Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-27

spondents were requested to say nothing
about the affair and those who were reiract-
ory were implored to put it as mild as ros-
sible and let Delamater down easy. Some
| of the correspondents who telegraphed the
news to their papers were surprised to find
| 1t suppressed in the home Offices. That is
why the matter was not more generally
known at the time. There are dozen
newspaper correspondents familiar with
this fact.
Senate bill 196, as Mr.. Delamater intro
duced it into the Senate, was one OF the
bills specially denounced by the knights of
Labor and protested against by organized
labor and the farmers of Western Pennsyl
vanIa. The bill, as amended by the House
Committee, WAS indorsed by these. The
Conference Report" proposed a measure
containing all the Objectionable features of
Delamater's original bill, which features
were desired by the ''other gentlemen" of
the Standard Oil Trust, and MIR. Delamater,
their servant in the Senate.
The bill on the files of the House at the
time the Conference Report" appeared
was ia bill to regulate the production OF
natural gas and prevent Its waste. The bill
proposed by Mr.. Delamater's Conference
Report" would have been appropriately en-
| titled IAN act to prevent land owners in
the natural gas regions of this State from
marketing their product or realizing the
value thereof, and to enable gas companies
operating territory in this Commonwealth
to obtain the gas from adjoining lands with
out paying for the same"
Some Further Legislative History.
Mr.. Delamater's Conference Report"
was placed on members desks in the House
by the pages during the adjournment for
supper, evening of Nav is. The House re-
opened at o'clock P. NJ. A message from
the Senate was received, and two bills were
passed finally making an appropriation :or
the erection of monuments to Generals Meade
and Hancock; and the second relating to
the issue of judgments.
Then Mr.. Faunce rose to a question of
privilege, (page 27S0 Legislative Record)
the Conference Report" having been dis
covered.
About this time Mr.. Delamater rose to a
question OF privilege in the Senate (see
Legislative Record, page 2717) and made his
explanation OF the ICON ference Report"
He was Interrogated by Mr.. McAleer, who
wanted to know by what authority and BY
whom the Committee of Conference, named
in the report had been appointed. Mr..
Delamater here admitted that no committee
had been appointed. 1t was of his own
making. He had signed the names of other
gentlemen to what purported to be an official
paper without their advice or consent. Par
liamentarian Thomas V. Cooper, fearing the
disclosures and results of further discussion,
here moved, az 9:07 P. NJ, that recess be
taken OF ten minutes. Legislative Record,
page 2717.)
Senate bill 1876 passed second reading in
the House May 16. 1887 Legislative Record,
page 2379-23S1), and was amended. 1t is |
there recited with amendments. Passed sec |
and L. ,r
there recited by sections in its original form.
Legislature Record, page S95.)
The Features of the Measure.
Briefly, the provisions of the bill intro
duced by Mr.. Delamater, required all wells
drilled in future, from whicn oil was not be-
ing saved, to be shut in so as to prevent the
escape of any gas; the exclusion of water
from the producing rock by casing or pack
ing, and provided severe penalties for the
enforcement of the provisions. The bill was
amended in the Senate committee to pro-
vide simply for the shutting in the gas and
so the bill came to the House. In the
House it was amended to apply to wells
drilled before as we'll as after the passage of
the act A gas we'll was defined as a we'll
producing gas without oil. The amended
bill provided, first, for the shutting in of all
gas wells to prevent the waste OF gas in case
|
wells. Injured persons or companies were
to shut in the wells. And final
ly provision was made for the payment of
damages to be adjudged by the Court to the
owner OF any we'll so shut in for the loss of
his gas.
The bill of the conference report changed
the definition of gas we'll to be one pro-
ducing "gas at a pressure OF 20 pounds
whether producing oil or not, provided for
,bn+ IN IL |
The water from the sand by casing or pack
ing, and for preventing any waste of gas
rom either wells or pipe lines and providing
penalties for violation.
Very Decided Change.
It will be noted that all the provisions I
protecting land owners In the vicinity OF
territory operated by supply companies were
carefully excluded from the conference re-
port, leaving only the Objectionable features
of Mr.. Delamater's original bill, with tin
addition Of annihilating the provision e&
ampting wells producing oil from the gen. ;
eral provisions of the bill. Thus, it may be !
seen the conference report is as monstrous in !
itself as the manner of its making and the l
intention to foist it on the Legislature. &
Now the question arises, did the signing ]
or the procuring to be signed the names of l
the members of the House, to the Confer s
ence Committee report constitute forgery? {
The State Printer, under his contract and !
he rules of the Legislature, is only entitled
% receive and print what has the official
sanction OF the Senate or House, or the COM
nittees of those bodies. The State Printer
would not be entitled to print, and would I
lot print, a Conference Committee report t
which did not bear the signatures of the
members of the committee, placed thereon |
,y themselves, or with their knowledge and I
Issent.
Three Fictitious Signatures.
In this case the names of Hon. John E. :
Faunce, Hon. George S. Criswell and Hon. :
2 R. Nichols, of the House, were placed to .
his paper without their knowledge or con- J
ent, and the State Printer misled into ,
printing and charging to the State this con- >
erence report as an official document In
very essential feature it was forgery. 1t
s idle to say that it was not intended that /
hese reports should be placed upon the
esks of members. As we'll might man
Who had written another mans name on a
note, without his knowledge and a
onsent, and gotten the money on it from {
ne cashier of a bank, plead that he in
ended to induce the man whose name he r
ad forged, to give him a note for like
um, and in some manner substitute the
enuine note for the spurious one. This is !
he Kind of ethics THAT considers the moral T
lrpitude of an action to rest solely in its !;
iscovery. a
Now have disposed of the charges I a
,ade against Mr.. Delamater; having pro- =
uced sufficient evidence, to make it clear
, fair-minded people, that he is guilty of r
ach and all of them and that he is an unfit a
erson to administer public matters. !
I say sufficient, because there are multi :,
lied pages o. direct testimony that can be