The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1897-06-02
HARRISBURG LETTER.

the attitude of the fellow who had caught
the bear and called on some one to "help
let the blamed thing 60" Everybody is
ready to adjourn and go home but TO find
a convenient stopping place is what is
bothering the best of them. Some addi-
tional source of revenue must be pro-
vided before adjournment can be had,
and just what class of property to tackle
is the great question. A few bills having
this object in view have passed the
House, one of which has already re-
ceived the Governors signature, but
these are insufficient to a considerable
degree, and in casting about for other
sources, the fnanciers find snag after
snag, and each particular industry raises
kick when it is proposed to tackle its
interests. The Bliss bill to put an addi-
tional mill on all property paying State
tax would do the business, but such
proposition never fails to bring a storm
of protests from all sides. In the writer's
opinion the financiers will have to come
to this at last.
And so it is that this will be the long
est session of the legislature since the
adoption of the new constitution. Some
of the people seem to be laboring under
the impression that the members are
purposely stringing out the session in
order TO increase their pay. This is
serious mistake, as anyone will see when
he reflects that a members salary is but
$1,000 for the session long or short, and
~ ho m fI,
pense, and the less one has when he goes
home, and the more of his pay he leaves
in Harrisburg. So that final adjourn
ment can't come too soon to please the
average legislator.
Three of the Reform bills endorsed by
the two last Republican conventions
passed the House during the past week.
They provide respectively for the pro-
hibition of the political assessment of Of
flee holders, the payment OF taxes by any
except the voter, and prevent the holding
of political conventions outside the dis
trict for which the nominations are made.
The Keator ballot reform bill, so called,
was defeated as it should have been. 1t
was supposed to simplify the process of
voting, but on the contrary made it more
intricate and difficult to understand.
A bill to abolish the publication of the
Legislative Record was killed on final
passage. This publication, while very
much despised generally, yet has ten
dency to keep many q member on the
straight line, knowing that his votes will
show him up if he don't "toe the mark !"
| A good bill for boroughs passed the
House last week. 1t provides a means
by which borough ordinances can be en-
forced. Something which has been
needed in the past.
The House did very creditabe thing
in killing, on final passage last Wednes-
day, bill known as the "water works
and electric light snake" This bill was
intended to practically tie the hands of
all municipalities, and place them at the
mercy of these corporations for all time
to come. The Governor vetoed similar
batch OF bills passed by the session OF
'a5.
Much unfavorable comment is heard
on all sides about the bill of expenses in-
Cured by the Public Buildings and
Grounds Commission in fitting up Grace
church for the legislature. Th' bill is
large, S56, 200, but in this is included the
expense of fittiug up several other build
ings for committee rooms for the House
and Senate, the School Department, For
estry Department, the Fish and Game
| Commission, etc. Furthermore the
work had to be done in a rush, and de-
lays in advertising for bids would have
been more expensive, perhaps, than the
payment of big prices for material and
labor. Nevertheless the bill would stand
considerable scaling down and still be
high enough.
Three sessions daily is now the order
and business is being dispatched in a
rather lively style. Mr.. Bolles of Phila-
delphia occupied the chair during most
of the past week, Speaker Boyer being
| i'll. Very many favorable comments
were expressed of the manner in which
Mr.. Bolles conducted business, and if he
is in the noxt House will undoubtedly be
it's Speaker.
A contested seat in the lower house of
the Legislature from the third Philadel-
phia district was decided last week by a
bare constitutional majority, and resulted
in the seating of the contestant, MIR.
| Saunders. From the testimony of wit
uessess who appeared before the Com
mittee, the records of the Court and the
| personal knowledge of other members
from Philadelphia, it is practically GER
tain that there was no legal election in
that district last fail. At least no such
election as the country districts of the
Commonwealth know about. A majority
of the voters in that ward seem to be
Russian Jews and Italians, who know
little of our language and absolutely
nothing of the principles of our govern
ment. They were driven to the polls
and voted In floeks or droves like sheep,
or thrown out of the room by the police,
according to the will of two or three con-
trolling spirits. One man is accredited
with entering a booth and making the
ballots for rs men. Others who had
lived in the district for nine years and
were free holders, carried their title
deeds to the polls and showed them, but
were ordered out of the room as repeat
ers. Again, voters who presented them
selves, ballot in hand, were told that they
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