The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-18
day With THE lawmakers
Lively Work in Both Senate and
House Of Representatives.
MANY BILLS PASSED FINALLY
Relief Granted Members OF the National
Guard Who Contracted Fever ut
Gettysburg - school Questions
Considered in the House.
Special to the Scranton Tribune.

Special to the Scranton Tribune.
Harrisburg, April 1.-THE country
members of the house gave another eX-
hibition today of their strength by
the passage on second reading Of the
Smith school bill, The measure pro-
vides that one-third of the school APP
propriaton shall be divided according
to the number of teachers for full
legal term and two-thirds according to
the number of taXables The city
members are earnestly opposed TO the
bill, as II would decrease their share OF
the appropriation and increase the
funds OF the rural districts.
There are H. members of the house
whose districts will be adversely affect
ed by the bill. The leaders Of the oppo-
sition claim every one OF those will vote
against the bill on final passage. If
their claims are correct ii means the
defeat of the bill The vote today was
80 to SO. or II less than necessary TO put
It through the final stage. Under the
provisions of the bill Philadelphia will
receive $4,000 less than its present
share of the appropriation: Pittsburg,
$4,000. and Allegheny, 100000.
The entire morning session was given
up TO consideration of the bill The de-
bate was opened by Mr.. Smith. of Bed
ford. the author of the measure. He
held that the present basis of the
school appropriation is wrong, because
il is based on the number of taXables.
not even the number who pay tax. 1T
is subject to great abuse in that many
districts a floating population is as
NJ
tricts receive for school purposes from
five TO ten times as much as others.
All the eXonerated taxables in the state
are counted in making the division of
the fund Under the present system
the wealthy districts and centers of
population receive very much more
than 4 fair proportion Of the fund. The
system proposed would to some degree
modify the distribution so that the
country districts would receive a
Slightly increased amount"
Mr.. Fow said the continued interfer-
ence with the educational system of
the state has got to be a growing evil
and should be stopped. He had no
doubt there are other members of the
house who think they do not receive
sufficient of the school funds, and yet
those school districts are not using all
the money appropriated to them for
school purposes under the present dis
tribution
Mr. Fow said that If the bill became
law II could easily be taken advant-
age of by the larger districts increas-
Ing the number of teachers and thus
bring about the same condition of
affairs that exist under the present law.
The Quaker City member said he would
favor law distributing the school fund
according to the number of pupils at
tending the schools, provided the at
tendance in these schools was sworn to
by a party in whom the state could
place confidence.
Mr.. Stewart made an earnest speech
against the bill. He said it ought to be
entitled an act for the unjust and in
equitable distribution of school funds.
Messrs. Hicks and Seyfort advocated
the defeat of the bill. Arguments in It's
favor were made by Messrs. Niles, Mer-
rick, PARCELS and Herman. The after
noon session was devoted to considera-
tion of bills on second reading. a large
number passed this stage without OBJ
lection. The calendar is crowded with
bills on second reading, many of which
will never be reached unless the ses-
sion continues until the middle Of July.