Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-03-10
FAIR PLAY.
Answer Of James N. Moore to
the Article Of Citizen
in the Eagle.

10 the people of Butler county that TINS
| ia the first article that have either di-
rectly or indirectly been responsible for,
or party to, in any paper, and DO
this ousr nv 0uH signature. Had not
the articles referred to in the two issues
of the Eagle been such a gross misrep-
resentation of my record, and had not
the paper, contrary to its usage in for
mer Republican Primaries for the office
of Assembly, published the articles di-
recte1 at me and signed Citizen SIN
pled me out instead of ALLOWING the
people to select candidates at primaries,
and direct their opposition at the oppos-
ing parties later, would not have en-
tered into the newspaper discussion
Citizen" in the first place, in his ar
ticle saws, Bad health. unfortunately,
almost excluded Mr. Moole from taking
anv active part in the deliberations 0f
the recent session of the Legislature.
The Last session as the citizens OF this
county well know lasted for six months,
and during that time l was not absent
| from Harrisburg more than ten leglsla-
tive days out of that long and tedious
session. During the session there were
some fourteen-hundred bills introduced,
which proceeded to various stages IN
the House and Committee, and the Judi
ciary General Committe, of which
was a member, had before it for consid-
Grafton over four-hundred of these bills.
I was present, with very few exceptions,
AFT all the meetings of said Committee,
and at nearly all the important sessions
of the House-as the Record will show.
Citizen" after making the broad state
ment at the beginning of his article IN
regard to sickness keeping me away.
has, in his two lengthy articles, found
seren bills that l was recorded as not
voting on, or being absent.
The Road Bill, known as the ''Hamil.
ton Road Bill" with which many OF
our people are familiar and OF which
he speaks 80 slightingly, was one OF the
bills that was largely protested against
| by citizens of our county, and to the de-
| feat of this bill 1 gave my best effort,
and by certain amendments 1t cannot
| go into effect until the amendment to
| It is repealed; or the State appropriates
money to help make roads.
| THE School Distribution Bill, Cit
izen" sneeringly remarks, would in
crease the appropriation to neighbor--.
Jug county three thousand dollars.
| That is no doubt correct; and to coun-
ty like ours will increase 1T from ttteen
| 10 eiqhteen thousand dollars, which
| will certainly decrease local taoation.
| Citizen, if he 90 desires, will learn
from any of our school boards over this
| county that under the law as it stood
before the Act of 1897, the amount re-
ceived as an appropriation from the
state was decreasing yearly.
| Citizen" says "but conceding that
| he (Moore) was present and did vote
| when some meritorious bills were pass
| ed, it does not follow that he was al
ways present on important occasions,
nor that he always voted correctly when
he was present" Because the Governor
vetoes bill, or because Mr. Thomas
| Robinson, who, l am reliably informed,
| is the author of the articles signed Cit
| izen" in the Eagle, does not like bill,
| do not believe is conclusive that bill
| is wrong During the session OF 1895,
| when the citizens Of our town, to the
number Of fourteen hundred, had pei
toned the members to rote against
what was known as the Woods Water
| Bill" Thomas Robinson requested me
10 uote for the bill / voted against it.
| This bill was vetoed by the Governor.
| In the last session there were from But
Ter county before the Legislature two
bills for hospital appropriation, one
for the Butler County General, and the
other for the Connoquenessing Valley.
The former bill passed the House by a
vote of 155 for to none against, and the
| Senate by vote of AZ for to none
against, the latter bill not passing. This
hospital bill was vetoed by the Governor
after protest by Mr.. Thomas
Robinson against the bill, hu
taking from our county az aid 10 Tie
hospital fre- thousand d>Hdrs In the
water bill, according TO Mr.. Robinson
himself, my vote would be wrong and
also the veto wrong; and in the hospital
bill. according to the same gentleman.
my vote would be wrong and the veto
right Thus it will be seen that his
reference in the article signed Citizen
| to the bills vetoed by the Governor are
very far fetched, as proving his asser-
| ton that certain votes of mine were
| wrong
In his article of February oath, the
| first bill he refers to. for which / voted,
he says was one TO reduce license fees
in townships and boroughs having a
named population" This is a deliber-
ate attempt to prejudice the people on
that class Of legislation called Liquor
Legislation. The bill he refers to was
| entitled, as shown by the Record, "Ap
| Act to provide for the licensing Of
buildings and other places in which
| Theatrical, Operatic and Circus perfor-
mances are held, and Menageries and
| Museums, and fixing the price to be
| paid for said License" The law now
| provides that the license for such in all
boroughs or townships paid tn the
| State is thirty dollars. The amend
ment to the Act provided that
"boroughs under fifteen hundred would
be exempt from said license or tax"
the purpose being to relieve the owners
of such places of amusement in our
smaller boroughs from paying a State
tax
The two bills he refers to as having
passed on June 18th and June 23rd,
which he alleges were very important,
and charges me with being absent,
changed the present liquor law only in
regard 10 the manner Of advertising in
papers in cities Of the first class, to-wit:
Philadelphia, and did not change The license
iaw in ANY other particular.
The bill he refers TO as on page 2641
of the Legislative Record, as an Act
amending Section III. of an Act entitl-
ed IAN Act to regulate and establish
the fees to be charged by Justices Of
the Peace, etc, which he complains Of
my voting for, he should have given
the whole title IL he desired to be at all
fair, which is az follows: IAN Act
amending Section III. of an Act entitled
AN Act to regulate and establish the
fees to be charged by Justices of the
Peace, Alderman, Magistrates and Con.
stables in this commonwealth, approx
ed the 23rd day Of May, Ammo Domini
one thousand eight hundred and ninety
three; regulating and estabiishing he
fee 10 be- charged by constdbi,s in his
Commonwealth This il the bill which
before voting on ! submitted to the
commissioners Of our county, the Judge
of our Court, and great number of our
constables, several Of our Justices Of
the Peace, and number Of attorneys
at the Bar, and they unani mously
agreed that il was a proper bill, as II
would fix the fees Of constables, which
had been in litigation since the last fee
bill was passed and ruled 80 differently
by different courts The g9te against
this bill IN the House was nine. Tho
constables OF Butler County will recog.
nize what this bill waa when the whole
title of the bill is ppt fairly before
them, as above.
All the bills complained OF, and the
attack Of Thomas Robinson on my re
| cord Wh6n cOmpared with the Iepisla.