The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-06

nor is there any provision by which the
causes of accidents may be investigated |
and responsibility determined. The Twin |
Shaft commission did the work imposed |
upon them gratuitously, even paying their |
own personal expenses. While ttt report |
of the commission may truthfully declare |
that the mine Inspector cannot in any |
way be held responsible, because he was |
not notified of the impending d1nger by |
the mine superintendent. 1t Is not consid- |
cred that this Is sufficient eNcusc to stand |
in Justification of the loss OF so many llNes. |
The suggestions contained in the report |
of the commission to guard against and !
prevent repetition of such accidents,
would have, in their Judgment prevented |
the Twin Shaft disaster These and all
other reasonable precautions should he
promptly taken with regard to every other
mine in operation in the state. 1t Is rec
ommended that there be established re-
sponsible head to whom the state mine
inspectors shall at stated periods max de-
mines, the methods employed in mining,
the character of machinery used, the prob
able danger from gas, squeezes and other
causes of accidents, the means of ingress
and egress and such other Information as
will enable competent, scientific mining
engineer to determine the safety OF the
mine. This official should have liberty to
enter at will for the purpose of examining
the mines and should be required to MAKE
such examination when petitioned for that
purpose by the workmen therein who ap-
prehend danger
Pennsylvania while enjoying the dis
tinction of being the oldest and most CX-
tensive of the coal mining states, should
not remain behind other states and coun-
tries in the matter of improved provisions
for the advancement and protection of her
mining interests and the safety of her
mining people.
APPORT1ONMENT.
Your attention is respectfully called to
the duty of making as well as the ncces-
| "a ~. iNIn nf CT tD tsl
into senatorial and representative dis
| tricts. BY the express mandate OF the
! constitution, the general assembly is re-
| quired, Immediately after each deC@nntal
| census, to make such apportionment The
! last senatorial apportionment was mad"
| by act of assembly approved May ~, 1874,
| and the last representative apportionment
| by act of May II, 1887. The ommiss!on to
| make these appointments is equivalent
| in many instances to denying the people
| the representation to which they are !e-
| gally entitled, and, in others equivalent to
| permitting a representation in both houses
| of the general assembly to which, under
| the constitution. they are not entitled. The
| growth of our population has been far
from uniform throughout the common
wealth, many localities having doubled
| their population in the past twenty years,
while in others there has been little if any
| increase. An examination of the reports
| of the last decennial census discloses the
| fact that the present senatorial apportion-
ment is under existing conditions, abso
| lutely destructive of the theory of rep
| resentative government, and Violative of
| that provision of the constitution when
| declares that THE state shall be divided
| into fifty senatorial districts of compact
| and contiguous territory as nearly equal
in population as may be, and each district
| shall be entitled to elect one senator
| These inequalities and the resulting injus-
tiCe to the people of the commonwealth
ought to be remedied, and most earnest
ly recommend prompt reapportionment
of the senatorial and representative dis
tricts in such manner as will conform to
the. constitutional requirements.
The last congressional apportionment
was byaCt of May l9. 1887. The number of
congress apportioned to Pennsylvania has
varied with each decennial census. Under
the census of 1880 our representation was
twenty-eight, while under the census OF
1890 it was increased to thirty members
AS no congressional apportionment has
been made by the general assembly since
the act of May 49, 1887, it has become nee
essary since the census of 1890 in order
that our state may have full representa-
ton in congress, to elect two memberS-at t.
large. In justice to all parts of the com,
monwealth this should not be permitted
to continue. and the only remedy is re-
. apportionment of the state into congress
sional districts containing the fixed ia.
ito of population as nearly as may be- thus
. giving to each district its proper repre-
sentation in the national house of repre-
=, sentatiVes
ELECTIONS.
our recent enactments relating to cleo
tions, particularly those providing for the
} official ballot, it is believed have met witt
| general approval. 1t has been made Cleal
however, by experience that while the
principle should be retained in our system
some amendments are necessary to aid il
it's proper administration. Under the law
as it now is, certificates of nomination fol
; candidates for the offices of presidential
electors members of congress and state
officers, including members of the gen
eral assembly. ire required to be filed WITT
the secretary of the commonwealth a
, least thirty-tiVe days before the date o
, the election for which the candidates are
nominated, and nomination papers 70
: candidates for said offices are re
quired to be filed at least twenty
eight days before election. Objection Il
the validity of these papers may be flee
; at any time up to twenty -one days befor,
the election. These objections involve ora
hearings before the court of common plea
of Dauphin county, and a full trial of edcl
E case upon its merits and the disposition
thereof by the court, SO that the secretar!
l of the commonwealth may be able t.
transmit to the county commissioners an,
the sheriff in each county duplicate otti2id
lists containing the names and residence
of and party or policies represented in al
5 candidates not found or declared to be in
t valid at least fourteen days previous t
the election The limited time between tn
last day for filing objections and the dat
; at which the secretary of the common
) wealth is required to transmit the list t.
; the county commissioners and sherifS,
i period of but six days, imposes worl
. of such magnitude upon the court am
l upon the clerical force in the office of tn
{ secretary as to render its performanc
= difficult if not impossible.
e The use of the same political name o
u appellation in nomination papers and tn
; use of such name or appelation for pure
: ly local purposes have given rise to mus
; difficulty and confusion in the otiic
| of the secretary and have occasone
l. much and hurried litigation in the court
= one of the results of this defect in tn
: law is found in the increasing size of tn
I ballot, which has grown to such propOl
t tions a IS to create great difficulty and della
= in printing the same. This can be readi
( ly corrected by legislative enactment with
( out abridging in any degree the rights q
- the voter
{ The practice of making wholesale pun
? chase of tax receipts for the poll or ocCu
~ patton taxes assessed against the voter
. of the state, for the purpose of corrupt
~ influencing such voters in the eXerCis
; of their right of franchise has grown
= such proportions as to be a menace to hOr
Z est elections ana should receive legislatiV
,, attention. The evil can be easily remedic
u by appropriate legislation and the dut
should not be neglected.
> The corrupt use of money in the contrt
- of elections, both primary and genera
u must necessarily undermine the foundi
: tiCES of our form of government, II PEI
u sisted in ana tolerated by the freemen {
the commonwealth The debauehery {
the franchise should not only be stigma
tiZed as a crime but punished as a crim
-. The basis of free government must /
u maintained in purity or the fabric will fal
4 Let such wise provisions be enacted int