The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-17
HARRISBURG NEWS
News and Views Of The
Legislators.
THE PARK EXTENSION AND
JUDGES SALARY BILLS-LO-
CAL OPTI0N-ROADS.

CAL OPTI0N-ROADS.
March 12.-There are many Re-
| publicans, sincere friends and ad-
mirers of the President, who will
not follow him in his endorsement
of Secretary Ballinger, and many
there are who believe that the Taft
administration would have been
stronger had the resignation of Mr..
Ballinger been accepted a year or
more ago. 1t is true that the Con-
gressional Investigating Committee,
or at least the majority of it, gave
him a clean bill of health, but his
usefulness as pillar of strength to
! the party and to the administration
was seriously impaired, and though
no evil act was directly laid at the
Secretary's door, he failed to make
the right impression when put up
on his defence. One cannot help but
admire the Presidents loyalty, even
though his opinion is not made
unanimous The Secretary's prose-
cution of his defamers may bring
out his side of the case more
strongly. Courts have way of get
ting at the real facts.
Park Extension Bill.
The bill introduced in the Senate
by Senator Fox of Harrisburg,
known as the Park Extension bill,
passed that body this week by a
vote of 81 to 8, and it will now have
to work its way through the House.
From present indications the pur-
chase will be made, for the land is
likely to be needed in a few years
Large as the new Capitol is and
complete as it seemed, it is not suf-
fn hA ,tn b.
departments, and the Water Supply
Commission has been assigned to
quarters away from Capitol Hill
Some departments have more room
than is needed at present, but it
cannot well be utilized for any 9TH
ers, so the Board of Public
Grounds and Buildings is seri-
ously considering what can be done.
The best available space for build
ing is the part which it is now pro-
posed to purchase, between the
present Park and the Railroad, and
it can be secured for a less figure
now than ever again. The friends
of the bill have strong hopes of
getting the bill through. Governor
Stuart vetoed a similar bill two
years ago, on account of insufficient
revenue.
Judges Salary Bill.
The Judges Salary bill, which
means an increase of the expense OF
maintaining the courts of about
t S25O,OOO, passed the House and is
now before the Senate. There are
, whispers of what the Senate will dc
to 1t, and what the Governor will dc
, to it, but it stands a fairly good
chance of becoming a law at this
t session. The minimum salary pay.
able under the new act is $4,000 6
year. The courts will probably be
5 asked to say that it shall apply tc
the Judges now in office.
1t is now Judge Wilmer of the U
S. District Court. Only a few year!
ago he succeeded Hon. Fred C
Leonard as U. S. Marshal of the dis
trict, later succeeding Hon. S. j. M
; McCarrell as Attorney and now sue
ceeding Judge Archibald as the heat
of the court. 1t is intimated tha
: after while there may be a chang,
in the clerkship so long held by E
q r. w. Searle, of Susquehanna coun
D. ty, but we shall have to wait anC
: see.
o Notice To Express Companies.
J. The House passed a bill this weel
e which is causing the Express com
panies to sit up and take notice
IS Under the law as it stands upon tn
T, books at present the five or six bi
companies, all of them foreigners
a pay sum total of less than $40,
l. 600 in taxes to the state, when the
l. should rightfully pay about tel
times as much, and this BILL whic
e passed the House by a vote of II
l. to nothing, proposes to properly ta
them. Practically all the expires
l. business in this state is done by tn
e Adams, United States, Wells-Fargc
National and the American. TIL
1. principle or method of taxation i
r, the new bill has already been favor
ably passed upon by the U. S. Su
h preme Court in a case which wen
.e up from another state.
Local option, for this session a
}. least, received a solar plexus blo'
ID last Monday night, when the Hous
refused to put the bill on the caller
h, dar. The vote showed that nc
D. much gain had been made over tn
Of strength shown by the friends of tn
measure two years ago.
'r SprOul Good Roads.
u From present appearances tn
- Sproul Good Roads bill is to be pr
- through and the people will be asl
ed to allow the Constitution to /
amended so as to allow the state [