Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-04-30
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Prospects Of the Bill to Coolest In
terest on State Deposits,
NEW NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Corporations Heretofore Exempt Must
Report 20 the state Railroad burenu.
TIE Pool Racing BIZ Destined to De-
rnt-An Investigatine Legislature.

= IE 4 NNA AAHtN'AAAa- AfAAA t
nsnt-An Investigating Legislature.
Especial Correspondence
Harrisburg. April 27.-The bill to
compel the peynent Of interest on
state deposits has given the members
of both houses considerable concern.
but the house has passed the bin al
most unanimously 1t is realized that
It's defeat means the development OF
great indignation among the people.
There is disposition manifested In
the senate to amend it so as to restrict
the number of depositories and limit
them to the cities. This will raise
howl throughout the country districts.
The country members feel that eoun-
try banks have certainly a right to
their share of the state funds If they
can give the necessary bond. There
seems TO be an Influence at work, how
ever. TO prevent this bill from being
enacted into a law. It will be very
impolitic for those who oppose II. as
there seems to be no question that the
people are so concerned in. A bill
which has been suggested of naming
six banks viii by no means be salts
factory to the people, because this
would have tendency to concentration,
which IS too much the case under pres
ent conditions.
The passage of the Hamilton road
bill on second reading in the house by
a good majority shows the strength
the supporters of this measure have,
/ 60, a a
as far as the house Is concerned is
already assured. This bill provoked
more wrangling than any that has
come before this body in years. Every
section was attacked and an effort
made to amend in such q way as to
make the bill Of no value whatever
but these were voted down, and with
comparatively few changes the bill
was passed. Several members who
were so bitter against this bill have
been antagonistic to a number that
have come before the house this ses-
sion and have just awakened to the
realization that they have measures
/ they are very anxious to have enacted
into laws, and that their course viii
have a tendency to give them no little
trouble when they come TO pass upon
their measures. 1t is thought this in
huence is so marked that it viii have a
bearing on the passage Of the road bill
with a good sized majority, as well as
others they have been antagonistic to.
Nowhere is selfshness so despised and
condemned as in a body of lawmakers.
This was very manifest while the
Hamilton road bill was under discus
sion.
The New Railroad Bill.
The governor has approved Of the
new railroad bill which requires cor
porations to report to the bureau Of
railroads. This is a measure OF very
great importance It requires all rail
roads, canals telegraph and telephone
companies doing business in or partly
in Pennsylvania. or whether foreigl
corporations owning, leasing or con-
trolling railroads in the common
wealth, to report to this department
Of the state. This new law brings the
Baltimore and Ohio, the New York
Central and Hudson River railroads
and the New Jersey Central under the
control of the secretary Of internal af-
fairs The time of reporting is changed
to June go instead of May 81, as here
tofore.
Among the bills passed finally wa!
the state fish commission bill amend
ing the act of May 4, 1889 to extent
the period Of limitation of liens for tax
es entered of record for three years
authorizing the county commissioner
to rebuild bridges on sites owned bl
corporations over streams or river
forming the boundary lines between
counties where they have been destroy
ed by ice, flood or otherwise which may
have been abandoned by the own
ers, and rebuild on another site, whici
bridges were used for vehicles or foo
purposes exclusively, and provide 70
the cost of their construction; allowing
licensed dealers and their employe
to give testimony in cases relating T.
the furnishing of intoxicating liquor
to minors; authorizing state banks T.
pay interest on demand deposits; per
mitting school directors the authorit,
to grant the use of public school house
for Sabbath school or religious services
for the preservation OF forests, an
partially relieving forest lands fror
taxes; to prevent the adulteration, al
teratiOn and substitution of drugs an
medicinal preparations, and to pro
hibit the adulteratlon or coloring o
milk by the addition of so-called pre-
servalines or coloring matters.
The obnoxious pool racing bill, whlc
licenses pool selling. and which is a
effort to transfer the iniquities that il
tested New Jersey for several years t
this state, has passed the senate, an
the members Of that body who faVore
its passage are somewhat concerne
as TO how they are to explain to thei
constituents their reasons for aidin
in It's being put through. 1t Is bein
pushed along by its friends in tn
/ house, but If the temper of the hous
continues as has becn characteristi
during the session the bill is dcstiue
! to meet with overwhelming defeat.
would be a disgrace to the state
Pennsylvania to have such la
placed uDon the statutes. All N
friends of morality and law and ord
should protest earnestly against ii
q passage.
An Excellent Measure Defeated.
A very excellent and important bi
: met with defeat recently, and surely
was a mistake in the opponents of m
measure. This was introduced by NJ
l Baldwin, Of Delaware. who champion
/ ed its passage ably and fnrcibly. n
, bill provides that all policies Of life il
a surance shall contain in plain fgur,
/, the guaranteed amounts of the cas-
= value of each policy at the end Of eac
year, and that the policy shall becon
a paid up policy for the amount tn.
the reserve would purchase on tn
lapse OF the third future premium
and Il further provides that upon an