Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-25
SWELLING. THE LIST.
The General Appropriation Bill Is
Now Of Pretty Good Size.
STARTLING RUMORS OF BOODLI
In Connection With Brooks Wholesale
Liquor License Bill.
SOME LIVE HUsTLING MUST BE DONE
rrRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT

HARRISBURG, MAY A.-When the gem
eral appropriation bill left the House the
sum total of its various items was about
800, 900 less than that of two years ago. 1t
has been in the hands of the Senate Appro-
priations Committee since then and has
been embellished with some additional
items, which, should they be concurred In,
will run it close to the old figures. One OF
these is for SOC, 900 for the salaries of ad-
ditional judges, not to exceed II in number,
contemplated by pending laws. Then there
is about 81, 900 extra for the salaries and
expenses of the six additional factory in
spectors, should the bill pass finally and
they be appointed.
For the expenses of the Senate Finance
Committee, in investigating the accounts of
the State with City Treasurer Bardsley, the
modest sum of $1,000 is set apart. As the
committee only began this duty yesterday,
and, in view of the fact that adjournment
comes Thursday, cannot very well devote
any more than that one day to the work of
investigation, the amount certainly seems
liberal enough. 1t may be that the COM
mittee proposes to continue its duties after
adjournment, but with the Attorney Gen
eral and Auditor General bringing the
matter into the courts, this would seem a
work of supererogation.
Items for Official Portraits.
For the expenses of the Mammoth mine
committee $3.50 is set apart. For portraits
of Ex-Governor Beaver and ex-Lieutenant
Governor Davies, the sum of 81 900 is
granted. 1t is to be devoutly trusted that
the artists to whom these tasks are confded
will give the State something at least lit
tie in advance of some of the pictures of
past worthless which now lumber the walls
of the Executive Chamber. In addition to
these there are scores of items running
from $50 to $4,000 for extra desks, mileage
of officials, ETC., all of which will swell the
total up to pretty near the last sessions
sum.
The Brooks wholesale license bill, or
rather the bill substituted by the Senate
Finance Committee for that measure,
will be rushed through before ad-
iournment, if possible. It certainly
looks as though it had been de-
layed In order that it might be
forced through in the closing hours of the
ing it must take it or nothing Its path
way seems clearer in the Senate than the
House, for Mr.. Brooks has announced that
he will fight it.
He takes the ground that no classes Of
liquor dealers, whether manufacturers or
dealers to the trade, should be exempted
from the control of the courts in the matter
of obtaining licenses. The bill as it now
reads places the granting of licenses to
brewers and distillers and those wholesalers
who sell to the trade in the hands of the
County Treasurer.
Many Rumors of Doodle.
Rumors have been current for some time
of large sum of money having been raised
for the purpose of putting the bill through.
1t is easier for these rumors to be started
than verified, for the opponents of the
measure make some strong assertions in
this direction, and declare that if money is
brought there someone will get into trouble.
The very unpleasant charges and counter
charges of this kind in connection with the
Lytle insurance bill have had the effect of
directing attention to such rumors and, if
money has really been raised to facilitate
the passage of the wholesale license bill, it
will have to be disbursed very skillfully
and discreetly, if trouble is not to ensue.
The constitutional convention bill is on
special order for Monday evening in the
House. Mr.. Wherry got himself in some
what of a hole on Thursday, when he
opposed making the special order, but
he managed to get out again pretty
gracefully. The Democrats in the House,
as we'll as their brethren in the Senate, oc-
cupy rather ticklish situation on this bill
1t is gall and wormwood to them to have to
vote for it in the shape the Republicans
have fixed it, and yet they dare not vote
against it lest they are put in the position
before the working people of opposing the
striking out of the ballot-numbering clause
of the Constitution. And exactly the same
fbap, -bar, t1a Ial
Baker ballot bill comes over.
They Don't Believe In 1t.
There will be some lively work on this
measure when it reaches the House, but it
is likely to go through, and yet there is
in saying that three out of every four men,
bers of both parties in both Houses don't
believe in the bill and are satisfied with the
present election system.
There has not been a session for years in
which so few appropriation bills have failed
in the House, or in which there has been so
little debate over the moneys granted.
There are only six appropriation bills yet
on the House calendar, and they will be
disposed of on Monday. One of these is to
appropriate $500, 900 for new State library
building 1t is hard to predict the Houses
action on this bill. With the appropria-
tions now fully up to the extreme limit of
increase possible under the Boyer bill, the
country members would Just as soon knock
$500, 900 off in the direction of a new library
as not.
''Six mills and five millions" seems to be
the slogan of the country contingent ON
the tax and school issues, and it will take
rattling fight to down them. Tax equaliza-
tion is the demand of their constituents, and
If they can go home to them with the news
4 l-~lk L.
tions and increased it 80 per cent on money
at interest, and also appropriate enough
money for schools to pay almost the entire
cost of keeping them open the six months
term required by law, they expect to be re-
warded with the plaudit, ''Well done. good