Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-05-03
DOINGS AT HARRISBURG.
LATEST NEWS AND NOTES FROM
THE STATE CAPITOL.
Resume of the Work Done by the Legis-
Iat0rs During the Week just Passed.
0uay's 'Reform" Bills Have Rocky
Road to Travel.
Harrisburg. Pa, May /, 1897.


upon to straighten out this legislature.
Those reform bills adopted by the Re
publican state convention in 1895 are
not meeting with II very hearty recep-
tion in the house. There is no doubt
in my mind that these measures would
| have been killed this long time had not
Senator Quay expressly desired their
passage. -Four of these bills passed the
senate and came before the house com
mittees last week. The feeling here is
| very much against their passage. See
ing this the friends OF Quay got together
and communicated with the senior sena-
| tor. His reply was to pass the bills. 1t
| is now given that the bills will pass, al
though they will have to be considerably
modified before this can be done The
four bills which Quay is especially
anxious to have passed are the Goblin
civil service measure; the act prohibit
| ing political assessments; prohibiting
| city and corporation employees from in
| terfering in politics, and the bill to pre-
vent the payment of taxes in bulk.
The Stewart bill providing for the
| payment OF 2 per cent interest on state
deposits passed the house finally with
not a single negative vote. The measure
provides that $500, 900 can be deposited
by the state treasurer in three active
banks, one in Philadelphia, Harrisburg
and PittSburg, on which he shall receive
| y per cent interest on daily balances.
! Other state repositories are required to
pay per cent.
| 1t looks now as if the bill prepared by
the state game commission will pass as
| prepared by the commission This
measure created more discussion than
| half u hundred other bills on the caan-
der put together.
The Hamilton road bill, from present
indications, will be forced through and
become IL law. 1t has already passed
the senate and it will be hurried through
the house soon. The following amend
ment was adopted during the passage of
the bill on second reading: The prop
erty and residence qualifications have
been stricken out and the emergency
|
to and upon order of the courts of
quarter sessions and upon due cause
shown restored, A poll tax of 81 on
every taxable has been inserted as was
provided in the original bill" The rural
members are fighting this measure tooth
and nail.
The commission appointed at the last
session of the legislature, to ascertain
| the best methods of utilizing convict
labor, SO as not to interfere with legiti-
mate industries, has submitted its re-
port. 1t recommends that machine labor
shall be dispensed with in the prisons of
Pennsylvania, and suggests that the
labor of convicts shall 20 towards the
support and maintenance of the asylums
and hospitals of the state, which are
now sustained by direct taxation of the
| people.
The libel law in its revised form has
passed the house finally and will become
II law. The legislative committee of the
state grange has addressed a lengthy
letter, in support of the tax conference
bill, to the ways and means committee
of the house. The bill calls for Il more
equalization of taxation.
Governor Hastings had another con-
ference with the members of the Capitol
Building Commission last week and it is
understood that the selection of the six
expert architects will be made in few
days. The programme for the guidance
of the competing architects will be ready
for distribution next week.
The bill protecting employees of cor
porations, in their right to form, join or
belong to labor organizations, and pro-
vidng penalty of a fine of not less
than 81, 900 and imprisonment for term
not exceeding one year for any officer,
agent or employe of any corporation,
that blacklists or discharges an cmploye
for being a member of Il lawful labor or
ganization, is meeting with bitter OPP
position from the Reading Railroad Com
pany. An official was here last week
working against the passage of the bill.
He claims that it was the railroad en-
ployes organizations that had wrecked
| bhe heaulng.
The governor has advised the senate
that he had signed the bills providing
Tor the establishment of free kinder
gartens out of the public schools treas
ury, and providing that war service in
the rebellion be counted as double in
computing the fifteen years retirement
period.
These bills passed the house finally;
Limiting the right of action upon bonds
given by the plaintiff in fraudulent
debtor attachments to one year from the
date of the accrung of such right OF
action amending the act of May A, 1889.
so as to limit the lien of taxes entered OF
record prior to the date of the enact
ment of the law; amending the act of
April Is, 1895, relating to the indebted
ness of municipalities, providing for an
increase of Indebtedness to an amount