The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1913-01-22
HOUSE IS SLOW
TO MAKE START
Organizing Of Committees De.
lays Legislative Work
LONG SESSION IS PREDICTED

Get Properly Under Way-sheatz
to Introduce important Measure
Which Would Give Assistance to In.
digent, Abandoned or Widowed
Mothers.
BY ROBERT HAleHT.
Harrisburg, Pa.-The Pennsylvania
state legislature is still experiencing
some difficulty in getting down to the
mixup over the appointment of the
standing committees and the adoption
Of the new rules as authorized under
the new method adopted at the or
ganization of the house. So far the
senate has had little or no difficulty
in getting under way, hut it cannot
do much until the popular branch has
started the actual work, and it will
probably be a week or more before
the standing committees of the respec-
tive houses are properly organized and
ready for the consideration OF bills.
Every sign at the present writing
POINTS to the fact that the session will
be an unusually long one and old OBJ
servers are of the opinion that it will
be well into the month of June before
a final adjournment can be effected
A tremendous mass of legislation has
been prepared for presentation and as
much more is still in progress OF
preparation.
Public hearings by the various COM
mittees on the different pieces of pro
posed legislation will be held at as
early a date as possible so that the
calendars can be brought up to point
when bills can be placed before the
membership as whole for final con
sideration, but it will undoubtedly
take several weeks before this can be
accomplished. The acute drawing OF
the factional lines over the speaker
ship battle has not yet died away and
there are some ugly rumblings heard
of coming alliances, both offensive aud
defensive, that do not look well for
the active and prompt consideration
of bills and reports of commissions.
1t seems that during the recess
every member has been working over
time grinding out bills which he thinks
would be beneficial to his constituents
and the state at large and this ac-
counts for a congestion in the hoppers
of the clerks.
Probably one of the most important
bills to the business men of the state
that will come before the legislature
is the one providing for the repeal OF
the mercantile tax laws, which have
long been regarded by the tradespeo-
pie as being unfair and iniquitous. At
tempts have been made at almost
every session OF the legislature to
wipe out this form of taxation ever
since it became operative, but each
time the political pressure was SO
strong on the members that 1t fell by
the wayside. This time the friends OF
the repeal are banking on the fact
that the present legislature is so in
dependently inclined that it will at
least heed the appeal OF the merchants
and wipe out this law. The present
agitation gets it's real impetus from
the business associations of Ale
gheny county, which has addressed a
memorial to the committee on revision
of taxation authorized by the last
legislature. This body is asked 10
recommend to the legislature that this
form of taxation be repealed on the
grounds that it is an unjust, ineqult
able and unpopular form of taxation
for the reason that it is directed
against certain class OF business men
of the state, while the manufacturer
the architect, the engineer, the sub
contractor, the doctor, the lawyer, etc.
are not taxed for the business they
do in the state.
Another reason advanced is that the
gross receipts of business are taxed
regardless of the profits, which Is
Gldlnleu 10 De very uHldil' 90 oNihN
merchants do a large business on a
small margin of credit which operates
to the benefit of the community. 1t is
furthermore claimed that the present
tax falls heaviest on the retail mer'
chant and that the self-assessment
feature OF the present law is really a
tax on honesty, as the less-conscien'
tious merchant is able to evade the
payment of portion of his tax. The
memorial further declares that only
seven other states in the Union have
mercantile tax laws in existence and
these include five of the smaller west
ern states which are sadly in need
of the revenue derived from it and
that inasmuch as Pennsylvania is the
richest and most solvent state in the
Union, having a surplus of about $40,
600, 900, it should not inflict this tax
on it's merchants.
Aiding Widows and Mothers.
State Senator John o. Sheath oi
Philadelphia has prepared a bill for
introduction at an early date proyid
ing monthly payments to INDECENT,
widowed or abandoned mothers for
partial support of their children in
their own homes. The measure is
made applicable to cities of the first
second and third class throughout
Pennsylvania and proposes a state ap.
preparation for the maintenance oi
such children, the cities benefittng to
contribute an amount equal to the
allotrnant nv the state,