Evening journal., 1892-12-27
THE STATE BOUNDARY.
Ex-Secretary Bayard Did Not
Know That He Was in the Bill.
ONLY A MALICIOUS CRITICISM.

Speaker John p. Donahoe Drew the Inter-
State boundary Commission BnI-He
Named the Commissioners in the Bill.
Disgruntled Democrats and HIde-Bound
Republicans It's Only Opponents.
In yesterdays Morning News CORE.
spondent, signing himself Citizen"
criticized the Boundary Commission now
engaged in locating and marking the line
between Delaware and Pennsylvania
This morning an EVENING JOURNAL
reporter called upon ex.Speaker OF the
Senate John p Donahoe and asked him
If he had read the communication. He
said
Yes the article is misleading. will
give true statement of the bill. l
drew the bill, myself, Just as IL passed
the Senate. After much opposition in
the House IL finally passed there and
become law. | read In the proceedings
Of the Pennsylvania Legislature that a
bill was introduced TO create a commits
sion TO locate and mark the line between
Delaware and Pennsylvania | at once
saw that Delaware should have com.
mission to look after the interests Of our
State. / wrote TO the clerk of the House.
at Harrisburg. (Mr. Mccormick, think,
and after writing a second time for their
bill. he sent me copy. set to woik k and
drafted bill for our State and.
] named the commissioners myself, with
out the slightest solicitation upon the
part of any of the honorable men named In
the bill, or by any person on behalf Of
them, for the position. ! did ask Speaker
Lewis, Of the Senate and Speaker
HofIecker, OF the House. for their con
sent TO put their names in the bill /
never asked Mr.. Bayard, directly or
otherwise, for his consent TO serve as
member Of the said commission.
80 far as the constitutionality of the
bill is concerned, think that the Legis-
lature is quite as competent TO pass q
bill and be judge Of it's constitutions
allity as "citizen" is. At the last ses-
sion Of the Legislature, Representative
Thomas B. Smith was named a Worlds
Fair Commissioner and he is still serv-
ing as one, / think. / am and was aware
at that time CS7 and 'SS) that there were
two conflicting bills in House besides the
Senate bill, which had also gone in there,
also knew that the opponents Of my bill
offered Speaker Hoifecker place in their
House bill but he informed them that he
had consented 20 the placing Of his name
In the Senate bill, and would let it stay
where IL then was. 10 was generally
understood and accepted about the State
House that Hon. Eli Salisbury, Repre-
sentative Theodore f. Armstrong and
Speaker Hoiiecker were TO be appointed
as the commissioners If Governor Biggs
should be left to name the gentlemen
that would be the commission by the
House bill / think that Citizen had
another bill in the House at the same
time, making altogether three separate
bills for making boundary commission.
"The last Legislature increased
the amount Of appropriation for
the Boundary Comm ssion. as the
previous amount was deemed to
be entirely inadequate to meet the neces-
sary expenses. Il had to be
done before our commissioners
would consent 10 commence their work
This should convince Citizen and the
public that another Legislature with
entirely new members, except three
senators, were entirely satisfied that
there was nothing wrong in the consti
tutionalty of the S7-eS Senate bill that
the work would be carefully and prop
erly attended to, and the appropriation
allowed 90 them would not be squan-
dered or misappropriated. The commits
sion has the services of two experienced
United States engineers to assist and ad-
wise with them. The government at
Washington detailed them for this
special duty This, think. should give
the people confidence that the work now
being done will be well and properly done
u nil I.. a