Llemocr
A Summary of Important Legis-
lation,
INCREASE OF EXPENDITURES
Many New Offices Created and Salaries |
Raised——A Reign of Extravagance |
— Bills
Passed.
The last session of the Legislature
completed its work about a week ago,
Herewith is compiled a brief summary of |
the important events of the session.
Mauy bills were passed that are of little
importance while others are extremely
so, and their main features already
pointed out,
The session of the legislature which
closed last Thursday was the shortest
since 1877, when the date of final ad-
journment was March 23.
of bills passed this year and sent to the
governor was 621.
been approved,
thirty-two vetoed,
twenty-nine recalled for amendment and
three were joint resolutions, leaving 396
in the governor's hands for his approval
or disapproval within
days.
Most of the measures awaiting execu. |
tive action are appropriation bills. Many
of these will no doubt be reduced.
Chairman Bliss, of the house appropria-
tions committee, has estimated the reve.
nue of the state during the vext two
years at $35,000,000, and his committee
disposed of $33,000,000 in the bill it ap-
proved. The state treasurer and the
auditor general, who believe in keeping |
large balances in the state depositories, |
disagree with Mr. Bliss's estimate and
say the revenne will be much lower, It
is probable that Governor Pennypacker
will take the estimate of the state officials
and pare down the appropriation bills in |
his hands to enable them to pile up the |
balances which now aggregate over fi10,-
£00,000.
THE SINS OF OMISSION,
Aside from the libel bill, which was
passed to protect politicians from criti- |
cism, the legislature of :go3 will be cen. |
sured for is sins of omission rather
than for its sins of commission. I's fail.
ure to pass apportionment bill, though
commanded by the constitution to do so,
and enact personal registration and pri.
mary election laws will be regarded as
serious blots on its record and a reflection
on the republican party, which controll.
ed both houses by large majorities. But
the leaders believe the people are indif- |
ferent to these omissions. Though
there was over 150,000 majority cast in
favor of the passage of laws requiring
personal registration of voters in cities,
the bill with that object in view was
smothered in the elections committee of
the house. The same fate befel the pri. |
mary elections measure,
A ballot law was passed which provid.
es for a ballot about one-third of the size |
of the ballot used under the Baker law,
and it makes it easy for independent
voting by permitting crosses to be count.
ed after a cross has been made in the
party square and all candidates for an
office are grouped in the same column.
It is little improvement on the present |
system in form of ballot, while personal
registration, reform in primaries and
election laws were deliberately smother.
ed to encourage election frauds in our
large cities,
A PRECEDENT SET
The legislature this year has set a pre.
cedent in substituting one bill for another
Ve ~ Appropriations | h tab
etoed pprop | nation of the members whose districts
The number |
the next thirty |
ships must contribute one third the ex
ways of the state before 1910.
in the country districts than the Snyder
bill fixing the minimum salary of schoo)
| teachers at $35 a month. This was
| terly opposed by legislators from rural
: sections, which claimed to be too poor to
pay the salary fixed io the bill. As some
teachers were paid as low as $16 a month
|
| for seven months in the year the indig-
| were not affected by the
| aroused, and the bill was
{ signed by the governor.
LEGISLATION FOR MINERS.
change was
The governor has already signed the
bill establishing a department of mines,
to take the place of the bureau of mines.
The most important mine bills to be acted
on are one prohibiting the employment
oj any miner under 21 years of age in or
around an anthracite mine for more than
eight hours a day ; another fixing a ton of
2240 pounds a basis from which to calcu-
late the earnings of miners, and the for-
the election of mine inspectors,
ons coal! fields, nor was there any by
| which the Federation of Labor could gain
| any advantages. The same may be said
| of the railway trainmen. Thus the labor.
| ing classes and unions have been gold-
| bricked aga’s, as it was prophesied they
| would be
| The Shern bill to prevent saloon keep
ers from serving any lunch, except crack:
ers and cheese, under a penalty of $100
or ten days in jail, bad a rocky road, but |
finally reached the governor's desk.
|
“PINCH BILLS INTRODUCED
| were introduced this session, and of
| course, never reached the governor —that
is, except one, which was promptly
| signed, and is now a law, The bill of
this character that is now in force pro
| paper to any person under 21 years of
{ age, The tobacco trust wanted this bill
| killed, but failed to “put up’’
stop it.
In extraordinary expeaditures, as a
whole, the Legislature of 1go3 beats the
{ record, having Xept™up close to the limit
{of the unprecedented growth of the
State's revenues.
in time to
NEW OFFICES THAT COST.
The one subject of new offices and in. |
creased salaries is enough to demonstrate
that the Republican Machine managers
cannot in coming campaigns boast of |
financial economy in this Legislature,
Three new departmenis— Fisheries,
Mines and Highways—are established,
| the Governor having signed the bills for
them. In other departments additional
deputies, bureaus and many clerks are |
provided for
| The position of Commissioner of Fish-
eries, with $3000 salary, is new and so is
| the provision of $1800 for his clerk and
stenographer. The late Mine Bureau,
| with Roderick as a $3000 chief and one
clerk, develops into a Department, with
| Chief Roderick getting $4000, a $1600
| assistant, two $1400 clerks, a $1000
| stenographer and a $900 messenger,
The (Highway Department, to which
there has been comparatively
little ob
jection since the House amended it, is
the outcome of the Sproul Good Roads
| bill. It will cost aboat $5000 anonally
for salaries in the Harrisburg office, in.
| cluding $3500 for the State
| Commissioner.
spent
Of the $5,750,000 to be
years, $500,000 will be used in each of |
| the ensuing two years,
that will no doubt, be taken advantage !
of by future legislatures when it is de- |
sired to hasten crooked legislation. This
act was taken on the Salus-Grady libel
bill. It was the intention of the framers
of the coumstitution to prevent the pas.
sage of any bill in less than six days,
by requiring that “every bill shall be
read at length on three different days
in each bouse."
It has been the practice for twenty.
nine years to respect the provision in the
constitution, and it would bave remained
inviolate had not the republican leaders,
in their eagerness to pass the libel bill in
one week, urged its infraction, to keep
the members from submitting to home in-
fluences over Sunday, Hereafter it wii
be possible for a bill to be passed in
three days, as it can be introduced in
both houses at the same time, and pass.
ed finally on substitation.
The Sproul good roads bill was prob.
ably the most important measure passed
by the legislature. For twenty years the
rural sections of the state have been
clamoring at each session of the legisla.
ONE GRAND LUMP FOR JUDGES,
First came the bill introduced by
| delphia, to increase the salary of every
judge in the state from $1,000 to $2,000
each. Although this measure involved
an additional expenditure of $207,000 a
year it passed both houses and was sign-
ed by the governor. It goes into effect
January 1, 1904.
| Then came the judges’ retirement bills
| =the first to pay full salary to any judge
| for the rest of his term who should be
compelled to retire on account of physi.
cal or mental disability, and to pay full
salary to a judge who had served thirty
| consecutive years on the bench and had
| reached the age of 70 years. The first
of these bills was overwhelmingly defeat.
ed in the house, and the second passed
with only a few votes to spare.
In the Forestry Department a $2500
deputy and a $1500 clerk are added.
The Factory Inspector's Department
gets 12 additional deputies each with
$1200 salary and traveling expenses; an
ture for assistance to improve the high.” 8dditional clerk and two increased cleri.
ways of the commonwealth, without ma-
terial success until this year. The
Sproul bill appropriates $6,500,000 to be
expended in six years on country roads,
This is said to be the largest appropria.
tion ever made by any state for road im.
provement. As the counties and town.
cal salaries.
Inthe Agricultural Department the
chief clerk's salary Is raised from fr6oo
to $1800, and proportional increases are
made in the pay of the stenographer
and messenger,
(Continusd on page 4.)
|
pense for road building, at least $9,000, |
000 will have heen spent on the high- |
{ No bill probably excited more interest |
passed and |
; | mer bill amending the act providing for |
Of these 163 have |
: |
There was no legislation attempted that |
would in any manner affect the bitumin- |
The usual number of “pinch’ bills |
hibits the selling of cigarettes or cigarette |
Highway |
for good roads in the pext six |
Representative Ziba T. Moore, of Phila- |
BELLEFONTE, PA. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1903.
| AN IMPORTANT
ern Securities Merger.
bit. |
'A BLOW TO CORPORATIONS
Formed to Monopolize Railroads or
Manufacturing Industries Known
as Trusts—Morgan Surprised
Wall Street in a Flurry.
Probably one of the most important
| court decisions rendered in many years,
and which is of greater significance to
the public than is realized, was that re-
strawing the capitalists of this country
| from buying up competing
thus preventing competition.
| time capitalists, and the Morgan corpora
| tions,
| authorities, believing that public of
| ficials and courts would never dare to
railroads,
For some
have been defying all laws and
| question their course or impede their
{ career, no matter what wrongs the pub:
| lic suffered thereby
The United States Circuit Court of Ap-
peals sitting at St. Paul recently handed
]
down a decision which affords reassuring
| evidence as to the power of the Govern-
and enforce laws in
| straint of harmful
| ment to enact re:
The
the case of the Govern
combinations.
| decision was in
ment vs. the Northern Securities com-
| pany. This
| the purpose of controlling the stock of
{the Great Northern and
Pacific Railway companies,
company was formed for
Northern
It was at-
tacked by Attorney-General Knox as in
violation of the Anti-Trust
| which forbids combinations in
of trade.
law of 15g0,
restraint
In asking the courts to dis
| solve the merger he maintained that the
combination had the power to control
{ rates, eliminate competition, and there-
fore to restrain trade within the meaning
{ of the act. The decision fully sustains
| the position of the Attorney General
The Court decides that the stock beld
by the Northern Securities company was
acquired by virtue of a combination in re-
| stratot of trade and commerce. Owning
a majority of the stock in both railways,
the Company, it is said, actually bas ac.
quired control over parallel and com-
peting lines, and in so doing "destroyed
| every motive for competition between the
{two roads.” The Court declines to ac
cept the contention that a company can.
| not be deprived of the right to acquire
and hold property simply because such
boidieg may lead incidentally re.
straint of trade. On the contrary, it de.
clares that “every one is presumed to in.
to
| tend what is the necessary cousequence
| of his own acts.” A DECOSSATY Conse:
| quence of the act of merging was that
| the now Company acquired the power to
| restrain trade and whether the power
was used or pot it constitutes an obstacle
in the way of "free and unrestricted
| competition between carriers who are
natural rivals for patronage.”
The Court affirms that a “merger”
may come within this meaning of the act
of 1500 as well as any “Trust” or ‘com.
bination’ and asserts that the Federal
Legislature has ample powers to regulate
commerce, even to the extent of pro
| hibiting private contracts. The clauses
of that the
Northern Securities company’s charter
| obtained in New Jersey
the decision which assert
canpot be used
of Congress are of espe.
| cial interest as placing a limit on the pos.
| sible value of the celebrated New Jersey
to defeat the will
| charters,
This decision is 10 sweeping in chur:
| acter that it will probably be fought in
the Sapreme Court, for, as it stands, it
| applies to al
which stifie competition
| trade.
The decision was a “knocker” for J
Plerpont Morgan, who bad actually
threatened President Roosevelt for per.
mitting these proceedings. It came like
a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Stocks
in Wall street took a big tumble ; trust
magnates began to tremble. They saw
that there wae some virtue in our laws
and integrity among those who interp ret
them. The concurrence of all the mem-
bers of the court makes their decision all
the stronger, and there is no likehood that
the Supreme Court will render a different
finding and the result will soon be an:
nounced,
It is some satisfaction to know that
Wall street is not the absolute dictator
in this country, and that it is a govern-
ment of the people and for the people.
Trusts and combines have been feared
and tolerated too long. Public sentiment
grew so strong that this action became
pecessary and other combis <tons and
trusts that are in restraint of trade may
be dissolved by the Courts,
MAY GO AFTER COAL COMBINE.
Comment in Washington on the Court
of Appeals’ decree In the Northern
Securities case generally expressed the
belief that the decision will lead to the
institution of other suits by Attorney.
| General Knox.
| to the effect that the so-called “Anthra-
proceeded
DECISION |
‘Rendered in the Famous North-
| to the statement
interfere to end the strike,
| against
1 Trusts and combinations |
and restrain
one evening not long since with his wite,
{to count his money, in all about fso.
One rumor was afloat
cite Coal Trust" is to be
against,
It is known that the question whether
the coal combination is an unlawful one
has been under discussion the De-
partment, Last fall, the strike
was in progress, the President asked the
Department for an opinion,
at
while
According
by the President
there was no way under the
made
at that time
Federal Constitution by which he could
The answer
was an evasion of the question, made
apparently for the purpose of not com.
firming the report that the President had
asked the Attorney-General
the coal
second section of the
to proceed
the
Sherman act as
concerns under
| being a combination in restraint of inter-
State commerce
The Northern Securities have been de-
| cided, all the material gathered last fall
is now available for action agalast the
| so called Coal Trust should it be seen fit
to take it.
mt ——— -
MEETING OF COUNCIL.
the
Monday evening. J.
The regular session of borough
council was held
Thomas Mitchell representing the boro
| Auditors reported that they had finished
auditing the boro accounts and that they
found them satisfactory However they
to the
By various tests made by experts
called attention amount of coal
used
the water works is using more coal than
is necessary the amount of
to pump
water used. It is said 1470 tons of coal
was used in one year where gig tons was
the highest amount the tests showed to
be required.
The Water committee was instructed
solicit bids for furnishing coal to
Water Works for period of one year and
for
to
hauling of same. Bids to be sub
mitted to council for approval by Mr.
Jenkins and carried. Mr. Underwood,
one of the Auditors, recommended the
removal of the lock-up to a more suitabis
»
ground on boro property. It is not on
boro property mow and the boro pays
ground reat for it
Walker
$18.00 in fines and also endorsed the sug-
Mr
gard to moving the lock-up which was
The
instructed to re.
Burgess reported collecting
gestion made by Underwood in re-
reffrred 0 Police commitice
Sireet commitiee was
ceive bids for cribbing Water street from
Rai
made a
High street bridge to the Central
road station. Bargess Walker
few pertinent remarks concerning the
dog nuisance in this lown
the
Water Works was discussed and referred
to the Water committee who
fall to pay their water will have the sup
ply cut off
The idea of putting a roof over
Persons
Rev. Steck’s Lecture
“The Hero—Recoguized and Unrecog-
nized” is the subject of the lecture to be
| delivered in the Court House, May 5, at
§ pm., by this well known and distinguish
ed platform orator. This is what the
“Old War Governor” sald about it
“Having the satisfaction of intimate and
agreeable socia® relations with Chas, T.
| Steck, I am glad to speak of him asa
highly cultured and accomplished gen.
tleman I have heard him lecture, and
charmed with his musical voice,
grace of manner and splendid elocution,
His lecture on the ‘The Hero Recogni
red and Usrecognized,” is ome of the
most instructive, original, clear in state.
was
{ ment, and logical in conclusions that 1
bave ever heard. 1 wish every Ameri:
can had the opportunity to bear it."
Lost $50.
A man living near Osceola, sat down
Ere long the wife retired and the hus
band, worn out with his day's work, fell
asleep where he sat. When he awoke
instead of going to bed he threw himself
on a lounge in an adjoining room to sleep
until morning, forgetting that the money
was still lying on the table. His first
thought next morning was of it, but the
window stood open and the money
gone. The next time that man counts
money, it will be with the window shades
drawn down,
A Little Mistake.
To show how easily typographical
errows occur and how a little letter can
make a decided change in the meaning
we copy the following item from the last
issue of the Gazette :
"George D, Glossoer, late of Walker,
is now located at Wilkinsburg, Pa, and
though be has not yet started, he ex.
pects soon to establish himself in the
mercantie business tn which he is sure
to succeed as bis honesty, Industry and
theft (they meant to say fAri/T) will war.
rant success.”
Tux judiciary fight in Clearfield Is at
its height and Judge Gordon is encount.
ering much opposition for re-election.
:
was
GOV. GOBEL'S
ASSASSINATION
A Complete Confession of an In-
famous Crime.
A VICIOUS POLITICAL PLOT
The Murderer Promised Ample Protec
tion and a Pardon—A Dark Blot
in Kentucky's History —Fugitive
from Justice.
others
mani.
festing such extreme solicitude to hide
or pervert the facts
Republican and
authority
papers,
within party lines, are
as brought out in
court in relation to the assassination of
Governor Goebel, In Frankfort a moun.
tain desperado, one "Jim" Howard, is
on trial for the murder,
the witness stand tells the story. Caleb
Powers, who was secretary of state, and
Governor W. 8. Taylor arranged for the
| murder of Goebel, Taylor
$2,500 for the killing of Goebel,
money being io the hands of the Repub
lican State to
Taylors's disposal, and in addition Tay-
offered
committee and subject
lor as governor offered a pardon for the
murderer. Other witnesses testified that
Howard admitted Ye had killed Goebel,
in the conferences of the Kentucky Re
and boasted that
publicans, he and his
friends wonld be protected from arrest
The horrible story of Cecil, who turn.
ed State's evidence, makes the case
clear Cecil told of the conversations
bad with Taylor and Powers on the
evening of the day before the fatal shot
was fired, and beld In the executive of.
fices, in which they wld him of the neces.
sity for the commission of the crime the
next day to prevent the loss to them of
their offices, and that the sum of $2 500,
left over from the Republican State cam
paign fand of the year 189g, was in Tay-
lor’s bands, and that he (Taylor) was
ready to pay it to the man who could be
secured to fire the shot that would re.
He said that they
the assassin, in
move Goebel, Assur.
ed him that addition to
getting this blood money, would receive
a free and full pardon signed by Taylor
as governor, and would be given protec-
tion until he could get back to his moun
tain home, in which it would be
bie to arrest him
im possi-
“Goversor’” Taylor appears to have
been the principal in the conspiracy for
murder. He engaged Howard, with the
in his
had the
Republican committee's money
hands, to assassinate Goebel ;
pardon prepared and delivered, and a
And this
man, with the blood of Goebel scattered
arrangements for escape.
over him, was the honored guest of
Republican goverpors, and received an
ovation of cheering on entering the
Republican convention at
Philadelphia. Just as the Republican
party has been laboring to protect Tay.
lor as a fugitive from jastice as a red-
banded murderer, does that party
shoulder responsibility as the inciter,
promoter and defender of one of the
foulest and most treacherous crimes in
American history.
These are facts that good repub
| all good citizens condemn
National
licans
-
LOLITA CAN WALK NOW
Lolita Armour is no longer a cripple
Dr. Adolph Lorenz, the Vienna surgeon,
took the plaster cast off the little girl's
hip at ber home in Chicago on last
Thursday and told her to move across
the room. With a cry of joy the child
found herself able to walk without as
sistance
This is the case in which the famous
surgeon reset a dislocated hip joint with.
out use of surgery. He was paid a
| princely sum for the operation and then
treated many poor children similarly
| afflicted. This sew method created a
| great sensation among the medical
| fraternity and is considered one of the
| remarkable achievements of the times,
—
| Car Loaded With Dynamite Wrecked.
| One day last week an extra Philadel.
| phia freight train crashed into the rear
| of a Newberry freight train in the east
em part of Sunbury. The wreckage
perienced in extinguishing the flames.
One of the wrecekd cars contained 5,000
sticks of dynamite, and, although the
car was broken into splinters and an.
other piled on top of it, and even some
of the explosive sticks broken in two,
the dynamite did not explode,
Bought a Poor-Farm,
How the purchase of a farm, by Union
township, this county, for the purpose
of a home for the poor, affected the poor
fund of that district, as well as some of
One Cecil on |
VOL. 25. XO
17,
FACT, FUN AND FANCY.
Bright Sparkling Paragraphs—Select-
ed and Original.
LIGHT THE LIGHTS
When the darkpess gathe
Light the
When the
rs
round you
gloomy feelings bound yo
Light the
When the day gets dan
in |
When your fondest hopes desert you,
Light the |
Don't let gloom and darkness t
Light the
ud
ouq
ghts
ri you
ghts
Every ¢ has got a linin
. ¢ use of tears and whis
1
a ’
is shinin
Hghts
the |
leserves another,
freckles
Qae good tur
The girl
wear
u down
with is obliged to
specks
Success often depends
upon
knowing
what not to do
Shad fishermen are begioning to figure
on the net profits
Au opportunity seldom comes back for
for a second trial
have a blow-out withou
something to blow in
The
gage" lugs.
The man who put his trust in riches
should put his riches in Trusts.
You can’t
fellow who speaks of his ““lug-
istrying to put on
t's the backing a man has that en.
ables him to put up a good front,
The fellow who is run over by an auto-
mobile is apt to have the tired feeling.
The fellow who has nothing 0 say
generally at great
length
manages 0 say
Some people never put anvthing by
for a rainy day until they see the clouds
gathering
Most
e cousiderable
their
experiend
: pity in living coliege-
bred children
A your
whereof he speaks
man who undoubtedly knows
chaperon
defines the
A% 4 Press Censor
When
be goes
load
which is more
the busy little bee gets his
straight home
than any man can do
“The only man who can truly say that
says the Cynical
»
his wife is an angel,”
Bachelor, "is the widower
-
AMERICAN EXTRAVAGANCE,
Economy in this country, and especial-
ly on the Pacific coast, is almost disrep-
utable, says the San Francisco Balietin,
A man is ashamed to acknowledge that
he walks to save fare or orders a light
lunch to save the expense of a heavy
one. Oue pever finds Californians order.
ing one portion of meat at a restaurant
even when they know
that one portion would be enough for
both
when people in San Francisco di
for two persons,
There was a time, not long ago,
sdained
to accept change from a quarter of a dol.
the
rich on the
called
lar, and, especially in
thrived and
small , Ccoutemptuously
“chicken feed.” which patrons left on
the bar. To be saving in the United
States a man must have moral courage.
The man who refuses to pay more than
| a reasonable price for clothes, let us say,
or for dinners, and who puts the money
| thus saved into a bank feels like a thief,
{ and people talk and act as if it were a
crime to save money, Ouly in extrava.
gant America, however, is economy dis.
| reputable. Here as some ove bas writ.
ten, where one man is as good as another,
be must be lavish of his money; being all
| sovereigns, we must be all prodigal as
princes. But in Europe no one respects
| a man the less or treats him the worse
| for trying to live cheaply. People pracs
| tice little economies in Hurope. They
| dare not order a big dianer when they
| want only a light collation. They are
pot afraid to travel second class or to
barrooms,
porter grew
silver
caught fire and much difficulty was ex |
a —
I 0. 0. F. Orphanage.
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