Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-05-17
EVENING CHAT

die on Thursday. May 20, 1t will be the
eighth General Assembly since the
adoption of the present Constitution to
adjourn in May and the record of the
month of flowers will equal that of the
month of roses for final adjournments.
Thus far the General Assembly of
pennsylvania has adjourned oftener in
June than any other mont since 1874.
Since that year.. when the Constitution
was formally put into effect, there
have been twenty-five regular sessions
and two special sessions. In 1875 and
the Following -four years there were
annual sessions, the first iennial Ses-
sion being held in 1881. The session
of 1874, which was held under the
Constitution of 1898. adjourned in May
n that of 1875, the first under the
new Constitution. adjourned March IS,
being the shortest regular session, al
though almost equalled by the session
of 1877. h sessions of 1876, 1873, 1887,
1889. 1891. 1907 and 1911 adjourned
in May. The session of 1897, the year
the Capitol burned, ran until July,
while adtournments have been taken
in June by h sessions of 1879, 1881,
1883, 1885, 1898, 1895, 1901 and 1913,
the adjournment last session being on
the 27th, the same date as that of 1901.
1t was seldom under the old Con-
stitution that sessions ran late, only
CAAC oaAl anu NnO 4 uCNG0 Ill
recorded. Nine times the Legislature
adjourned in May, but most of the
annual sessions ended in April. -Four
times under the present Constitution
the legislators have gone home in
April, the last time being on April Is,
1903. 1t is interesting to note that the
Legislature has met in January since
1870 because there is pending a pro-
posed constitutional amendment to put
the meeting time in December, which
was the rule from 1890 to the time
when the Constitution of 1885 became
operative. This proposed amendment
is up for final action in the House.
Among the recent arrivals in New
York from the war zone is Frank S.
Butterworth, Yale's noted football
player of several years ago. Mr.. But
terworth went from France to Eng
land on a channel steamer at which a.,
German submarine fired a torpedo
withou warning. Mr.. Butterworth
says there were no soldiers on board,
put mainly women and children. He
is well known in this city, as he at
tended the Harrisburg Academy and
took a prominent part in Harrisburg
lie for a time. He is a nephew of the
late Professor j. r. Seller.
Officials of the third class cities will
be watching Harrisburg with much in
terest this week owing to the fact that
the bills in which they have been most
concerned are pending. This legis-
lation attracted much attention at the
start of the session, but got side
tracked. Now in the closing hours
there is much stir over it. The civil
service bill is likely to be taken up and
put through within a day or so. 1t
was passed once, but was recalled from
the Governor for amendment.
-
Hay and rye are being cut on some
of the farms in this part of the coun-
try already, although the weather has
not been very propitious for either. In
some of the lower Dauphin farms rye
has been in the head for some time
and afair crop is being cut. The rains
VIII make the grass grow rapidly and
there will be an abundance of hay TO
sell in this district.
The city of Reading is probably the
hrst in the State to take advantage of
the newly approved act permitting
third class cities to sell water to dis
tricts in their vicinity where there is
no water company operating at present
under exclusive rights. This act was,
passed to aid some of the western
cities, but appears to have been
promptly used in the eastern section Of
the State.
Among visitors to the city Saturday
was Superior Court Judge Frank nj.
TreXler. of Allentown. He was on his
way home from Pittsburgh, where the
court sat.
People from this State who have Wis
tied Newport News lately say that
every effort is being bent to complete
the battleship Pennsylvania as RAPIDLY
as possible. The armor and guns of
the giant fighter are being turned out
in this State and most of the ma
chinery is also Pennsylvania product.
The battleship was launched in an adj
Vanced state. When the vessel goes
into commission the silver service
bought for the cruiser PENNSYLVANIA.
now the Pittsburgh, will be presented.
Roland s.. Morris, chairman of tho
Democratic State committee and well
known to many residents of this city.
is the writer of -four interesting letters
on his impressions of Germany which
were published in the P%hiladelphia
Ledger yesterday. Mr.. Morris went
to V a to bring home his sister and
get right into thethick of the war
zone.
Furnace fire smoke hung over the
city n its suburbs yesterday because
of the cold damp weather which fol
lowed last weeks three fine DAYS. The
cold snap comes just a week after hat
of two years ago. At that time frost
appeared and fruit trees were dam
aged. The coincidence has been much
remarked the last few days.