t , ; :r;. ...:-~~ Pim,* Legistmtpire.- [CLOSE car YESTERDAY * B PROCEEDINGS' .SEXATE.—On motion, 10,000 copies the , Governor's message were. ordered; .to. be printed in English, and 4,000 in German.. - t Bills in Place.—Mr. Connell read the fol lowing in place: An act incorporating the Corn Exchange Association of Philadelphia; ap. - act incorporating the ;Union Benevolent' Railroad, Drivers' Association; an act to close the trust-estate of Maria Shoemaker, deceased; anuct authorizing the Mammoth Vein Consolidated Coal Company to enforce the paymeritiof installments due on their capital; an act extendiug,the time of pay ment of the'enrollment;tax.of the Philadel phia Drug Exchange Company , for six months. - - - Mr. Nichols, a supplement allowing , the Lombard• and South Street Railroad Com pany to extend 'their track along• Dock to Thirdi from •Second and . South ' through Tittle Dock to Front; along FrOnt to Vine, • and along any street' now unoccupied from Lombard to Market. • ` -Randall, an act aPpbintin'g pcdice force in Luzerne and Schuylkill, to be ap pointed by the President Tudges arid three Commissioners, the latter appointed by the Governor. ' • - , Mr. McConaughy, one allowing the Petro leum' Storage Company of Philadelphia to issue bonds, 45m. , • Mr. White one relative to' the pay of veteran soldiers' boAntips. Mr. Landon, one extending the provisions of the act relati,ve to appointment of police men by railroad c,ompanies to bahks, etc. one incorporating the American Mineral Lane and. Mining Company. Mr.. Wallace, pnii extending the jurisdic tion of Couita of,Oyeromd Terminer to trial, of counterfeitere. Bills Passed.—The following bills were passed: - • • ' ••Incorporating the 'Fidelity Trust and Sife DePosit Company-. • • • ' - ‘''Making the salary~ of the assistant State Librarian $9OO per annum. • Incorporating the Coal Exchangea tion of Philadelphia. HOUSE.—The House met' at 11 A. M. The Secretary of the Commonwealth pre sented the annual message of Curtin, which was read. Mr. Slack Moved to -print 15,000 copies in English and 5,000 in German, which was amended so as to read 10,000 in English and 3,000 in German, and passed. , • The private calendar, containing fifty bills, was the special order of the day, and was considered. Among them were a num ber of pension applications, all of which were referred back to the committee in anti cipation of a general law on the subject. Among the bills objected to was one pro viding for the payment of $4,000 to the Har ilsburg Park Association, for the occupation of their grounds for the organization of the Reserve Corps. Mr. Shenk said that the House did not know what sum the Association has al ready received from the general Government as rental. The following bills of interest to Philadel phia were passed: Authorizing the Jewish Foster Home of Philadelphia to bind out children. Extending the time of paying the Enroll ment tax. An act to incorporate the Western Hose Company." Supplement Supplement to the act incorporating the East Mahanoy Railroad. - An act fixing the time of opening the polls in Philadelphia at 7 A. M., and closing at 6P. M., was considered. It was opdosed by Mr. Donnelly, who urged that laboring men could not reaca the polls at 6 P.M. Mr. Freeborn stated that the object was to defeat frauds by'closing the polls before dark. Mr. Lee moved to amend by inserting 7P. M. instead of 6 P. M. • Mr. Ruddiman denied that the object was to prevent any one from voting, but en dorsed the views of Mr. Freeborn that the design was to prevent frauds after dark. Mr. Quigley insisted that the laboring men Would be deprived of their votes. - Mr. Kearns said thatthere would be ample time for all such to vote. Mr. Davis endorsed this view, as also Mr Adair. Mr. Josephs opposed the A cross-hre ensued between Messrs. Rud. diman and Quigley as to the manno in which frauds were perpetrated, the latter asserting that the Union League furnished thousiinds of, dollars for election purposes, and Mr. Rnddiman retorting by a reference to Knights of the Golden Circle. The entire matter assumed a partisan character, the Democrats opposing the early closing, and -the Republican party favoring the closing at 6 P. M. The amendment of Mr. Lee was lost, and the original- bill was passed to third read ing, there not being the requisite two-thirds in its favor to suspend the rules. Ad journed. Annual Meeting of the Merchants' Fund Association. Yesterday afternoon, at the Board of ,Trade Rooms, the annual meeting of the Merchants' Fund Association was held. Mr. Caleb Cope was appointed chairman, and Mr:Edw. Snowden, secretary. After the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, the report of the Board of Man agers was read by Mr. John M. Atwood, Mating that at no previous time in the thir 'teen years of the organization had the beneficiaries been more deserving.. Dona :4-ions had been made to twenty-one persons, amounting . to $3,530. Seventeen are re ceiving assistance now, fifteen of whom are :between sixty and eighty-four years of age. The assistance was all tendered and received in a spirit of fraternity that left no feelings of dependence on charity. All that was -given was - contributed by merchants who know not the persons benefitted by their -gifts. The institution deserved to be upheld by the strong hands and brave hearts of the business community; and' they have re sponded nobly to the application, made tc them. During the past year $39,880 27 have been thus added to the, permanent fund, making it now $55,000, of which $lB,OOO ' were invested, and, $7,000 held -in cash. Three beneficiaries died during-the year. The Treasurer's (Mr. James B. McFar land's) report stated that $7,352 11 remained' on hand unexpended, of which it was_re commended to invest $7,000 in approved ;'securities. - Mr. John Welsh referred to the intention of the Association to raise $20,0e0, and to the event whichlad prevented the accam , plishment of that object. To prosecute these efforts he Moved that the Board of Directors ; be requested to continue their efforts for sub-' scriptions until the amount received reach $200,000. , • Mr. Calel, Cope stated thebeneficiaieffects ,:resulting from the operations of the As,socia- Eon, referring to a prominent highly edu- ,