The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-22
ONE RIPPER BILL VOID.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Kills "A
Quay Measure.

PITTSBURG. Oct 22-The Supreme
Court Of Pennsylvania yesterday dealt
the Quay machine shoulder blow when
il reversed the decision Of the Court Of
Common Pleas No 3 OF Philadelphia and
decided unconstitutional the so-caUed
ripper bill.
This particular measure affects the
I board Of revision of taxes which has been
appointed by the court The ripper bill
proposed ousted the supreme commission
ers next January and provided for the
election Of officers 1T the coming NOvem-
Der election.
In effect. the decision holds the act is
special legislation of the class prohibited
by the Constitution The present board of
revision Of taXes-Rinaldo a Lukens
and Simon Gratz-was Joined by two tax
payers-Rudolph Blankeuburg and sam
uel Sartain-in bill against the county
commissioners Of Philadelphia and other
public officials TO restrain the placing Of
the names Of Alexander COlville and John
=. Hauifeu, the Republican nominees. on
the ballet and to prevent them from fur
theriHg their candidacy for the office. The
latter FLED a demurrer TO the bill. and this
was sustained by the lower court
The decision viii not only remove the
names Of COiviIle and Hauifcn from the
regular Republican column Of the Novem-
Der ballot but Will also remove from the
Union party ticket the names Of Simon
.Eratz and RinaldO A. Lukens. whose fI-
ture. as heretofore, viii be dependent
upon the viii II the board Of judges.
I he Democratic candidate for a place
on the revision board is Charles Benton
ana ne also comes within the ban of the
court s decision.
Each member of the board receives a
salary of $1,000. and there are a real es-
tate aSSt sSOrs, = Of whom are Republicans
and 2 Democrats. with salaries of g zoo
per year, who are affected by the drci-
sion In addition to these are about 20
clerks, with salaries ranging from -. 900
% 200.
The tax ripper legislation was intro
ductd in the Senate by Senator Berkel-
bach, OF Philadelphia, on March last
" no presented two bills, one repeating all
acts relating 10 the aDpOintment OF the
members or the board Of revision Of taxes
by the judges OF the courts. and the other
providing for their election by the BeOpIe
u was the last-named act that contained
tue Upper feature, as II legigIated out
OF ofice the present members Of the board
and authorized the Governor TO appoint
their successors who were 10 serve until
tne urSt Monday IN April. 1902 permanent
monuments OF the positions to be elected
at the February election. and each four
years thereafter, qualified eleCtor 10 vote
Tor TWO said members only. and the three
having the highest number of votes 70 be
declared elected
The bills encountered little opposition in
the Senate, but fight against their ador-
ton was made in the House under the
leadership Of Thomas V Cooper. Of Della
ware county, an acknowledged adherent
or the Quay faction The bills finally
passed. but not until they had been ma
tcriaUy modified
A provision was inserted declaring rF-4t
the position of a member OF the board OF
revision OF taxes was a county and not a
city Office, and the time for choosing
elected members was then changed from
the February municipal election 10 the
November general election