The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-04-14
Harrisburg Letter.

excitement. So many bills remained on
the House calendar that it was deemed
advisable to hold several sessions late in
the week, with possibility of sitting
on Saturday. But the plans did not
suit majority of the members, who
hied away to Philadelphia, Pittsburg
and wherever else their fancy dictated.
Speaker Cox went to Chambersburg on
Friday to deliver an address in the
Methodist church, leaving Morrison, of
Beaver, as speaker protein. Business
was moving along smoothly Friday af-
ternoon. the attendance becoming small
er as the day wore on, but no hint came
of trouble ahead until Representative
Smith, of Crawford, who has been a
conspicuous opponent of the emasculat-
ed school code, moved 10 reconsider the
vote.by which that bill passed second
reading few days before. The friends
of the new code were caught mapping,
or at least most of them were conspicu-
ous.by their absence. One thing only
could lsave the code and that was to
show that less than a quorum was pre-
sent to do business. A lot of members,
friendly to the code, hurriedly hustled
out of the hall, lodging the sergeant at
arms and his assistants, their one object
in life being apparently to get out of
reach as soon as possible. The galleries
and floors were ordered cleared by the
speaker, the doors locked and roll-call
ordered.
Only 20 members answered the roll
and the only thing in order under the
circumstances was to adjourn, to meet
Monday at . p. NJ. The sergeant-at-arms
was directed to find all the missing
members and have them at the bar
the House at that hour, to answer for
being absent without leave while the
House was in session. 1t is not likely
that anything serious will follow, but
complications have arisen in the mean
time that may worry the leaders.
Several score of bills, in which vari-
GUS members of the House were inter
ested, must now be dropped from the
calendar finally, the time to work them
through being too short. Many of these
members had supported the new school
code, against their wishes, in order to
secure votes for their pet bills. Now
that their bills fall by the wayside, they
are disposed to even up by killing,
not only the school code, but The Cover
nor's road bill, the pension bill, the
Judges increase of salary bill, and others
that the floor leaders are interested in.
In fact there may be lot of fun before
final adjournment is reached on Thurs
day, and it is even intimated that it may
be necessary to prolong the session be-
yond April 18th, the date originally fix
ed for adjournment, in order to get all
the bills through. How far the leaders
shall be successful in bending the House
to do their will, in the present temper
of the House, is now the question.
Getting down to brass tacks, it would
not be such terrible thing if the school
code should fail to .pass at this session.
The Philadelphia members amended it
so thoroughly, to suit their wishes, the
Pittsburgers following suit, that the
Commission that framed the bill failed
to recognize it when it got back into the
House. AS it stands to-day it is no bet
ter than the present system, if as good,
and has this disadvantage beside, that
to the vast majority of the people of the
state, it is absolutely unknown. As a
people, we are rather careful that poll
tics do not interfere too much with our
school system and management. We
take just pride in our schools and the
immense sums of money annually ap-
propriated to keep them up to a high
standard must be taken to show that
no expense need be spared to educate
the children of Pennsylvania as thor
oughly as those of any state in the
Union.
1t would not be calamity ifthe auto
mobile road bill should fail to become
a law. Beside the So, 900, 600 set aside
for this purpose. the Highway Depart
ment gets $4,000, 900 in the general ap-
preparation bill. The automobile bill
passed the House but was amended in
the Senate, SO it must come back to the
House for concurrence in the amend
ment, and the members expectto thump
it then.
The bill increasing the salaries of the
Judges, from the highest to the lowest,
would cost the state about $4OO, 200
year more than now, and this bill should
meet defeat. The Supreme Court Judges
are raised to $l5, 900 year; the Cover
nor receives $4,000, the State Treasurer
5000 and the Auditor General 81 900.
The Judges have considerable leisure
the three officers named are onto the
job twelve months in the year.
Quite recently bill was introduced in
the Legislature to make the salary of
theState Highway Commissioner $40 900.