The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-07
THE PENNSYLVANIA LEGIsLA
TURE.

>
jourred and that it has is q matter
Of Generalization to the whole coun-
try. The Philadelphia Ledger, a con-
Z sentative paper that always tries TO be
just and ever avoids sensationalisn
and all that savors Of it, brings this
indictment against the Pennsylvania
legislature that has just adjourned:
The state viii breathe more freely
4 now that the most INSCRIPTIONS legis-
StlsTe Of modern times has adjourned.
! In its closing hours it maintained the
! bad reputation il established long ago.
/ The revenue bill was held back for
I hous after the conference committee
/ had agreed upon a report. so that the
: members would be forced TO vote for it
/ or sacrifice The appropriations. 1t had
/ been fixed up to protect the big brew
ers and was nut through in a form
( satisfactory 10 the managers of the
/ Republican party. Senator Quay could
: not control the country members in the
/ matter Of the school appropriation, but
his state treasurer has enough discre-
tionary power to hold back a million
dollars from the schools IL it should ap
pear TO be more desirab Bile to keep i in
. the bank balances. Nearly all the eG-
pense bills were passed, although they
were known 10 be in large measure
fraudulent. Members who travelled on
free passes were allowed car fare. and
IL one case the actual charge for ser
vices were more than doubled in the
bin presented to the legislature. Fraud
was Used at The last 70 force through
the general appropriation bill. Suspi-
cious amendments, instead of being
printed in italics SO lhaJ attention
should be called 20 them. were SET "
in roman-the ordinary text of the bill
nd ar1,r.offoz1 II ie
the governors business to veto the
fraudulent Items. lie has full author
ity 10 do 80, and cannot excuse himself
for any neglect of duty in this respect
Bad as the legislature mas been, it
has accomplished very little beyond the
petty Ihieving Tor the benefit o. some
members and Of the officers Of the SEN
ate and house. II passed bill amend
Ing the ballot law, which has some good
and some bad features; il passed q
fish and game law which affords less
protection than the existing law: il
amended the revenue law in q partial
and unjust manner; il passed a new
mercantile tax law. which, though an
Improvement on the existing law in
some respects, is a fractional measure
WHICH may be very naischievous in its
operat icns; il made buriesqUe OF IL
reform Bills endorsed by the Republican
convention; it passed the Becker DILL
destructive O. an important principle
of Philadeiphia's charter for the sole
purpose OF handing the control of The
city government over 10 a faction Of
ward leaders; it passed the alien tax
law. MOTT unjusl and cruel measure, /
and also & bill prohibiting cities from +
erecting electric light works until they
have first paid handsomely for me
franchises they nave given away for .
nothingl
That such ar indictment could he /
brought against the legislature Of any I
stale of The Union is matter Of deep /
regret to all true Americans. 1t is a
sad commentary on popular govern
for the cynical and sneering comments
CT those who have no faith in popular
Had any western legislature. that is
any legislature in the trans Mississippi
states. done one-half the things that
the Pennsylvania legislature did, a cry
OF holy horror would have gone up
froro ct over the east; and tAa west.
the Wild and woody west" would have
been condemned cut of measure. Rot
.en bo-ougas" would have utterly failed
to express the condition of states that
could furnish such legislatures as
has NJ. Cleveland
termed these far western states as IN
desirable, but are they more undesir-
BILE than others nearer home?
To draw comparisons for the mere
purpose Of exultation is in no sense
profitable. but when the second state
n the Union becomes so degenerate as
legislature shows she
las become the papers of that section
If rhe country TO which she belongs
should at least exercise more charity
han they DO when they censure the far
vess ern states.