The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-01
A CAPITAL GOSSIP.

For one week the member for Forest
was laid up sick at home. When he
got back to his desk the first thing he
noticed was a bill Chat had already
came with a favorable recommendation
from a committee of which be was a
member) that if passed would shut
down every tannery and half the saw
mills of his county. On the first op.
portunity he moved to have the bill
recommitted. This was opposed bv
by Baker of Delaware, but your mem.
Der succeeded in having it recommit.
ted and a time appointed for The in
terests to be heard. When that time
arrived Mr.. Jerry Crary, of Horton,
Crazy q Co., and twenty others APP.
peared before the committee. The
matter was discussed 10 all its bear.
ings and at the next meeting the bill
was on a unanimous vote sent back
with a negative recommendation. The
tanners showed clearly that they did
not allow feshings, tan or chemical
water to go into the streams, but sim.
ply wash water, aud that they must
send that there or shut down there
was no other place for it to GO.
The ballot reform bill, and the
Changers revenu bill has taken up
most of the time of the House the last
two weeks. The ballot reform bill is
not all that is claimed for it. Allow.
ing any person TO mark the ballot of
a voter unable to read or write is a
serious defect. 1t should only be done
by a sworn officer, otherwise any boss
a insist on marking the ballots of
his men and the men would not like
to refuse. Again, it's a serious ques-
ton if any true reform can be attained
without personal registration. The
day for voting dead men in this Com.
monwealth ought to be gone by. The
Granger revenue bill passed the House
without much change and will have
its big struggle in the Senate. AS a
whole the bill is a fair bill and yet it
has some serious defects. For instance,
under the provisions of this Granger
bill, Tom Jones, who has FIVE old
COWS, from which he makes butter for
trade, and a span of ~ten.vear-old
horses with which to till his little
farm, gets taxed on both COWS and
horses if worth over 800 dollars. Jim
Smith, who lives on the next farm,
and who has 200 head of cattle and
300 head Of horses less than 3 years
old, some of his stock worth maybe
$500 per head, does not pay a nickel
of tax on the lot. That does not
strike your member as equalizing the
tax to a very alarming extent on those
two fellows, and yet an amendment to
make the age l to 2 years was voted
down by the Granger element. Again,
while it is true hat railroads do not
pay their share of local tax, yet under
the arrangement of this bill it's hard
ly doubtful but the r. r. Co.'s vii!
enter suit against every township try.
ing TO collect the local tax and the
cost in the end will be more than the
income. The tendency of legislation
just now is to 60 to extremes; by and
by we will strike the happy medium,
when justice will be melted to all.
Still, one a not tell what will be
done with this bill ere the close Of the
session. 1t is to be hoped that such
arrangements will be made that local
taxes as at present will be relieved and
yet in a just and equitable way.
A few days ago the game bill of
Lyle, of Huntington, was up. Bur.
dick, of McKesn, offered an amend
ment prohibiting the killing of deer
for 3 years. Lytle was on his feet in
a minute, and said the amendment
was offered in malice, and for the pur.
pose of killing the bill; that Burdick
had asked him, Lyle, to do what he
co%nscientiOusly could not do, and now
in revenge he offered this amendment (;
that if this amendment passed deer
would become so numerous as to be.
come dangerous; that sportsmen
would at the end of that time sail
from England and France and invade
Pennsylvania in armies, etc., etc.
Burdiok said in reply that it was I'm.
fair to talk in that way; hat his
amendment was offered in good faith
and not for any mean purpose, aud he
appealed to his colleagues from that
section to say if he was not correct in
his views. Your member supported
Burdiek, and said he was correct, and
that the amendment was just what was
needed to prevent the determination
of the deer; that the attack of Mr..
Lyle was not only unfair but unman.