The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-05-17
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Many Bills on the House Calendar
for Immediate Action.
THE QUAY COUNTY BILL AGAIN
1t VIII Come Up for Final Passage In the
House on wednesdsy-How tho Greater
Pittsburg Bills Were Corrected and
Pushed Through Both Houses.
Especial Correspondence)

Especial Correspondence.)
HARRISBURG, May 13--The legislature
is getting ready to adjourn. Bills arc be-
ing rushed through both bodies with un.
precedented haste. Speaker Walton wants
TO get away the latter part of next week.
He insists that the calendars can be
cleared by that time II the house will keep
Tight at work. Mr.. Walton's beliefs not
shared by his older and more experienced
colleagues. They say 1t is absolutely i'm
possible to adjourn finally before the first
week Of June. II 1t should be decided to
quit business Mt that time many Of the
bills on the calendars will have to be
dropped.
There is much to do from now until the
close of the session. The apportionment
and appropriation bills have not yet been
considered. At this evenings session of
the house n calendar of forty-eight APP
preparation bills will be read for the
first time. The senate apportionmont
committee has not yet reported out any
bills. The house committee still has up
wards of $50 on hand, which will be held
back until those now on the calendar are
well advanced.
May Extend tho Session into June.
The apportionment bills are near the
bottom of the calendars. They will prob
ably be taken up on special orders and
passed with the understanding that they
will be sent to n conference committee for
amendment. Many of the appropriation
bills will also go to u conference commit
tee This will cause much delay, and may
extend the session far into June Governor
Hastings is insisting upon new appor-
tionmont, but the members whose dis
tricts are adversely affected by the bills
now under consideration are kicking and
will fight hard to prevent their passage.
The house judicial apportionment bill,
after having been hung up in the senate
committee for more than month, was
amended and then reported out. 1t will
be considered this week in the senate on
second reading. The congressional, lcgis-
lative and senatorial apportionment bills
are not satisfactory to majority of the
members of both bodies, and are sure co
bo amended before they reach third read
ing.
The reyenue bill framed by tho state tax
conference will be considered on third
reading tomorrow in the house. On We'd
nesday the bill creating the county of
Quay will be called up in the house for
they have enough votes to put it through
this stage. On Tuesday evening tho op-
ponent of the Porter school bill will be
given hearing by the house municipal
corporations committee.
The School Appropriation Bills.
During the week the advocates of the
various bills for the distribItion Of the
school appropriation will have a confer
ence to try to agree on a measure satisfac-
tory to all parties. The grangers are will
ing to agree to bill giving each school
$50 and distributing the balance Of the ap-
preparation on the basis of the number of
taxables, as at present. BY this plan
Philadelphia would receive about $50, 900
less than its present share of the appro-
priation.
The appellate court bill will be called
up this week in the house for third reading
and final passage by Representative Kun
KEEL of this city. Many other postponed
bills will be called up during the week by
their sponsors through fear the rules COM
mittee will decide at its next meeting to
drop all such measures from its calendar.
Governor Hastings is disposing of the
bills as fast as they reach him. He has
very few under consideration. Among
them is the Farr compulsory education
bill, which will probably be signed tomor-
row, along with the other bills not yet
acted upon. On Wednesday a meeting of
the board of pardons will be held for the
consideration of u number of cases which
have been pending for several months.
Rushing the "Greater Pittsburg" Bills.
A feat in legislation which has probably
never been equaled before was accom-
1au nft laat hyy
those two tireless Pittsburgers, Chris Ma
gee and Senator "Billy" Finn. The three
bills which We're required to make the
"greater Pittsburg" possibility were in
the governors hands, but at the last mo-
ment a flaw was discovered in one of them.
1t was merely technical, but the bill could
not become u law until 1t was corrected,
and the two big hustlers were anxious to
have everything completed before the
evening of the same day, when the pas
sage of the bills was to be celebrated with a
mammoth banquet to the members of the
legislature and others.
The amount of red tape would have dis
couraged almost anybody else. First a
Joint resolution was passed by both the
senate and the house recalling the bill from
the governor. AS the governor had to sign
the resolution, the senate took recess fol
an hour. At the end of that time Private
Secretary Beitler appeared with the an
nouncement that the resolution had been
approved, and returned the bill. 1t was
then amended, but another recess Of the
senate was necessary to permit the bill tC
be printed At 5 o'clock the senate again
reconvened passed the bill finally, and II
then had to go to the house for concur
renee. 1t was then engrosscd, and just al
2 o'clock, as the nombers were taking theil
places at the banqueting board, Governor
Hastings affixed his signature to tho bill
which practically assures tho formation o
the western Pennsylvania metropolis.
Mr. Mcosughey's Sarcasm.
After the resolution Of Mr.. Focht, Of
Union county, on tho Nicaraguan ques
tion, and the resolution Of sympathy witt
Cuban revolutionists had passed the housC
on Thursday svoning Representative Mo
Gaughey introduced the following:
Whereas, Cuba Is now engaged In ar
UNEQUAL contest for liberty, and, whereas
the fool killer Is still at largo; therefore
be It
Resolved That tho Legislature of Pom
- T,,hn N.t. A.