Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-05-09
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Legislators Now Hope to Finish
Their Work on June 6.
WORK AHEAD OF LAST SESSION.
A Hundred More Bills Have Been Acted
Upon Than for the Same Time in 1893.
The Beer Tax Bill viii Probably be
Defeated.


Thursday of June. The members, have be-
come tired of the daily grind of routine
work and are anxious to get away The
senate calendar is in good shape, and, If
necessary, can be cleared of all bills within
forty eight hours. The house took Il spurt
last week and cleaned up the calendar of
first and second reading house bills There
are less than fifty senate bills on second
reading, and about 200 house bills on third
reading on the house calendar This is
equal to about eight days work of six
hours day. Speakers Clerk HUM says
1t Is the first time within his legislative
experience of thirty four years that the
house calendar was clear of second read
ing house bills the first week of May.
A resume of the work of the house up
TO date shows that it has considered 7l6
bills on first reading 6O1 on second read
Ing and POS on third reading A compari-
son Of the work accomplished by the house
up to May 2, 1898, and the same date this
year shows that two years ago 556 house
and 23l senate bills, or 1877 in all, had been
reported from the committees. This year
the house bills number 62i and the senate
bills 2is, total of S72. Two years ago at
this time, l29 house bills had been acted
upon and ito the senate, together with
IA senate bills. This year the numbers are
lS7 and 81, respectively. There have been
"a house bills passed both branches and
gone to the governor, or one more than
two years ago.
comparison of the work of the senate
up to date with two years ago shows that
597 bills hnvc been read in place this year,
as against 4S0 in 1898 Two years ago, up to
May 2 there were 1888 bills reported from
the senate committees This year there
have been brought out 600
The Senate Moving Slowly.
The senate is moving very slowly. Its
members are in no hurry to dispose of the
remaining house bills on the calendar un-
til they have some definite information as
to what is to become of their bills In the
house. Two years ago, when the legisla-
ture adjourned, two hundred senate bills
were left on the house calendar The SEN
ators claim that they are entitled to the
same consideration the house has received
at their hands, and they do not propose to
concur In the joint resolution for a final
adjournment until all their bills have been
acted upon The senate is an easy going
body, and its members are willing to stay
here until the middle of June, if necessary,
to secure final consideration in the house
of their pet measures.
Chairman Marshall, of the house appro-
priations committee, expects to report
next Thursday about forty appropriation
bills for state constitutions. They will aggre-
gate about 81, 500, 900, a heavy reduction
over two years ago. The managers of the
state institutions have hitherto received a
lot of extras that they will not get this
year.
Discussing appropriations 1t might be
said that there is very little hope for any
of the institutions, other than those sup
ported wholly by the state, that are now
seeking aid. There has been no brighten
ing of the cloudy financial sky so far as
the state government is concerned. 1t may
be that after everything has been consid-
cred and the accounts gone over carefully
that there may remain very little to be
divided amoug the semistate institutions,
but it will be so little that it will not be a
drop in the bucket.
Nothing has yet been done by the legis-
lature to increase the state revenues. The
house ways and means committee will re-
port tomorrow the Cochrane bill taxing
brewers twenty-four cents barrel for all
beer brewed or sold within the state. This
would raise an annual revenue of about
$1,000 If such a law Is passed nothing
can be realized from 1t for year.
Opposing the Beer Tax Bill.
This beer tax bill has created one or two
commotions in the house. The latest oc
CURED last Thursday night when an at
tempt was made to get the bill out of the
hands of the committee on ways and
means Chairman Ritter objected, how
ever, and the proposition failed on the
ground that 1t was not the fault of tho
committee that the bill had not been con
sidered. The proposition is to tax domestic
beer sixteen cents per barrel 1t is also
proposed to tax foreign beer-that is, all
beer that comes from Rochester, Cincin-
natl, Milwaukee or Canada-a similar
amount.
When the remarkable decline in the
states revenues were first announced and
the proposition was made to cut down the
school appropriation the grangers imme-
diately raised cry and declared that this
was unnecessary, inasmuch as the loss in
revenue could be made up by imposing a
tax on beer. A bill to this effect was al
ready before the house. having been intro.
duced by Representative Cochran, of Arm
strong, but 1t hung fire in committee. The
grangers Immediately began to agitate its
passage. They sent committees to inter
view the governor, and formed temporary
organizations to push the scheme.
Behind 1t all lay this fact, that If the
school appropriation was reduced they
would be compelled to increase their local
taxation for school purposes. 1t is not
likely that anything will be done with the
matter. 1t will frighten the brewers and
others Interested in the production of beer,
and that will be all. The stumbling block
in tho whole measure is the injustice of
Its dealings, should it become law, to the
Pennsylvania brewers.
So far as known there is no way in which
the tax can be saddled on the brewer in
Milwaukee shipping beer into Pcnnsyl-
vania. He could claim protection under
the original package act of the United
States government, and there the matter
would end. 1t is now proposed to let them
ship their products In original packages
and then tax 1t after 1t gets In, No de-
cision has been rendered on the subject by
any competent authority and is not likely
to be until final action is taken on the
measure.
Tho New Revenue Bill.