The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-27
STATE LEGISLATIVE TOPICS.


STATE LEGISLATIVE TOPICS.
The Andrews committee will ask the
state to appropriate 100000 to pay the eX-
penses of its recent investigation of mu-
niCipal conditions in Philadelphia and
Pittsburg, but fight will be made on al
lowing 1t one cent
Representative seyfert's bill to inflct
Jail for three months or 500 fine, or both,
on anybody engaging or participating in
game of foot ball is bit of sportiveness
which is less funny in cold type than it
seemed before it was spawned. Somebody
should tell Mr.. Seyfert that as humorist
he is not a success.
.
Another bill for the correction of pri-
mary election abuses will be introduced
at Harrisburg by Senator John II.
Brown of Westmoreland The new bill
will re-enforce the one already intro
duced by Senator Brown and Will pro-
vide for the direct vote of the people for
all candidates without the intervention of
delegates and conferrees.
.
Representative Muehlbronner of Allie
gheny, has made known his intention to
introduce a bill for licensing all BARRIERS.
He would have a state examining board
from whom BARRIERS after being examined,
as to apprenticeship, experience and abii-
ity, would get certificates of competency.
The boards of health would be required
to keep all barber shops under certain
rules of cleanliness and preserve a sani-
tary espionage, and penalties are to be
provided for tonsorial work not done in
accordance with law.
Secretary Wallace, of the Mckeesport
board of health has drafted "a bill for
presentation at Harrisburg requiring all
persons practicing midwifery to be regis
tered and licensed. and license to be grant
ed only to such as upon examination shall
prove to be of good moral character and
| to possess the required knowledge y vet
erinarian, says Mr.. Wallace, is compelled
to pass an examination before he can prac-
tice obstetrics upon the animal; how
much more should the practitioner upon
the human subject be compelled to show a
proper qualification?
The laws passed in this and other states
against the sale of oleomargarine orig
mated at time when there was a reason
| able doubt as to the healthful character
| of the compound. The manufacturers
however, now claim that it is a pure arti-
| Gle of food, and if this claim be true, it
| should be allowed to go on the market as
| freely as any other kind of food. OF
! course, it would be deception to allow it tC
| be sold as pure butter. and this the law
! can very properly prevent. But if it is
plainly labeled as oleomargarine and solo
| for exactly what it is, there should be NJ
objection raised.-Philadelphi Times
| o
| The committee of Quay Republicans o
| Pittsburg who have been at work pre-
pairing new apportionment measures. di
viding Allegheny county into legislative
| senatorial and congressional districts, ha
| practically completed its labors, as IA
| as the legislative and senatorial districts
are concerned. The congressional appor
tionment is still under consideration Th
number of legislative districts proposed
| is fifteen, against eight at present, nearl!
| doubling the number. 1t is proposed q
| increase the representation in Alleghen,
| county in the senate by one member
making five senators instead of four,
a present. Every district will be Republi
can, it being proposed to abolish the Dem
| ocratic Seventh Legislative district. on
| of the Pittsbure districts comprises every
| thing from the Twelfth to the Twenty
third wards inclusive. This places Sena
tor c. l.. Magee and William Finn in on
district, and if the proposed measure be
comes law one of them will have to re
tire.-Pittsburg Commercial Gazette.
1t does not make so very much differenc
whether a candidate is voted for outright
or whether conventions are to be held a
at present The great reform that shoul
be aimed at is to protect every voter i
his right to vote at primary elections, an
to insist that his ballot shall be counte
Just as he cast it. We have laws affect
ing the primaries now, but they are nc
sufficient. The only great point, after al
is the necessity for providing some meth
| Cd by which an honest count shall be re
turned. More safeguards in the way c
watchers should be permitted inside c
the polling places. The votes should b
counted openly, and in such manne
that all these watchers can keep tab upo
every ballot. The polling lists and tn
ballots should be locked up in a regula
: ballot box and held in some safe place fo
specified time. on the petition of, say
: twenty voters a ballot box should /
taken into court and opened there and tn
ballots counted and compared with tn
polling list. The same provision shoul
apply to the Baker ballot act.-Philade
phia Inquirer.
The crowded condition of our state prii
ons and the inadequate resources for II
proper care of convicts who may becom
: mentally disordered cannot fail to in
press the legislature with the necessity
making proper provision for the bette
} care of this unfortunate class. The tel
dency of the age is to the multiplcatio
l of institutions, and the first thought thu
: occurs to most people is that a speci
: asylum should be constructed by the sta
for the care of our criminals who nee
treatment for mental troubles; but thoI
e who carefully consider the peculiar Ci
= cumstances which surround the Grimm
e insane must be led to the conclusion tn,
\ our criminals suffering, or claiming
/ suffer from mental disorders should ~
! be removed entirely beyond the control
, the prison authorities of the state MAJ
n | shrewd criminals feiSn insanity, ana Il
= stances are not rare in which they ha'
I done so successfully. In addition to tn
V class there are a number of criminals WI
4 | seem to be just on the border line of u
y settled reason, and yet not sufficiently III
e settled mentally to transfer them to
r insane asylum. Other criminals, like cit
e zans, at times develop acute insani
f which yields most readily to treatmer
t and when it is remembered that all the
i people are criminals, it seems conclusi
T. that there should be ample provision I
s them within the prisons of the state, al
e that they should not be transferred to
y separate insane asylum. We b
e lieVe that under no circumstances shou
n the criminal insane be separated entire
N from prison authority, and that the mo
e practical as well as the most economic
n care of this unfortunate class would
l. by adding insane departments to our sta