Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-03-03
Doings of the L Legislature.

After q ten days rest the Legislature
started in lively Monday. Mr.. Lytle, from
the committee on rules, reported resolu-
ton in the house providing for two sessions
daily, the first from 10 in the morning to
l o'clock afternoon, and the second from
8 to 5 O'Clock, afternoon. The resolution
was adopted without dissenting voice.
A resolution to adjourn over, was knock
ed out with an overwhelming adverse vote
Another move was made that will lead
to more trouble. A special order was
made for the bill providing for female at
tendants to female insane patients while
in transit to an sylum, and for negative
bill, that of Wertheimer, permitting dis
tillerles to incurpate as other manufactures
do. Will the rule for the sessions is di
rectly in the line of dispatching business,
the creating special orders for bills other
than reveue and appropriations meaures
will only confuse and delay. The putting
of negatived bills on the calander is in the
line Of making the hard work of commit
tees come to naught.
There IA a tremendous batch of useless,
not to say vicious, bills enumerated on the
journals Of both houses and if the commit
mittees may not finally dispose of these
there is tot much use in having commit
tees. If the calander is to be encumbered
bv every bill introduced and the time OF
the house taken up with resolutions to
place negatived bill on the calanders q
third session of the house should be order
ed at once, as the members do not need
any time to attend committee meetings.
A resolution was passed giving the judic-
iary general committee the. use of the house
e. Enor afs
in favor of the Sunday newspaper bill. 1t
was understood that T. J. Keenan, and A
J. Barr of Pittsburg, Charles Emory
Smith, Col. Alex Mcclure and Col. VIM.
Singerly of Philadelphia, and Representa-
tives Of Typographical Unions Nos, and
and 26 were expected to appear. Another
resolution gave the hall of the house to
the same committee Tuesday evening.
March z, to hear United States Commits
sioner Roosefelt and others chosen by the
civil service association OF Pennsy lyania in
favor of the bill now pending for the i'm
provement of the civil service within this
state.
Roads are getting good bit of attention
in the outer circle, and a resolution urging
congress to establish q road department
and to make q special road exhibit at the
Worlds fair got votes enough to indicate
tent sufficient to pass road law. The reso-
luton passed by decided majority. In
this connection it may be stated the sub
committee of the agricultural delegation
on roads held session at the State col
lege last Wednesday and made great pro-
gress toward an agreement upon bill.
Tie bill will be Q composite of the bills
of Senator Brown of West Moreland and
Capt Nesbit of Allegheny, with the incor
poration, at Senator Browns request, of
Treasurer Morriron's suggestion that state
aid be made contingent upon the miles of
complete roadbed constructed. The max
ium .Lillage was fixed at ten, and that bill
was followed in the matter of dividing the
roads into two classes, giving the prefer
ence Of improvement to roads most used.
Both bills agree in the main regarding
the duties of county and township super
visors and the collection of read taxes in
cash, but some opposition was made to
this feature and pr0viso was inserted
giving the preference Of employment ur-
der the act of taxpayers. The Brown bill
was followed in making the county
superintendent elective instead of ap-
pointive, as in the Nesbit bill, it being un
constitutional TO appoint county officials.
Mr. Browns bill was also followed in
the matter Of giving each township one
will also be taken in the feature of maoad-
amizing one side of road only at a time
instead Of clear across. The main feature
yet to be discussed is the matter of state
appropriation, it bging agreed the Brown
bill poll tax may be adopted, together with
the feature making employers of aliens re-
sponsible for this tax
On Monday, two tax bills were INTRO
duced in the house. The first of these was
presented by Fritz of Columbia, with title
similar to that of bill introduced some
time ago by Mr.. Niles, being "an act to
authorize the assessme ent and collection of
taxes for local purposes upon the real estate
of railroads, canals, telegraph, telephone
and pipe line companies" For the purpose
of taxation, the right Of way and ease
ments, together with the appurtenances,
buildings AMI improvements belonging to
such companies are classed as real estate.
The bill also provides that the auditor
general shall make duplicates of the assess
ment of such corporations, and file one
copy with the county comm issi0ners of
each of the several counties and one IN his
own Office. The commissioners are requir-
ed to make out from the list of properties
and valuations returned by the auditor
general q list of taxes for each district, city,
borough or township at the same rate as
other real estate for local purposes, and
transmit the same to city, county or
borough treasurers, who are authorized to
receive the taxes thus provided for as they
do other taxes upon other real estate.
The other bill exempts all cattle from
taxation for any purpose whatever. If it
pass es it will prevent such cases of under
valuation OF fancy stock as Congressman
Sibley of the Erie Crawford district was
charged with during the campaign last fall,
as the fancy stock win be exempt.
500 EACH, was asked for the use of
windows along Penn'a. Ave-, Washington,
for Saturday.