The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-07-15

with more than his usual vigor to keeI
the expenditures within the income oi
the state. Private Secretary BETTER
and the other clerks i'm the executive
department have prepared for the gov
ernor a comparative statement show
ing the appropriations to the various
institutions for the sessions of 1891, '93
'95 and '97. This statement will enable
him to dispose of the bills with some
degree OF fairness toward the institu-
tions that may be affected. 1t may not
be necessary to deprive the smaller
hospitals and charitable institutions of
state aid, but IL is not clear how the
governor is to escape cutting down
some of the larger grants to the big
educational institutions. One of these,
the Lehigh university, has been given
5000, 900 by the legislature; the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania has also been
given a large appropriation; and other
institutions have Jared well. OF course,
II the new revenue acts produced the
amount of money which their authors
predicted. there will be larger income
than was originally estimated by the
state officials; but there is doubt in
some minds whether these new rev.
was hoped they might be. But in any
case these measures will not be opera
tive until next year, and the deficiency
in the treasury cannot be met by cheer
full calculations.
State Treasurer Haywood insists that
a mistake was made by the Legislature
in not cutting down the appropriation
to the public schools. He holds that this
is the real trouble, and that there will
be no improvement in the revenue sit
uation until some reduction is made in
the school fund. 1t has been suggested
that under authority vested in him the
state treasurer can withhold payments
to the school districts a year or two un-
til the stringencv in the treasury is
over. Those who made a fight against
the reduction Of the school appropria-
ton, however. say that any such course
upon the part of the state treasurer
would be a distinct violation of the
pledge given to the house by Speaker
Boyer on the day of final adjournment
when he promised that come what
might there would be no cut in the
school appropriation and the state nor
NAL schools would get their usual as
sistance. These say further that tri-
Hing with the school districts will react
upon the Republican party, and that
the state leaders must understand that
the people will resent any interference
of this kind.
A great hullabaloo has been stirred
up among the merchants of the state
by the proposed law increasing the
mercantile license tax. Today Governor
Hastings had before him a large dele
CATION, representing the big and little
merchants in all parts of the common
wealth protesting against his approval
of the bill They contended that 1t was
an unfair proposition and in its fea-
lures was inquistorial and a menace to
the business interests of the state. This
bill makes the mercantile tax from 81
A year to $4,000, according to the vol
ume of business transacted by the mer-
chant. 1t requires him to make a re-
turn to the mercantile appraiser ap-
pointed by the auditor general and
state treasurer-one for each county of
the state except Philadelphia and
Pittsburg, which have five and three,
respectively-and should the return be
unsatisfactory, the auditor general is
given power by the bill to compel q
merchant to produce his books and pa
pers. State Treasurer Haywood, in a
!ong statement, takes the position that
the merchants, as a class, have not
been paying their Just share of the bur-
den OF taxation, and that this bill is
eminently fair in all it's parts. He COM
pares the big merchants doing a bust
ness of several millions a year to the
hrm, copartnership and corporation do
Ing much smaller business and pay
Ing tax many times higher. Notwith-
standing the opposition to the bill, it
will probably be approved by the gov
srnor. This bill was originally a meas
ure to tax beer. but when 1t reached the
senate that body transformed it into a
bill taxing merchants and dealers.
Judge Gunnison. OF Erie, came here
Thursday and made a strong argument
before Governor Hastings against the
bill ceding the rights of the state to
Presque Isle, a peninsular piece of
ground extending into Lake Erie, to
the city OF Erie. on condition that the
government would take similar action.
Judge Gunnison contends that this bill
would be an injury In the end, because
1t would probably result in the United
States government becoming Indifferent
to the harbor improvements at Erie.
He also intimated that Presque Isle.
as public park. the purpose for which
the bill Is alleged to have been intro
duced. would not be a place of which
the people of Erie would be proud.
In fact, he threw cold water on the
whole project, and as there is some
doubt about the constitutionality Of
the bill. it Is pretty certain to be We
toed.
Adputant General Thomas ]. Stewart
has made himself exceedingly popular
with the members Of the National
Guard by establishing a precedent in
the matter Of issuing a special order
promptly the results of the
inspections of the guard. In this mat
ter he has been assisted by Inspector
General Morrell. who insists that the
various subordinate inspectors shall
make their reports without delay to
On Saturday a special
order was issued containing the ratings
of the various regiments and companies
and also the reports of Inspector Gen.