The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-04-05
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Only the Members of the House at
Work This Week.
TO REFORM INSANE HOSPITALS.
Senator Gobin's Bin TO Reorganizc Those
Institutions-siow Progress OF the House
in Pushing Measures to Final Passage.
Changes In the Governors Stan.
Especial Corrcspondence.)

Changes In the Governors Stan.
Especial Corrcspondence)
HARRISBURG, April 1.-The house OF
representatives will have monopoly OF
the lawmaking business next week, the
senate having taken a recess for the entire
week because of the fact that today, April
l. Is settlement day" in tho country.
Throughout the rural sections this Is the
great business day Of the year Leases
are drawn, mortgages become payable,
notes fall due and must be renewed, and,
In fact nearly all the financial and legal
business of the average countryman Is
crowded into settlement day" and the
several days Immediately following.
Tho country lawyers aro naturally In
great demand at this time, and the gen
eral custom has been for both branches of
the legislature to take recess OF at least
several days. Owing to the great mass of
bills on the calendar Speaker Walton and
his committee on rules succeeded in de-
feating all resolutions looking to any ro-
cess of the house, but in the senate the
proportion of lawyers Is SO great that there
was no opposition to the long recess. The
speed with which the senate can dispatch
Its business will enable it to speedily make
up oil the time lost during the recess
To Reform Asylum Management.
One of the direct results of the investi-
CATION into the management OF the Norris
town state hospital for the insane is the
bill introduced by Senator Goblin during
the past week. providing for u uniform
system of government for such institu-
tions The law creating the Norristown
asylum placed IL under the control of u
board of thirteen managers, five of whom
are appointed by the governor, two are
elected by the Philadelphia city councils
and one each by the commissioners of the
counties of Delaware, Chester, Montgom-
cry. Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton.
This system provides for no concentrated
control, and an Investigating committee
would not know where to go for II remedy
should anything detrimental to the man
agemont be discovered at any time.
Senator Gobin's bill is intended to meet
this trouble by providing that all such in
stitutions shall be under the control of
board of nine trustees to be appointed by
the governor. The bill also provides that
the chief male physician shall have charge
of the treatment of the male patients, but
shall have no duties outside of his pro-
fessional ones. Under the present law the
chief physician is the head official of the
the business of the place, but manages the
farm as well. BY confning his attention
to his professional duties and putting a
practical manager at the head of the insti-
tuition, it is centended much better re-
suits can be obtained.
Legislators Mt Cake Walks.
Cake walks have become quite fad
with the members of the legislature, and
eyprv ono of thpse Sp Ienr
to the hearts of the colored brethren and
sisters finds a big delegation of lawmakers
present. The more prominent members
are selected rs judges of the affair, and, as
n rule,most of those selected serve. Among
those who have officiated in that capacity
are Representatives Fow Focht, Smiley
and Andrews. At swell cake walk dur
ing the past week Speaker Walton was
appointed one of the judges, but was un-
unable to serve, owing to press OF official
business.
Many laughable incidents are continu-
ally coming to the surface, showing the
general order of intelligence of the house.
One of the most amusing occurred, how
ever the other day when the bill regulat-
ing pawnbrokers' fees was under considera-
ton. Representative Stewart, of Phila-
delphia, offered an amendment providing
that no pledges could be received from
confirmed inebrates.
"What's confirmed inebriate'p" asked
a lawmaker in the rear of the hall of his
neighbors. SIS 1t anything like consump.
ton or paralysis
"Oh, yes" Clipped in Charlie O'Malley,
of Scranton, soberly. 'It partakes some
what of both complaints. There is gen.
orally big consumption of beer and the
like, followed by frequently getting para
lyzed on whisky" And the learned framer
of the laws of the commonwealth relapsed
into silence, pondering on the character
of this new and terrible disease.
A Legislative "Mrs. Partington."
A Philadelphia member has made him
self almost equally famous. He was very
indignant last Monday night over his
treatment on city ice boat No 3, and to
circle of sympathetic fellow members re-
peated his tale of woe. why" he de-
clared, 'thcre should have been somebody
on the wharf to indemnify us. There
wasn't soul there to indemnify me- and
could hardly get on board. Was there
anybody there to indemnify your"
The prompt action of Speaker Walton
on Thursday brought a lot of the fun lov
ing members of the house up with round
turn. Representative Garvin, Of Chester,
had been placed in the chair, and the house
proceeded to have some fun with him. John
Fow worked his old trick Of stealing the
gavel, and when the temporary speaker
wanted to rap for at least semblance of
order he found himself powerless. Before
the scene could go too far Speaker Walton
suddenly resumed the chair, the gavel was
returned to him and with few sharp raps
and a decisive "tho house must come to
order" everything was suddenly restored
to the usual routine quiet.
The house had equally as much fun on
Friday, when Mr.. Fow was in the chair
on first reading bills, but the versatile
Philadelphlan never lost control Repre-
sentative Seattle initiated the cry of calf,
but Fow promptly stopped it with an Or
der to the sergeant.at-arms to "tie up that
calf"
To Give the Juror His Vote.
In some of the counties Of the state the
Judges hold court on election days and
jurors have frequently been prevented from
voting. At the February election a man