The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-05-13
STATE CAPITAL GOSSIP.

~ AASaNN
to reconsider the motion by which the
Road bill passed finally. just as the
debate got the hottest and angry words
began to be somewhat frequent the
clerk of the Senate appeared with the
message that the Senate had concurred
in the House amendments. That
placed the bill out of the reach of the
House and of course stopped all dis.
cussion. 1t now has to run the
chances of the veto ak, and report says
that up to date the Governor is unde.
cided as to what he will do. The
Ballot Reform bill has been reported
from the Senate committee, but the
House would hardly recognize it as
the same bill they handled. The
amendments are not as bad as the en-.
envy makes them, but they are too bad
for the House to concur in as they
stand and it may safely be said that
as the bill now reads the House will
not concur and ought not to. The
simple truth is that, as reported from
the Senate committee, it is the boldest
kind of political hypocricy, both par.
ties in that committee being concerned
in it. The amendments bear the I'm.
mistakable impress of the hand of the
ward politician and city boss. If we
are to have ballot reform at all (and
both parties were pledged to it) we
want it in its most perfect and yet
simple form to fix it in such way that
it is simply additional machinery for
the bosses of each party, and almost
certain of veto by the Governor, is
not either good sense or good politics.
What will be done with it in tie Sen.
ate proper is hard to say, for it is no
toriously true that the Senators keep
on the fence pretty much all the time.
They get down a few boards on one
side and a spasm strikes them and up
they get to the top, and then try the
dodge Of going down the other side
for a board or two to climb back
again.
The Taggart Revenue bill will be
very apt to meet the same fate in the
Senate as the Ballot Reform bill. As
stated before in these letters the prin-
ciple of that bill is correct, the pur.
pose and object being to compel cor.
poratiops to bear their just share of
taxation and relieve the farmer aud
laborer proportionately. That the
details and machinery and a number
of the features of the bill were badly
arranged was also pointed out, the
latter, to considerable extent, the
granger was willing to adjust and
many concessions were made. That it
could be made perfect or anywhere
near so at this session was hardly to
be expected; the bill however de.
served better consideration from the
Senate committee than it got. As it
originally stood it was satisfactory 10
but few, as the Senate committee will
report it it will be satisfactory to none.
There will be q big kick in the House,
and as fOretold in a recent letter, the
outcome will be an increase of tax for
State purposes on the corporations and
a return to the counties in the shape
of large appropriations for school pur.
poses. This will afford some relief to
local taxation, and if the principle
can be carried out year by year until
the school tax is born entirely by tax
on the corporations it will be a great
relief, and that is the scheme at
present in the minds of some Repub.
lican leaders. The truth is that ad.
justment of taxation so that the bur.
den is borne equally, is a subject for
experts, and one that they have been
trying to satisfactorily solve for many
years without any great success. That
the difference of opinion between
House and Senate on these two great
measures will raise a conflict between
them is quite possible. The House,
and justly so, consider themselves the
popular and representative body, and
if they make a fight they will win,
how much of a fight they will make
at this late day, just now is hard to
say.
The apportionment bills are out of
committee. Forest county is placed
in a Republican district Congression
ally, with Jefferson, Clarion, Arm.
strong and VenangO; of course this is
satisfactory and what your member
set out to do. Senstorially we are
buried as usual in a Democratic dis.
trict, (the hold over Senators always
make this apportionment difficulty the