Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-01-31


panies Tt would have become law
last session had the committee on rules
not refused to provide an order OF busi-
ness to permit it being read the third
time. When it was reached on second
reading the late John Cessna of Bedford
the principal champion of the measure,
offered an amendment, which was
adopted, to make the tax 20 cents bar.
rel.
The pressure for places i'll the gov
ernor's military family is SO great that
there Is likely to be many heartburnings
and disappointments when the an
nouncement of his selections is made.
The offices pay nothing; on the other
hand, it costs about 81 600 year to be
long to the staff, with no return except
the privilege of wearing plenty of gold
lace and brass buttons occasionally and
the title of colonel which goes with the
appointment.
The house has turned down the SEN
ate's resolution to investigate the man.
agement of the state insane hospitals at
| Wernersville and Norristown. When
the resolution reached the house from
the senate an amendment was offered to
Include the state hospital at Warren,
against which charges of cruelty were
made at the last session. This was not
agreed to, and after a lively debate as to
merits and demerits Of these institutions
a motion was adopted that the resolution
be referred to the vice and immortality
committee, where it will probably be
smothered.
Repeated attempts have been made by
legislators to investigate these institu-
tions, but their efforts have never been
successful. The senate will probably re-
taliate on the house for this treatment
of its resolution by declining to concur
in its action to provide for an investiga-
tion into the state hospitals for the5pur-
pose of ascertaining how many alien in-
sane they contain. 1t is claimed by the
patriotic societies, which are back of this
proposed investigation, that one-third Of
the inmates of the asylums of this state
are unuaturalized foreigners, and that
many of them We're sent here by the
authorities of their native countries to
get rid of them.
Beauty OF the House Marred.
The beauty of the remodeled house
o network of wires which have been
strung from the windows midway be-
tv cen the ceiling and the floor. After
the building was completed it was dis
covered that the acoustic properties Of
the room were miserable and that
member of the rear of the hall could
not be heard 30 feet from his desk.
This led to many funny scenes, and to
correct the abuse the room was strung
with "trolley wires by Mr.. Acoustic"
to use the language Of Representative
Fow of Philadelphia, the wit of the
| legislature.
Colonel A. K. Mcclure, the venerable
editor of the Philadelphia Times will
deliver an address in the hall of the
house of representatives tomorrow even
ing on the life and public services of the
late Ex-Governor Andrew q. Curtin
The patriotic orders are making n
strong fight TO prevent the defeat of
their bill making it IA misdemeanor for
any teacher of the public schools Of the
state to wear Il religious garb, mark,
emblem or insignia of any kind in the
schoolroom. The house Judiciary COM
mittee amended the bill by eliminating
the penal clause and was ready to re-
port the measure to the house in this
shape when the patriotic orders asked to
be heard upon it before it was brought
out. There being no objections the
strongest men i'll the orders will be here
during the week to speak upon the bill,
as it was introduced, and ask that it be
reported i'll that shape.
The two bills providing for compuls-
ory education have been reported to the
house and will be read the first time to-
morrow morning Both have been
amended by compelling the attendance
at school of all children between the
ages Of and l3 years, instead of 10, as
originally provided for.
A department to be called the depart
ment of agriculture is to be created by
the legislature if the members of the
rural districts are successful in securing
the passage of bill which is to be in
troduced in the house this week by
Chairman Moore of the agriculture
committee. The bill provides for a
chief to be known as secretary of agri-
culture, and he will be a member of the
governors cabinet. 1t is the intention
, to bring all the present scattered bureaus
that deal in any way with the subject
of agriculture under one head. This
! will mbrace the state board of agri-
culture, the dairy and food commissioner,
the forestry commission, zoology, weather
, bureau and the state veterinarian de-
partment.
WIN Form Separate Bureaus.
OF course, these will form separate
bureaus in the department. Those most
} interested say that the consolidation
, will lead TO more effective results and the
cost will be very little more than at
present The department is to be con-
, Quoted on the lines similar to the agri-
cultural department at Washington.
Governor Hastings indicated his SYM
pathy with something Of this kind in
his inaugural address.
3 The house committee on banking has
t amended the bill providing for the re-
organization Of the state banking de-
partment, AS the bill passed the senate
it increases the salary Of the superin-
tendent of banking to 50, 900 year from
) $4,000 and give him supervision over the
Q foreign and domestic building and loan
B. associations doing business in the state.
0 The committee has eliminated the sec