Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-02

In opening the session of the Sen
ate to-day Lieutenant Governor Nc
Claim delivered an address in which
lie said:
The General Assembly of Pennsyl-
vania has again met, and it is un-
deniably a fact that a large element
of our Commemorative citizenship, as
a result of past experiences, look upon
our meeting with more apprehension
than satisfaction.
The United States census reports
tell us that during the past five years
more than sixty thousand laws, other
than appropriation measures, have
been enacted by the Federal Congress
and the legislatures of the various
States of the union, and 1 make no
eXaggeration when 1 say that of this
number Pennsylvania has contributed
its full share.
Perfect Horde of Laws
I'm both nation and State the surg
ing tides of theoretical reform have
tiercely beat about us. Along with the
many useful laws promoting human
rights and providing proper regula-
tions of corporate power and corpor-
ate advantage, we have enacted per-
LeSI hOIue vi laws " ISB uidtS every
body and everything. We have had
an overdose of the didactic, and to
my mind the time has come to throw
in the reverse particularly in applica-
ton to laws and regulations discour-
aging industrial development and
commercial expansion.
Prosperity Abnormal
I'VE should not be unmindful that
the unparalleled prosperity when
Pennsylvania at present is enjoying is
abnormal and must necessarily, in the
natural course of events, be ephemeral.
Burdens of taxation and regulation
borne to-day with seeming ease will
tax, perhaps overtax the bearers
ability to carry when normal condi-
tions command. Therefore let us not
make them heavier. Let us not do
that which may ultimately kill the
goose that lays the golden egg instead
let us inaugurate in this branch of
the general assembly, at least, "a
closed season for business batting.
Let us keep in mind as we'll that we
are met here as the servants of the
people and not as the masters of the
people. Partisan bigotry and fac
tional bitterness should have no place
in the performances of our duty. We
should be Pennsylvanians, for Penn
sylvania.
The founder of our Common
wealth, William Penn, tritely and
wisely said: Governments depend
upon men rather than men upon gov
ernments. Let men be good and the
government cannot be bad. Though
good laws do we'll, good men do bet
ter. for good laws may lack good men
and be abolished or evaded by evil
men, but good men will never lack
good laws, nor suffer ill ones
Suffer From Oyer-LegisIation
The people of Pennsylvania are
suffering from 'over-legislation' rather |
l can conceive of no more useful serv- I
ice that we can give at this session /
than to promptly, intelligently and eff
fectively devote our energies to these |
enactments made necessary by in /
creased urban population and chang
ing conditions in municipal life, to- /
gether with such enactments as are
absolutely essential to social welfare
wage earning and business oppor-
tunity. Having done these things II
would seem to me to be the part of
wisdom to repeal laws now on our
statute books that have become obso-
lete and really are more konored in !
the breach than in the observance, and |
then amend the useful statutes enacted ,
at recent sessions of the General AS
onstrated errors and iniquities exist
After these achievements, which /
should not take long to accomplish,
we can with propriety and good con-
science put up the shutters turn the
key in the lock, go back to our daily /
home occupations, and the people with
heartfelt joy say amen"