Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-06-17
CUTTING SCHOOL FUND.
The Latest Scheme Proposed to Set
tie the Treasury Deficit.
PUTTING TAX ON BOGUS BUTTER.
why the Bosses VIII Not Tax Beer.
The War on the Governor-The Ses-
terest Bill.

! of the states financial difficulties. At
| meeting held in Philadelphia on Satur-
| day, at which Senators Quay and Pen
| rose and their friends were present, 1t
| was agreed that q cut in the school
appropriations would be a good thing.
| The question of legaliZnS the sale OF
! oIeomargariue, by placing a tax OF
| two or three cents a pound upon 1t,
| was also discussed. but no conclusion
| was reached. Ii was thought best to
wait and see how the farmers in the
| legislature would take the PROPOSE
| ton before pushing it any farther.
suggestion to place 2 tax on beer was
| also made and discussed. but as the
| brewers Of the state are opposed to IL
| 1t Is not likely that it will be done
There Is not a legislator that repre-
| sents his constituents that will agree
! TO a cut in the school appropriation.
while the great brewing interests Of
| the state are permitted 10 escape from
| a slight additional tax on their pro-
| duct There need be no cut in this
| years school fund. or any other ap-
| preparation Il Senator Quay and his
| lieutenants Will permit the legislature
| to place a tax upon beer and some other
| great interests in the state. But the
| machine viii not consent to this It's
wheels have been creased entirely too
| long by contributions from the brewers,
| and so, though the school appropria-
| ton be cut in two. there must be no
| tax on beer if the machine can help 1t.
| Farmers Up in Arms.
| AS for a tax on. oleomargarine, which
| has been proposed by the senator's
| lieutenants. every farmer in the state
| is in arms against ii. The Seventy
| six was the first TO move against this
| scheme. Their purpose is not only to
| fight the wicked exercise of one man
| power in Pennsylvania politics, but to
| protect the people as well. 1t should
| be borne in mind always that these
| plans to cut down the school appro
| priation, to legalize the sale of oleo-
| margarine, to protect the brewers and
| corporations from taxation and to
| otherwise juggle with the peoples in
| terests have all come from the bosses,
not from the "Seventy-six." 1t was
| to be expected, then, that the anti-Quay
| element would organize to fight the
| bosses In their proposition to tax oleo-
margarine, thereby legalizing its sale
| and practically running the dairy In
| terests of the commonwealth.
| On Wednesday last the members OF
| the "Seventy-six," led by Representa-
| tives Young and Smith. of Tioga coun-
ty organized among the members of
| the house what is known as Pure
Butter league" Mr.. Young was made
| chairman, and Mr.. Phillips, of Chester
| county, was elected secretary and
| treasurer. steering committee OF Is
| was appointed to canvass the house
| and enlist the interest of every men,
| Der from the rural districts in their
movement AS II was movement of
| the people against the bosses, fac
| tional lines were forgotten. and Demo-
| Gratis were asked to join in to help the
people. And they did. The result Of
| this movement will undoubtedly be to
defeat the oleomargarine schemes
| There is more than a desire to raise
revenue in this movement to tax oleo-
| margarine. 1t is a gigantic job.
Great Big Job.
OF course, by placing tax on bogus
| butter the present law is wiped out of
| existence, and the sale of the stuff is
| recognized by law. The instant that
| this is done bogus butter factories will
| spring up all over the state, and as
| they will be willing in the future to pay
| large sums of money to the machine
| for protection, it will thus be seen that
| it Is gigantic money making deal for
| men who run politics and gather the
| sinews of war for campaigns. And all
this is at the expense Of the farmer.
What does IL matter If the $16, 900, 900
| in the dairy interests Of Pennsylvania
are wiped out Of existence. so that
there is some source from which the
politicians can obtain campaign money,
now that the interest bill has passed
| and the state banks can no longer
| make liberal contributions?
One of the greatest victories of this
session was the passage by the house
| of the bill compelling the payment Of
2 per cent interest on all state
money deposited in banks. When the
Seventy started out at the begin
ming of the session they had two para
mount objects. One was to seizure the
passage OF a bill compelling the pay
| ment of interest on the states money.
| The other was to defeat the bill MAX
| ing any appropriation for the payment
| of the expenses of the Lexow commit
tee. Their first victory has been
| achieved; the second Is to be won.
The Interest Bill.
The final passing of this interest bill
| ended the most remarkable struggle
| of the session. From the beginning the
| machine did everything possible to de-
| feat the measure. While declaring that
| they were In favor of the payment Of
| interest on state deposits, the leaders
were everlastingly at work trying to
| kill the scheme. When they found that
| the investigation into the affairs of
| the state treasury would not halt the
movement Senator Quay's friends
| drafted kili of their own. To have
passed such a bill would have been only
| a pretense. The final dodge was to
| name six active banks in which the
states money could be deposited with
| out payment of any interest. All other
| banks were to pay per cent on de-
| posits. The plan in this was, of course,
| to deposit about Sl000,000 In the banks
| throughout the state on which per
| cent interest would be paid. The other
| SO 900. 900 or 81, ,00o.0 600 was to be deposit
| ed in the six active banks which paid
| no interest. But this scheme was de-
| feated by Senator G. c. Kaufman. of
| Lancaster. who amended the bill, COM
pelling these six banks to pay 1h per
| cent interest on daily balances. and 1t
was In this shape that the bin passed.
AS showing the temper Of the senate
| n bill was introduced on Thursday be-
| hind which there lies considerable OF
| O story When Governor Hastings re-
Gently vetoed half dozen foolish and
| extravagant bills, which would have
cost the state considerable money,
| number of senators who were inter-
ested in these bills became very angry
| They declared war on Governor Hast
| Ings. and made fun Of his economical
| IDEAS. They laid aside his vetoes with
| the purpose OF waiting until they could
| gather enough strength, and then pro-
| posed to bring the lot up together
| some day and pass the bills over tho
| veto They tried to retaliate, when
| Senator Grady offered a resolution call
| ing upon the governor for facts about
| the revenues and asking him to name
the things that should be taxed to raise
! more money.
stIII War on the Governor.
The reply of Governor Hastings to
| these attacks was a message in an
swer To the Grady resolution, as VIII
be remembered, in which he told the
| legislature what its duties were, and
| that If they desired to save themselves
| from the anger of the people the best
| thing they could do would be TO pass
the revenue and appropriation bills and
| 10 home. This angered the men VINO
We're making war on the Governor to
| stin greater extent and thV began
casting about for some other means
| 10 annoy him. One of the first bills
| that he had approved provided for es-
tabishinE forestry reservations, for
the purchase of l20,0 900 acres Of forest
| lands near the head waters of the Del