The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-11-22
SOMETHING MUST BE did"
Governor Calls Legislature Together In
Extra Session.

N -
readers by this time that
Governor Pennypacker has called
the Pennsylvania Legislature to
reconvene IN extra session on the
18th day of January. 1t did not
take the old gentleman long, af-
ter the election was over, to con-
clude that something had to be
done, and to be done quickly. The
people, without respect to party
affiliation had spoken, and that in
no uncertain lang uage.
The legislation which the Gov.
ernor now wants is
Personal registration of voters.
Legislative reapportlonment.
To increase the interest on
State moneys and other remedies
of Existing State Treasury Evils.
To repeal the Philadelphia
"Ripper."
To regulate expenditures tor
county bridges.
TO allow the consolidation of
contiguous cities.
To abolish fees in the State De-
partment.
Every bit of this Legislation
should have been done last win
ter. All the moral force possl-
BILE was brought to bear on the
Legislature to do the work that
the Governor now calls them
back to perform. Rut it was leg
islatlon that did not suit the boss.
ess, and if the people had not ris
en- up In their might now, ther e
would have been no extra session.
Extra sessions are expensive.
This little job will cost the tax
payers of Pennsylvania a half mil
lion of dollars. q
Each member will get his little
$500 salary, 500 in postage
stamps, $50 for stationery, and
forty cents a mile lone way) for
car fare.
There are 204 mem bers of the
assembly, and 80 members IN the
senate.
Their salaries are only part
of the expense connected with the
extra session; for it must be
borne IN mind that there are elev-
en- vacancies, one in the senate,
and ten in the house. These must
be filed, and it will involve the
expense OF special election In
all these districts. 1t has been
but few years since this county
held special election to fill the
place made vacant by the death
of DR.. Cook.
While the Constitution requires
that the State shall be reappor-
toned into Legislative, Senator
ial and judicial districts every
ten years in order that there may
be fair representation of the
people, the Gang controlled legis-
lature, have ignored the Constr
tuition and detied the people for
many years. 1t is now thirty.
one years since the State was ap-
portioned into Senatorial dis
tricts, and twenty eight years
since the apportionment into leg.
islatve districts. The power of
the Gang has depended much on
keeping the districts as they are
now.
A new apportlonment, howev-
er fairly made, will be TO strength
en- the power of the cities and
weaken the country. Conditions
have changed since the present
State Constitu zion was adopted in
1873, and there cannot be an ap-
portlonment that will not be pre-
judicial to the interests of the
country districts until there is an
amendment to the constitution,
so that the representation from
the cities could never exceed a
given number.
Both Philadelphia and Pitts
burg will gam largely by new
apportionment, while the country
districts will be the losers. This
is manifestly unfair; and since
we have done so long without a
"new deal, it wouId he better to
have the constitution changed he.
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