political necessities made it hard
row for him to hoe for the time, and now
he is devising ways and means Of evading the
provisons of the bill in case it should pass all
the required Legislative scrutiny, and finally
become law by the authority of that last CO.
ordinate branch of the legislature, the Gov
ernor. There was no waste of words over the
no appropriation and it didn't en-
croach on the domain of the gentle
men who have offices to give out, as it merely
provides that it is unlawful for anyone, unless
one who has the right, to wear the insignia OF
the g. A. r.. the Loyal Legion or the Union
Veterans Legion.
The skunk law, the fence law and the bird
book are responsible for vast amount of lit
erature that appears in the columns of the
Legislative Record. Every member with a
rural constituency had direct interest in all
these measures. and even members who have
no rural constituencies were interested to
considerable degree In the bird book. Every
body wants a copy, but everybody, of course
won't be able to get one. That is the reason
Captain Skinner, OF Fulton, objected to the
printing of any more unless he could get 2,5O0
of them-enough to give one to every voter in
his county. A vast majority of the other MEM
bers were satisfied to get even few more of
OF their constituents, trusting to luck to escape
the wrath of those who are disappointed, or
hoping in some way to mollify it. Speaking of
the demand for the bird book, it is told of one
ago to send away, that he left them in the lob
by of the House while he went after something
else. When he returned the bird books were
all gone. 1t is said one man was heard to offer
$40 for two of them, but he has escaped and
cannot be found.
Measures that caught the agricultural atten-
tion and reused the rural voice to eloquent
declaim were the skunk law and the fence law.
The former was debated with great enthusiasm
and earnestness. It covered more subjects
than the DlephttiS nlephiticd himself. and pro-
posed to place bounty on the scalp Of each.
There were friends and foes of the measure
and they waxed warm and offered amendments
and amendments to amendments and suDstl-
tutes until at one stage of the proceedings the
Speaker in ordering vote on some phase OF
the question, forgot the exact parliamentary
form the matter before the House had gotten
into, looked puzzled for moment and then
said: 1.-THE friends of the skunk will please
stand up"
The fence law is q relic that outranks the
Constitution in age, and its provision. that a
man must maintain fence about his property
"horse high, pig tight and bull strong" has
become very obnoxious to many people who
don't want to make fortress of their prop
perty," or "bulld Chinese walr' about 1t, as
many gentlemen stated when talking on the
subject, for the benefit of their fellow-legis-
lators and the public. The best objection urged
against the proposition before the House to re-
peal the old law was the one urged by Mr.
Lytle of Huntingdon, and others. that it pro-
posed no other law to take its place. Hon.
Henry Hall took up a rather dry subject, and
made it interesting by applying to it the great
American principle of the greatest good
to the greatest number" The discussion
ragged fast and furious concerning the poor
mans COW and his garden patch until the mem
bers had worked up good appetite for dinner,
when they voted, and then went after some
thing to temporarily cure their appetites
Mr.. Thompson, of Warren, who had charge
of the bill. was the principal friend of the poor
mans garden patch on this occasion, and in his
remarks made it quite clear that more poor
men we're interested in garden patches than in
cows.
##r#
But if some Of the subjects that have gone
laundering down to the Office of the printer of
the Legislative Record seem trivial in them
selves there is one coming up soon that will
cause 0ratory to flow freely. So much talking
has already been done concering the PROPOSE
Jion to tax manufacturing corporations that
the proviso inserted in the bill for the purpose
of exempting some of these institutions
will not escape barbed shafts from
legislative tongues. Some of the friends
will not rest satisfied with the
proviso which they think is so framed
as to exempt but a few of the classes of manu-
facturers who should, in their view, be free
from the State tax. The provso, for instance,
exempts manufacturers of iron and steel.
Many members say that literal construction
of the proviso would therefore exclude from
its benefits those who manufacture iron and
steel into tools, machinery and other merchant
BILE forms. In view of this there will be a
united attack both by friend and foe of ex-
emption on the proviso-the one for the pur-
pose further of amending it, and other for the
nurnnea nf killinp IL SIMPSON