The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-02-10
HARRISBURG LETTER.
A FIoed Of BlIIs-Whst LeelsIstiou n
q Needed-CorporotlOnS, For-
estry, Pensions and Local
Option Taking Precedence.

appropriation bills. Probably not more
than that number will reach the Cover
nor, for in a short session like the pre-
sent one bids fair to be, many good
measures fall by the wayside, and
whole lot of good ones fail of passage.
With such a food of bills under way it
ia impossible to take more than passing
notice of even those of greatest import
ance.
Representative Dunsmore, of Tioga
county, has offered bill to double the
tax of five mills on the capital stock Of
corporations, the extra five mills to be
paid over to the counties for the pur-
pose of reducing local taxation. While
the State needs some revenue OF this
kind, and the counties also, this bill
will hardly become law. A similar
measure passed the House two years ago
but was killed in the Senate. Corpora
tions are complaining of burdensome
taxes under the present system. Mr..
Dunsmore has introduced another bill
which is more likely to become law,
and which ia badly needed at this time
to correct some inequalities of taxation.
1t provides for Commission of fifteen
members, five to be appointed by the
Governor, five by the President pro tenn.
OF the Senate and five by the Speaker of
the House, to revise and codlfy the
revenue laws of the State, and report to
the Legislature OF 1911. The members
of the commission will serve without
pay, but $50, 900 is asked for to defray
expenses. The last general revenue act
was passed in 1889 and changed condi-
tions make revision necessary.
Pennsylvania needs Legislative re-
ference bureau and is likely to get il
this year. 1t would prevent a duplica'
; ton of laws, save time and money ano
, secure some good, needed legislation
New members are not familiar with acti
, already on the books, nor with the facti
in connection with bills similar to those
: they are bringing in, which have been
, turned down heretofore. A bill intro
duced last week provides for three audi
' tors to audit the accounts of all institu
} tons receiving State aid, each Audito
: to receive salary of $4,000 year ano
expenses. At present the State has {
law authorizing five travelling Auditors
with exactly similar duties, at salar,
3 OF ST. 800 and expenses. Here is wher'
: the reference bureau comes in. Ever,
r bill is referred to this bureau for infor
e nation on what this State has done
1 what other states have done or are do
, ing along certain lines, and what discus
S sion in public prints can be placed be
1 fore those desiring information. A labo
e saving arrangement.
: So far there have been three bills OF
i fered in the Legislature to pension sol
n diers enlisting from this State in tn
/. civil war, the amount required to pay il
r each case running intothe millions. Nc
s Dowell's bill carries an appropriation o
: So, ,OOO, 900 McJenkins' similar amount
j while Townsend's calls for S., ,250, 900
a The bill favored by the e.. A. R., simila
e to the one that passed the Legislature O
I 1907 has not vet been introduced.
S Local option bills are expected sool
: and a warm fight is looked for. 1t j
understood that Representative Fair o
Westmoreland, will introduce the bill
S prepared by the Anti-Saloon League
: and around this one the fight will center
l. The Speaker has promised to give it
Q fair show and the floor of the Hous
o will be the arena. Incidentally foo
n of remonstrances against any local op
0 ton law is being laid before the Legls
e lature and referred to the proper com
Z mittee.
Hon. Clifford Pinchot, National Con
+ missioner of Forestry, will address
y meeting on Wednesday evening in tn
interest of forest preservation, by al
rangement with Representative Marvin
of the Forestry Committee. Pennsy1
vania woke up, not too late, to the fac
u that something needed doing, and tn
hundreds of thousands of acres no.
y owned by the State, which will b
6 planted and tended, will eventual
remedy a condition which had threateI
e1 to cause infinite trouble.
That fertile source of trouble and il
vestigation, the Legislative Record,
again to the front, like Banquo's ghost
. that will not down. At present ii
State is paying high-water mark pric'
= for it, $l2 per page, which some peop
think is too much. Certainly the col
!. tractor don't lose much money at thu
?. figure. During the session of 1907
), committee was appointed to investiga
l. the conditionssurroundin this contrac
" but the committee was not required
report and good-naturedly allowed ii
END of the session to slip past witho
], saying much, The Chairman of tn
.. committee tried hard to get back as
Of member at this session, but failed.
ID Deputy Attorney General Fred. v
" FIaitz has announoad that he will reti