Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-05-14
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Legislators Move Very Slowly in
Their Labors.
YOUNG TROLLEY DAMAGE BILL.

Though Defeated Last week, an Ffrort
win Be Mnde to Have the Measure
Reconsidered-The PIttsburg Recon-
struction Bill.
Especial Correspondence)
Harrisburg, May 11.-There Is still
talk of the final adjournment Of the
legislature during the first week Of
June, but nobody seriously thinks that
the lawmaklng branch of the state
| government will dissolve before the
goth of next month At the Friday ses-
sion of the house Mr.. Miller of Somer-
set, offered a resolution fixing June 3
as the day for the final roundup, but
this resolution goes over under the
rules and viii probably be referred to
| the committee on rules, where 1t will
remain until the decks are sufficiently
/ cleared to enable the leaders of the
| legislature to fix definite date for ad-
| journment. During the debate on a
bill day or two ago one of the menu
| bers expressed some concern about the
day of final adjournment being so near
at hand as to jeopardize some import
ant legislation in which he and several
Of his colleagues were particularly in
| terested. Speaker Boyer assured him
| that at the present rate of progress
the legislature was likely to be In ses-
sion until next November. The speaker
| finds il necessary to frequently lecture
lhe house upon its apparent indiffer-
ence to the flight of time. l have never
known a legislative body which cared
! SO little about the sentiment of the
people respecting its course as the one
now in session here. While there are
mo my t. -
interest in the proceedings of the house
Upon the slightest pretext the sessions
are adjourned. and hot weather viii!
be upon the Legislature long before the
important matters have been disposed Of
The Trolley Damage Bill,
Representative Young, of Tioga
county has charge of a bill providing
for the settlement of damages ac-
cruing to owners of property abutting
upon public roads occupied by street
railways. This measure Is especially
| Objectionable to the steam railroad cor
| poratiOns and they are losing no op-
portunity to accomplish its defeat. In
one way or another its progress through
| the house has been retarded until this
late day so that the friends of the bill
are much concerned about its probable
| fate. At the brief session last Friday
morning an attempt was made to ad
vance the bill on the calendar by secur-
| ing for it a special order. This failed
| after one Of the most exciting discus
sions of the present session. Mr.
| Young made a strong speech in sup
port of the resolution TO give the bill
an advanced position, saying that the
great Importance of the proposed rem
edial legislation was ample justification
| for the resolution. He declared that
the only opposition to the bill came
from the steam railways, and that the
| defeat of the measure would mean Sc
riuos loss to many persons throughout
the state who have put their money
| into electric railways. Mr.. Piolett, of
| Bradford county, said that the pro-
| jectors of trolley lines, If they wanted
/ the right of eminent domain, should
be willing to pay for that right, as the
steam railroads do. He argued that
the use of the country roads would be
strongly opposed by the farmers of the
state. Mr.. Edminston, also Bradford
county farmer, and one of the most
popular members of the house, insisted
that the bill was one in which the
farmer was interested, and that IL was
not true that the rural population was
| averse to the extension of the electric
railway system. He said because some
fellow s old bobtail horse was going to
scare at the trolley cars was no reason
| why this bill should be defeated He
expressed the opinion that the time had
come when the farmer who still drove
to town behind yoke Of oxen would
have to recognize modern methods and
fall in with the procession of progress.
Mr. Nesbit, of Northumberland, another
representative of the grange element in
the legislature, also supported the bill
in an earnest speech. He said 1t might
be possible to damn public sentiment
for a while, but 1t would eventually
overflow the bounds and force the leg
islature to give the people what they
demand. Mr. Martin, of Lawrence, a
leaders of the Grangers, gave utterance
to similar Views. He contended that
the people of the country districts are
anxious for the extension of the trolley
lines.
An Effort at Reconsideration.
Those who spoke against the reso-
luton urged that any advancement Of
this bill, admitting its Importance,
would mean the sidetracking of other
bills equally important. After a very
full discussion of the matter the reso-
/
SO nays, being less than the necessary
two-thirds vote. There is no ques-
tion that the friends of the bill were
too sanguine. and permitted the reso-
luton to be defeated through their
failure to demand the yeas and nays,
which would have placed the members
on record. standing vote does not
do this so effectively. OF course they
were much disappointed, and an effort
win be made to reconsider the vote
by which the resolution fell.
The Young bill is one of the most
important before the Legislature, and
there is no measure pending in which
so many people are interested. For
| several years the trolley railway de-
| velopment throughout the state has
been remarkable, and not until the
| supreme court interfered with a dis
astrous decision affecting the rights of
abutting property owners on highways
did the construction of these railways
through the country districts cease
Under this decision the electric rail-
way people found 1t almost impossible
to go ahead, and the bill which is be-
ing so vigorously antagonized by the
steam railroads is intended to remedy
the existing condition Of things.
Lieutenant Governor Lyons PROPOSE
ton to oust the present city admins
tration of Pittsburg, as embodied In a
bill now before the legislature, was
given very decided push forward
last Thursday. This measure has been
called Jack the Ripper" because OF
its radical provisions. Primarily the