Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-23
D. r. Jones, of Allegheny County.
Throws Up His Committee Places.
HIS CONVICTIONS WERE IGNORED,
Important Salary Bill Launched in the
House by MIR. Nesbit.
THE DELUGE OF BILLS CONTINUES
tFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Mr.. Nesbit's bill In the whole list of 18
county officials it only makes four changes.
They are as follows: The Allegheny
County Coroner, who now receives sal
ary Of s., 800, will receive salary under
Mr.. Nesbit's bill of $1,000. The County
Prothonotary is reduced from $4,000 to
S., 900 per year. The Register is also re-
duced from $1,000 to $4,000 year. The
Solicitor is increased from $500 to 81. 600.
The bill has no doubt been introduced in
this shape in order to get it place on the
calendar, and many important changes will
probably be made in the other salaries.
Some of the members think that the
County Treasurer. being under such heavy
bonds, should receive more than his present
salary, which is 5000. A conference of
the Allegheny county delegation will result
in some important amendments to the bill.
Some time before the Legislature convened
The DISPATCH, in an interview in Pitts
burg with D. R. Jones, of Homestead, gave
his peculiar views about the formation of
legislative committees. In consistently ad-
herring to his views, Mr.. Jones created quite
a sensation in the House this afternoon.
Resigning From the Committees.
Arising in his seat, he asked the unani-
nous consent of the House to offer his resig-
nation from certain committees, and ex-
planned his reasons therefor. The hum Of
voices instantly ceased, and all eyes were
turned on the gentleman of the Mononga-
hela valley. He thereupon said that he re-
signed from all committees to which he had
been appointed by the Speaker, except one,
that on. Constitutional Reform. He read
the following written reasons:
First, I am not placed on any commit
tees where can be of any use to the people
of my district Second, I asked to be
placed on the Appropriation Committee,
where I believe could have done some
thing to stop unnecessary appropriations of
public money. l also requested to be placed
on the Corporations Committee, where 1
could have done something to prevent the
giving of private corporations any more
powers, and further requested to be placed
on the Committee on Labor, where 1 could
have done something for the working people
of nv district, as we'll as of the State.
Standing by His Convictions.
On neither of these committees was 1
placed, but on the contrary I::was placed on
Insignificant committees, which are beneath
the respect due to the people of my district,
and also beneath the respect due me on my
own merits. My convictions on the above
subjects were well known at the last session
of the House. They are convictions that
ought to be recognized and given a fair
place in the House, instead of being ignored
and discouraged. 1 do not complain for not
getting everything, but for getting nothing"
"The resignation of the gentleman from
ALLEGHENY county is accepted" said
Speaker Thompson promptly, "and in due
time 1 will appoint member to fill the
vacancies caused thereby"
There was no debate, and that ended the
episode. Mr.. Jones will escape tremen-
dous amount of hard work, judging from
the number of bills introduced this morn
ing, as a continuation of yesterdays deluge.
The record OF all former legislative years
was broken TODAY by the introduction Of
12S additional bills, and the House was only
In session for two hours. This rush will
continue tomorrow. The chairmen of
committees are already declaring themselves
swamped with business.
After the Telephone Companies.
In addition to Mr.. Nesbit's county salary
bill, the members of the Allegheny county
delegation introduced seven or eight other
bills, the most important of which was by
Mr.. Marshall, preventing discrimination on
the part of telephone companies and fixing
telephone rentals at not more than So per
month, or where two or more telephones are
rented by the same individual. at not more
than 50 SO per month each; or where tele-
phones are advertised for use between towns,
cities and villages, the price must not be
more than 10 cents for the first 15 minutes
of
As many as ten amendments to the Brooks
license law were introduced to-day. None
of them changed the price of the license, but
several related to the distribution of the
money. Mr.. Johnson's bill, for instance,
gives all the money from the licenses to
first-class cities, and in the case of Pittsburg
and Allegheny, two-ffths of the money to the
cities and three-ffths to the county. Bv
this the State would get nothing Mr.
Bain's bill is one of quite number pro-
viding Tor an excise commission to grant the
licenses instead of the courts. 1t provides
for the election of three excise commissioners
in each ward, township or borough in the
State, none of these commissioners to receive
compensation for their services.
An Amendment by Brooks.
Mr.. Brooks himself introduced an amend
ment to correct the abuses which were
brought up in the two great cities In regard
10 the wholesale liquor license. His amend
ment will restrict the sale of liquor by
wholesale to not less than one gallon, while
five gallons of malt liquor will be the least
a wholesale dealer can sell.
Other of the new license bills effect the
question of bondsmen, while still another
deyotes all the money accruing to townships
from LIQUOR licenses to the repair of country
roads. 1t is impossible to predict this early
what sort of a general bill the committee
will form from this mass of ideas. But
through them all the idea Of an excise COM
mission, instead of the courts, seems to be
popular.
The financial affairs of the State also re-
ceived much attention in to-day's new legis-
lation. A bill BY Mr.. johnson, of Cameron,
diyerts one-half of the money from State
taxes instead of one-third from the State
Treasury to the counties. Mr.. Taggart in
troduced the elaborate bill that has been pre-
pared BY the State Revenue Commissioners.
Mr.. Fow, from Philadelphia, brought up
his old antitrust bill.
To Cut Down Big Fees.
A sensation is produced in Philadelphia
by the introduction of bill here to-day to
limit the ices of the Registers OF Wills to 8
per cent. In Philadelphia the Register OF
Wills in some cases is said to have made as
high as $50, 900 per year. This bill will
effect the Register of Wills in all the coun-
ties of the Commonwealth.
The two street bills curative of Pittsburg' s
embarrassment on account of the Supreme
Courts decIsion, introduced in the House
by Mr.. Cotton, were returned this evening
by the Judiciary Committee with an afirma-
tive recommendation. This committee also
returned with an affirmative recommended
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