The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-05-22


GovIgNsG PaTTIsoS in vetuiDS the
Road bill gives the following reaSons;
The objections to this measure se-em
90 me TO be manifold Its purposes are
80 numerous and diverse az to expose il
to the constitutional objection Of con
tanning more than one Subiect. What
ever popular demands oxist for the eo-
actInent of legislation on the subject Of
roads and road making viii certainly
not be satisfied with the provisions Of
this bill. Ii they are 10 become affect
i've Ut all they could te made oaly So by
liberal appropriations OF state moneys,
for which as | have said neither this bill
nor any other legislation - yet enacted
has made provision. Even II such
grant were made II l. very doubtful
whether the plan of distribution pro
posed by this bill would be equitable,
satisfactory or constitutional. The basis
of distribution which II proposes = the
amount Of road taxes collected ANA eN-
pended by each township for road pur-
poses during the proceed n : year This
would put II entirely within the power OF
rich and populouS rural districts, such,
for example, as adioin large cities and
horoughs, TO receive a large share OF the
states bounty, which would be applied
where, perhaps, it was least needed for
the purpose of general Improvement,
while remote, sparsley settled and COM
paIatively poor districts, where road inn
provementS were most desired would re-
ceive little OF comparatively nothing.
Moreover, the policy and propriety
of the grant of state moneys, raised 10y
general taxation, 10 particular districts
or communities, Is extremely doubtful,
if not absolutely forbidden by the spirit
of the constitutional provisions declaring
that there shall be no appropriations for
benevolent purposes To any community
and that the commonwealth SHAH not
assume the debt Of any city, borough or
township. The present enactment pro-
poses 10 distribute 10 some Of the dis
tricts of the state, for purely local pUIr-
pose-that of road making-moneys
which have been raised by taxation upon
all the citizens Of the state The roads
of townships only are 10 bc constructed
and repaired by the aid of state moneys,
while those of municipalities are to be
provided for by local taxation. This is
a discrimination wholly unwaTanted
by the constitution.
Furthermore, | cannot ignore the
fact that this bill passed the House of
Representatives by bare constitutional
majority. That majority, II Is motor
ious, was only secured with great diff
Guilty, and / violate no confidence in say
ing that, since lis passage in the one
branch of the general assembly, a num-
ber of members whose votes were re-
quired to make that majority, have com
municated to me their opposition 10 and
protests against the bill in it's form. OF
the lO3 members who comprised this
majority, barely one-tifth represents dis
tricts affected by the bill. 1t was i'm
posed upon the communities affected 10y
it against the votes and protests of Il
large proportion of their representa-
ives.
Finally, if there were no other obiec-
ton to this bill, a sufficient one would
be afforded 10y the fact that there are at
present special and local road laws 10 the
number of several hundred, governing
a. many townships of the state. II the
present bill J. to have any efficiency, II
must result from its operations n a
general road law, binding at least on all
the townships of the state. The section
which proposes to repeal all special and
local laws inconsistent with IL Is not
sufficient for that purpose, according TO
decisions Of our Supreme court. If they
remain, as they certainly viii under the
bill in its present form, 1T Will utterly
fail as a measure 10 secure uniformity of
road laws. Other reasons forcibly sug-
gcst themselves for a disapproval of this
measure, but deem those which have
set forth as ample to justify a veto of
the bill.