a ————— ——— slaiure. Lieut.-Gov- ite to order. roduced and cates of new- read and the . p'aced Sena- on for presi- Lloyd nomi- k county for e Democrats. absent, Sena- nator Brown sulted as fol- nator Gobin PSON. gthy speech, re should be ns and he be- nment of the ul if we take people Wea legisiation, eople and re- ose, BE. W. k. and the publican cau- he Senators message the nment until} opted. embers had >. Thompson speaker over E SENATE, the Demo- to 69. After it was dis. | Higby had oth had tak- t this morn- eat assigned *. Andrews at the first 1s the war nominated k, and Mr, 1s of Alle- crats. The same as the were sworn ented relat- met in joing, to the read- flier which o Thursday ALD, lown, Or organizae ng summey 0,000 people ienna, Aus- a universal sidered by ondan more an seventy- Vv per cent. ty years of lothing-cut- el sweaters rkmen. and, E, M. ed a mem- )y the local x a decision d held thas si {ply be- IL Russia who the Greek 303, will be t's service. pe mines of Company, ick, a dis- er the wiza 12 the un- dvance of 6 numbers ntinue to le country. any work- ace, asking imitate the ati Roubaix n in public has been ction of the table work- ne Legzisla~ ve been se~ tf rich meng 1ent politi zland, sta‘e the cotton uagry holi- yendent up- ndreds are feared that! the loss of Nee iri : ed SAND, 8 observed a locomotive in therailroad yard one day, It was waiting in the roundhouse, where the locomotives stay; Tt was panting for the journey, it was coaled and fully manned, Ana it bad a box the fireman was filling full of sand. It appears that locomotives cannot always geta grip On their slender iron pavement, ’cause the wheels are apt to slip; And when they reach a slippery spot, their tactics they command, And to get a grip upon the rail, they sprinkle it with sand. It's about this way with travel along life's slippery track, If your load is rather heavy and you're : always sliding back; So, if a common locomotive you comp etely understand, You'll provide yourself in starting with a good supply o: sand. if your track is steep and hilly and you have a heavy grade, And if those who've gone before you have the rails quite slippery made. if you ever reach the summit of the upper tableland, You'll find youll have to do it with a liberal use of sand. if you strike some frizil weather and dis- cover to your cost, , That you're liable to slip on a heavy ‘coat of frost, Then some prompt, decided action will be called into demand, ; And you'll slip way to the bottom if you haven't any sand. You can get to any station that is on life's schedule seen, If there's fire beneath the boiler of ambition's strong machine, And you'll reach a place called Flushtown at a rate of speed that’s grand, * If for all the slippery piaces you've a good supply of sand. ‘ —Richmond (Ind.) Register. NOT HIS SWEETHEART, YOUNG man on a summer mornin turned down Yarmouth row. It was a long, nar- row row, and the sun that gleamed at the quay end made its shadow even less enviable, He was a fine, handsome young fellow, somewhat shabbily dressed, ex and as he walked he carelessly took stock of his surround- ings. Near the bottom of the row a window was open, and, by a geranium that in a pot, the first and only flower he had seen, a girl was leaning lightly on ber elbow. Her soft, hazel eyes were fixed on the opposite doorway. Here a woman with a red face and brandishing a broom in her hand was barring the entrance against a herculean man in a glistening oily frock. “I ax you agin’, John Wade,” shout- ed he of the oily, if you're agoin’ to sea?” : ¢“An’ I tell you agin’, skipper, replied a dogged voice from the interior, *'I ain’t agoin to sea.” *‘Then,” cried the giant, wildly, s‘what am I to do? Here's the vessel read to sail an’ you askulkin’. But, as my name is Bill Thompson, I'll police a? y He looked so big and helpless in his muddle that the girl at the window, who seemed used to such scenes, smiled. Looking up at her and seeing for the first time that she was in deep mourning, the young man smiled also. Thena thought appeared to strike him. “Am I of any use?” he said to the wearer of thc oily. “I want a job.” The skipper looked at him doubtfully; he thought he was joking. Po +¢If you're ready an’ willin’, ty lad,” he said, ‘you're of use. But if you ain't, you ain’t. D’ye want a berth?” \ “I want everything,” answered the young man in a low tone. ‘‘I’'m home- less and penniless. But I'm a lands- man.” ¢“That ain't a bit o’ consequence. What d’ye say? Will ye go? Tis for eight weeks.” “I don’t care if it's for eight years. There's nothing to stop me here.” ¢‘Come on, then,” cried the delighted fisherman. ¢‘‘But stop; who's gom’ to take your pay card? What's your name, my lad?” ¢‘John Smith,” was the answer, and his hesitation escaped the skipper. ¢‘Well, Bmity, for fear o’ accidents, some one had better take your money. Who'll ye leave it with?” : The young man again looked up at the window at the sweet, pure face above him, The gaze of the rough sea giant beside him followed his glance. ‘Oh, I see!” he exclaimed; ¢syon're going to ask 1t, miss. Well, you know where to go. Old Tom Price is the owner, ’an the name of the wessel the Saucy Lass. **Come on, Smith, no more hankyin’; your sweetheart "ull take your money,,” and he seized the newly shipped by the arm. : At the word ‘‘sweetheart” the cheeks of the girl at the window grew as red as the geranium by her elbow. In a startled manner she stretched over the sill. ‘No, no,” she cried in confusion, ¢‘I do not know the gentleman, I—I—" But already Smith, with the hand of the skipper on his arm, had been hur- ried out of earshot, and before she could reach the door the two had vanished down the road. & Eight weeks later the younz man, bronzed and hearty, stood on Yarmouth quay. His sea rig had given place to a decent suit of clothes, and he seemed pondering which way to go. At last he wandered away to the sea- shore. Deep in thought, he strolled on by the edge of the white crested break- ers till he came to the Danes. Finding a syot where pale blue violets lay low among the sea grass, he flung himself down and pulled out an envelope. It contained a postoffice order wrapped in a piece of notepaper, and on this was written ‘Katherine Perry.” The amount was the sum due to him on his pay card. : He had been to the house, but found her gone. Yet here was his money left by ber in this form. What mystery was this? He lay back in the sun and tried to solve it, but no solution came, and with murmur of the sea in his ears he romantically kissed the order. Then he rose and walked back. On his homeward path he stopped to buy a morning paper. They were but just in, and the news vendor was smooth- ing them out. Suddenly he caught his breath. His gaze was riveted on an ad- vertisement that read thus: George Neul is earnestly requested to com- municate with Messrs. Furness Wapn, solicitors, Lincoln’s nn Fields, when he will hear of something to his advantage. Any rson knowing of the whereabouts of the said G. N, and communicating the same to the above firm, will be suitably rewarded. Before noon that day John Smith had shaken the dust of Yarmouth from his feet and was on bis way to London. = At Liverpool street he hailed a hansom and was driven to the office of Messrs. Fur- ness & Wapp, solicitors, Lincoln's Inn Fields. As he burst into the office a carefully dressed old gentleman wearing a pair of gold rimmed glasses stepped forward to greet him. This he did by nearly shaking his arm off. “Why, my dear George,” he cried, ‘‘how glad I am to see you. We have been advertising for you all over the country. How is it you haven't seen our advertisement before?” ‘I have been at sea,” said the visitor, with a smile, ¢‘in a fishing smack.” ¢‘Sea—fishing smack!” gasped the lawyer. ¢‘You, George! Is it pos- sible?” In a few words the young man told his tale. The old solicitor listened with much interest; then his face grew grave. ¢“So you have not heard the news, my boy,” he said. ‘**Your uncle is dead.” *‘Dead!” repeated George Neal, sadly, ‘and we parted in anger merely because I refused to follow the profession he had chosen for me,” ¢It we thought oftener of the King of Terrors there would be fewer quar- rels,” said the lawyer, kindly; ¢‘but he, too, was sorry, George, though when you hear the rest you may think he took rather an oid way of showing it. ‘You know, of course, I was the per- son mast trusted by your uncle; besides being his confidential adviser I was also his friend. Well, as soon as you left I was called in to draw up a fresh will, ¢‘At first, my dear boy, he wavered between leaving his money toa home for cats and the founing of a colony for re- formed pickpockets. These mad pro- jects, however, soon evaporated, and, subject to one condition, he made his property over to you.” With a curious expression on his sun- burnt face, the young man looked up. ‘*And that condition?” he said. ‘Excuse me a moment,” said Mr. Furness, looking af his watch. *¢I ex- pect a. lady here presently; let us step into my private room.” The lawyer led the way, and in the privacy of this apartment they both sat down again. ‘‘And that condition?” said George Neal firmly. ¢‘Now, my dear boy,” said the law- yer, ‘‘don’t tire up. You have had your way; let the dead man hzve his. You would not let him choose you your pro- fession, but he would find you some- thing, so he found you a wife. ‘In some little miserable seaport on the east ‘coast your uncle had what nearly every successful man has nowa- days—a poor relation. It came to his knowledge that this poor relation had died and left a daughter. This was quite enough for your uncle, and he made it a requisite condition that you marry her. *‘The lady’s name is-—"? ‘‘Stopl” With his face expressing all the bitterness he felt the young man rose. ‘*Before you continue,” said Mr. Fur- ness, hurriedly, ‘‘allow me to say a word. I have confidence in you as a gentleman, George, but I put you on your guard. The lady is here.” There was a knock and the door was gently opened. The clerk came first, then the lawyer, with old-fashioned courtesy, hastened forward tn intercept the visitor. He took her hand and led her over the threshold. : ‘Miss Kate Perry,” he said; ¢‘and this, my dear young lady, is Mr. George Neall” : : All the blood that was in, Neal's body rushed to his face. He stood grasping at the back of his chair, unable to utter a word. Then the little hand that the lawyer held stared trembling so violently that it attracted Mr. Furness’s attention, and he hastily led her to a chair. Next he slyly examined the pair of them. ‘It is possible,” he said, ¢that my introduction comes a trifle late. Am [ wrong in this surmise?" ¢“I—I,” stammered Kate. Mr. ‘Smith,” then she stopped, blushing deep- ly. ¢‘Smith?” said the lawyer, mystified. ‘Smith? Itis a well known name, but I cannot say that up to the present I have heard it in connection with this case.” Atlast George Neal's tongue was un- tied, and he hastened to the rescue. ¢*I have met this young lady before, ” he said, ‘‘under very singular circum- stances; we now meet under circum- stances stranger still. Aun explanation is due to her, and, if you will give mea little time to explain—" ‘Certainly, certainly,” said Mr. Fur- ness, rubbing his hands. *‘Take all the time vou require. Iam quits content to let Cupid take my place as mediator,” and, with a beaming face, he bowed himself out. If the old lawyer's clerk had any de- sire to look into that room after his mas- ter had left it, he was disappointed. Mr., Furness’s eyes never left him for a mo- ment. When it seemel to the despairing clerk that the best part of the day had gone Mr. Funess went back to his strangely met visitors. His eyes fell first on the drooping figure of Kate. “May Ihope,” he said gently, ‘‘that the explanation has not been a tiresome one?” “No,” said George, with a glowing face; *‘to me it hasn’t., Now, old friend, listen to me. I have offered my dear Kate the property without inzumbrance. But she has refused to accept it on any such terms. What are we to do?” “My advice,” said the old lawyer, ¢tis to go inte partnership. And if the wishes of a dry old bit of legal parch- ment, who had a love dream once, can follow you far, they will repeat good luck and much happiness.”—Comumercial Advertiser. How Jay Gould Outwitted Vanderbilt. G. P. Morosini, for over eighteen years was closely associated in business with the late Jay Gould. Mr. Gould made Mr. Morosini his confident in many of his private as well as business affairs, and no man was perhaps more familiar than the latter with Mr. Gould's personal characteristics. Seated in his office Mr. Morosini pointed out the plain stained wood table and leather bottomed chair which Mr. Gould was accustomed to oc: cupy. ‘There sat a man,” said Mr. Morosini, ‘who was more misunderstood and more causelessly maligned than any I have ever known. I was the auditor of the Erie Company at the time Mr. Gould assumed control, and I continued in that capacity until after General John A. Dix became President of it in 1872. Mr. Gould was brought into Erie in 1868 by Colonel Jim Fisk. “Mr. Gould became President of the company. Immediately the road bounded into popularity. Its stcck increased in value and there were many who begged tor blocks but could not get them. Among those who saw a great future for the road was Commodore Vanderbilt. He saw in it a powerful rival to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad and determined if be could to gobble it up. He tried at first to purchase a ma- jority of its stock. He failed. “Then he declared a freight war. At the time cattle were brought from Buffalo to this city at $125 a carload. The Commodore reduced the rate to $100. Fisk and Gould made a cut of $25 less. The Commodore went to $50. Erie then offered to bring cattlé here at $25 per carload, and when the Rrie put the rate still lover Vanderbilt issued an order to bring cattle over the Central at $1 a car- load. The Commodore thought this would ruin the Erie's freight traffic. He waited to see what card Fisk and Gould would next play, Just as he was con- gratulating himself that not a steer was being carried over the Erie, while the Central was compelled to refuse business, he discovered that as in previous .con- tests he had been outwitted. ‘“‘When the Commodore reduced the rate to $1 per carload, Fisk and Gould purchased every cow and steer to be had west of Buffalo. They shipped them, not by the Erie, but by the Uentral, at the Commodore's own rate. They had scld enough in this city to make a for- tune before Vanderbilt found out ‘where he was at.’ I am told that the air was very blue at Vanderbuiltdom when the Commodore learned how he had been tricked. He swore revenge, but fist put the rate back on the transportation of caitle.”—-New York World. emer EIR Snes. The ‘Human Pincushion.” One of the ¢‘celebrated characters” of Nottingham, Eagland, was Kitty Hud- son, known throughout Great Britain as ‘the human pincushion.” She was born in 1765, and at the age of six was a sweeper in St. Mary's Church, near Arnold. Pins were rarities among the poorer classes, and poor Kitty was en- couraged to pick up those found on the church floor, ‘‘receiving a stick of tafly for every mouthful thus collected.” This habit of holding pins in the mouth grew on the child till finally she could neither eat nor sleep without haying from six to a dozen of them under her tongue and around her gums. She would often go to sleep with a mouthful of pins and awake to find them gone. The absence of the pins could be ac- counted for only in one way: She had swallowed them. Still she kept up the practice, feeling no ill effects except a numbness in her limbs. Ten or a dozen years later, however. she was in a terri- ble plight, passing sleepless nights and screaming with pain nearly all the time. In 1785 she was sent to the Nottingham Hospital and remained in that institution a year, during which time five thousand (5000) pins were removed from different parts of her body. After her discharge from the hospital she was married twice and became the mother of nine children, none of whom lived to the age of eight— een. Notwithstanding her terrible ex- perience, Kitty lived to be over seventy years old.--8t. Louis Republic. A Quaint Species of Crow. In his sub-section on ¢‘modifications' of types of birds and animals Sir John Lubbock cites what is newest and most marvelous. He tells us of a particular crow in New Zealand, where the male and female differ widely as to the struc- ture of their bills. The male bird has a bill, stout and strong, adapted to cut- ting and digging into the tree, but he is deficient in that horny-pointed tongue which would" permit him to pierce the grub and draw it out. The hen bird has, however, an elongated and straight bill, ¢‘and when the cock has dug down to the burrow the hen inserts her long bill and draws out the grub, which they divide between them—a very pretty illustration of the wite of the helpmate | to the husband.”—Buffalo Commercial. er ep sen German. Brooklyn Bridge was used by 41,672. a . ments: Departmeni expenses. $1,451,963 23; tions, increased the rate of taxation. raise <alt to raise by municipal taxation $15,000,- 000 or $20,000,000 required by the city of Philadelphia. exchange of bili and receipt the settles his annual tax account. Treasurer and Auditor General could very readily make up a budget for the required for the annual expenditure, the re- ceipts to be determined by a millage upon the value of paid-in corporate capital. Auditor General could. therefore, submit to the Appropriate Committee of the Legisla- ture calculations showing the come, basi as the State Legisiaiure might the needs of the Government. lature felt that the existing manded a greater Sxpohdinre, the millage could. be increased. the Legislature should be practiced in the expenditures of the Government, the millage could be re- duced. or lowered in the first city of the Common- wealth according to the needs of its govern- ment and the condition of Were a like system adopted by the State Jt would not be necessary to amend the reve- nue laws every time it was found the re- ceipts were not sufficient,nor would there be danger of a surplus when a yielded more than was necessary or antici- pated. The millage having mined, the Auditor General would furnish to the tax payer a bill, stating the value of its paid in capital and the application of the rate of millage applied to it. might be allowed for prompt payment, and penalties be imposed for deiliqiency. Nor t upon the corporations in the form of state THE GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE MEET E IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS pe Made by Him to the General Assembly of Pennsylvania. — Governor Pattison sent his biennial mes- sage to the General Assembly of Pennsylya- nia in sdssion at Harrisburg. In it the Gov- ernor says: It is a painful duty to avert to the spirit of insurrection which characterized the dis- turbance at Homestead. There, under the plea of correcting abuses, civil authority was suspended and the officers of the law defied. Armed bodies, claiming the right to redress the wrongs of the employe and to protect the rights of employer, confronted each other in hostile array, resulting in riot. bloodshed and murder. To restore and maintain or- der.the whole military force of the State was moved. By its zeal and activity in support- ing the civil authorities, peace and submis- sion. were maintained, and many of the of- fenders arrested. It is gratifying to know that from the time the civil authorities first called upon the Executive for aid not a shot was fired nor a drop of blood shed. Our cost in this trouble will not be considered if it be followed by greater love of liberty, obedience to law and support of the pub- lic authorities, for in this we have ‘*‘a sure guarantee of the permanence of our Re- public.” : The gratifying exhibit of the financial condition of the Common wealth is certainly cause for felicitation The receipts from the ordinary sources during tne fiscal vear ending November 30, 1892, were as follows: Tax on corporations, $1,933.510 50; personal property, $2 235 438 46° collateral inheritance tax, §1,111,120 65; ficenses of all kinds, $1,- 303,485 21; United States Government,$539,- 875 99; Allegheny Valley haiiroad Compa- Ah — HON, ROBERT E. PATTISON, Governor of Pennsylvania. ny. $187,500 00; tax on writs, $175,139 02, fees of public offices, $104,914 23: wiscellan- eous. $152,373 95; making in all, $10,748.- 751 08, which with the balance on band No- vember 30, 1891, $6.979.854 55, amounted to §17.728,613 63. The following were the pay- loans redeemed, interest on loans, $1,784, - 653 50; charitable and penal institu- tions, £1.590.345 81; common schools, $5,379, © 672 08; National Guard. $553,599 14; sol- diers' home.and soldiers’ orphan schools, $182 628 98; State tax on personal property returned to counties. $541,779 06; voting booths and compartments, $51,539 02: Penn- sylvania State College. $93,713 19; miscel- laneous items, $68,074 67, making the aggre- gate amount for the year ending November 30, 1892, $11,727,968 68, leaving a balance in the Treasury of $6,000,644 95, THE REVENUE QUFSTION. 2 In our Btate values chiefly constitute the basis of taxation. 1f the two forms ¢f prop- erty, real and personal, are equal in value under a just system they should equally bear the burdens of taxation. Real proper- ty is appraised at $2,000,000.000 for tax pur- yoses;and personal property is in excess of this appraised value of real estate. The whole amount raised for all purposes in the State, for city, county, borough, town, school and road purposes, is approximately $40,000,000,0f which real property pays about $30,000,000, and personal property about $10,000,000. Real estate has undoubt- edly borne the burden of the day in taxa- tion, In order to encourage and promote the industries of the Commonwealth and to invite capital and enterprise, reales a'e, es- pecially in the form of farms, has beo.ne so epressed as to need relief in a more equal distribution of taxation. The injustice of our system must be admitted by any search- er after the truth with a desire’to distribute equally the burdens of government. So long as we continue raising our :ncome up- on the basis of values, the injustice of com- pelling a value in land to be taxed beyond a value jn personal property is heavily felt by many of our fellow-citizens. I repeat to the Legislature a former rec- commendation that a revenue law be framed by which the entire cost of the State Goy- ernment should be paid by the taxation up- on corporations and collateral inheritances, and the receipts from taxes upon other forms of personal property be returned to the several counties to relieve the real es- tate therein. Such a systema would enable the State to adopt simpler methods of rais- ing revenue than the present laws. Much of the time of the Dauphin country court is occupied in the construction of the revenue laws of the State, and the taxpayer, who ought to know at a glance just what the de- mands of the State are as to his share of the contribution to its support, iscompelled very often to,engage in litigation and to await judicial decisions. The revenue law of 1891 made ho mater- ial change in our system of collecting the revenues. It simply, in three or four soe 0 the $9,000,000 or $10,000,000 requir- ed by the State ought not to be more diffi- In that city by the simple taxpayer The State amonnt The State’s in- on different millage, according determine If the legis- conditions de- f, on the other hand, believed that economy ‘With such a system the tax rate is raised its treasury. revenue bill been deter- Discounts would it materially add to e burdens £98 passengers during the year 1892. .| or certainty in the law. Under section 3 it is tax, especially in view of the constant in- crease iu their number,and in the enormous amount of capital represented in this form of investment. The paid in capital of the corporations of the Commonwealth now js $1,200,000,000. With such a system adopted all other forms of property would be left to the several counties for the purposes of equalizing their taxation. Such a system wouid also do away with the present method of having the counties collect the State tax, pay the same over to the State Treasurer.and the State Treasurer pay most of it back to the county treasurers, The Governor then recommends the abolishment of the office of Mercantile Appraiser, holding that the mercantile tax can be levied and collected as other taxes are. Passing on, the Governor renews his recommendation relating to the enforce- ment of articles XVI. and XVII of the Constitution, touching the watering of stocks and of discrimination by common earriers, desounces the anthracite coal combine, reviews the Bardsley case and the work of the Board of Pardons. THE BAKER BALLOT LAW. The first practical test of the act of June 19, 1841, properly known as the "*Ballat Re- form law.’ was made at the State and local elections on November 8, 1892. The law has met with very general popular approval. Its two essential features, an official ballot and the private booth provision for the voter to mark his ticket, are great advances in our electoral system, and are undoubtedly well fixed in popular confidence. No modification nor amendment of the law that would in- terfere with these featuresshou!d ne count- enanced. Befor any more serious difficuities occur over the construction of the disputed and doubtful provisions of the law, I rec ommend that careful inquiry be made by the General Assembly as to the respects in which its more palpable defects may be | remedied, The meaning and effect of the wor { ‘disability,’ as used in section 27, as the condition wnich shall permit a voter to have assistance in the preparation of his ballot, ought to be clearly and distinctly de- fined. Experience in all the counties of the Commonwealth hasshown that the provis- ion of law for extra tickets is greatly in ex- cess af any popular need, and the number of such surplus tickets might be materially reduced in the interest of econoiny, as well as the number of booths, Serious difficulties, embarrassing the Secretary of the Common- wealth and difficult of satisfactory deter- mination in the courts, are liable ‘to arise under the provisions of section 2, whereby ‘‘any convention of delegates or primary meeting of electors or caucus, held under the rules of a political party, or of any board authorized to certify nominations representing the political party,” ete., is ermitted to nominate candidates; but what jurisdiction or authority is to determine whether or not such convention, meeting or board is the authorized organ of a regular political party is not set forth with precision provided that the number of signers to a nomination paper shall be three per centum of the largest entire vote for any corres- ponding officer at the last preceding election, but by what jurisdiction or authority this shall be inquired into and determined is not stated with sufficient distinctness in the aw. The period of 30 days, provided in the first clanse of section 6 tor objections to certificates and papers, designed for nomi- nations for the State at large has been found in practical experience to be unnecessarily long, and I recommend an abbreviation of that period to 10 days. Uncertainty and variance of opinion prevails as to the dis- tinction between objections “as to form or apparent conformity or non-conformity,” which are to be considered by the Secretary of the Common- wealth, the Auditor General and Attorney General, and “‘objections as to validity of certificates or papers,” which are to be filed in and considered by the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin county.and I recommend for the consideration of the General Assem- bly a better definition of these terms than at present prescribed by the act. Upon the whoie. the *‘group” system in the present Ballot Reform law seems to give more general satisfaction than the alpha- bethical arrangement of the names of the candidates as prescribed in the election Jaw of some of the other Commonwealths which have adopted what is known as the Austra- lian system. By a liberal construction of the act, the tickets at the last election were printed according to an arrangement of the candidates of each of the several political parties in its own group or column, regard- less of whether or not all of these parties had at the last election polled such per cen- tum of the total vote as to give them the dis- tinction of a seperate political organization as contemplated by the act. The 14th Section relating to thissubject is susceptible of re- vision to secure a clearer statement of its real intent and meaning. A simpler form than that presented by our law, of marking the exception to a ‘‘group’ of candidates in which the party voter desires to cut one or more of the candidates on his straigh ticket, prevails in some other States and may profitably be considered with a view to amending the law of 1891 in this respect. In many minor details the act undoubtedly might be properly made the subject of re- molding and revision. In view of the gradual increase in the number of pelling places in the State, and the reduction of the number of voters at each poll, it will be well for the Legislature to inquire into the expediency of changing the hours between which the polls remain open. 1n 14 States at present, polls are clos- ed at sunset or earlier and with two excep- tions, the hours for keeping the polls open are longer in Pennsylvania than 1n any other state. The Governor next declares in favor of the Michigan system of choosing Presiden- tial electors by Congressional districts, Con- tinuing, he says: THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Experience has shown that whenever free school books and supplies are furnished, the attendance has increased, the system thus serving the good purposes of compul- sory education and avoiding. its objection- able features. Irecommend legislation to the end of securing free text-books every- where. I also recommend the consolidation of two or more of the rural schools into one strong institution, well equipped and with compensation offered to teachers to secure the talent equal to a town or a city school. The advantages of our town and city schools are admitted. Your attention is again called to the basis upon which the distribution of the funds for our common schools should be made. The distribution is now made on the basis of taxables, the department receiving a list every three years. 1t shouid be, however on the basis of the average number of school children in attendance. This can be accom- plished very easily. All teachers are now required to report the average number in attendance. hey can still further be re. quired by law to hand a certified list of the same to their respective boards, and the of- ficers of the Board can forward affidavits of the same to the Department of Public In- struction annually, and thus the necessary d ta will be always at hand. This would make the distritution more equitable and adapted more directly to the changing needs of the school. In this connection your at tention is called to the imperfect” method of ascertaining the number of children not attending the schools of the State. I there- fore recommend legislation for the annual enumeration of the children of the Com: monwealth of school age. With free text books, enthusiastic performance ot duty on the part of more than 15,000 school directors, and a Jaw making distribution of the appropriation for schools on the basis of their share. To construct a desirable under the most improved cost at lead $3,000 per mile. To construct 50 miles of such road in a county would cost $150,000, and in 65 counties $10,000,000. addition to the cost of construction must be counted the annual expenditures for main- tenance. Such an expenditure under exist- Ing revenues of county and state could not be made in a period of two, five years, and if made would largely the tax on real estate. I will cheerfully co- operate with you in any legisiation which will bring about a uniform road law, and at the same time adjust our system of taxation 80 that all shall contribnte alike for the cost of improvements. [ tem of education far more potent than the ; staff of the constabie or the mandate of the | Justice of the peace. The Governor next recommends that economy he exercised in the matter of pub- lic printing. Speaking of the State Board of Health, the message says: It is recommend¢d that authority for the sanitary organization of the State be ex- tended to rural districts, thus giving to every portion of the State some lezally con- stituted local heaith authority. The com- pulsory establishment of Boards of Health in a:l cities and incorporated boroughs; the protection of the purity of water supplies and provision by appropriation for a fund to be known as an emergency fund to meet extraordinary cases, are urgently recom- mended. Precautions at the Lazaretto stations are urged also in view of the possibility of a cholera epidemic this year. It is recom- mended that paysicians who desire to prac- tice phramacy be required to undergo ex- amination, the same as phramaceutieal graduates. The consideration of the bill recommended by the Bituminous Ceal Mining Commission, at the last session, is commended., The attention of the Assem- bly is called to the necessity of legislation looking to the security of dams and to the preservation of the forests. THK HOMESTEAD TROUBLE. Gf the Homestead trouble, after reciting the history of the Executive Department's connection with the matter, quoting from Governor Hartranft’s message of 1878 touch- ing the railroad riots and the Supreme Court’s decision in the cases growing out of them, the Governor says: There was really vo effort made on the part of the civil authorities to suppress the disorder. The entire community seemed to surrender to the disorderly element. At the beginning 50 determined men, moved by a love of order and a patriotic spirit. would have suppressed this whole disturbance. therefore suggest to the Legislature that the costs incurred in suppressing local distur- bances in which the civil authorities call up- on the military power of the Commonwealth should be placed upon the county calling for the troops, This may be an incentive to lo- cal authorities to determined action in the beginning of a disturbance, rather than have their treasury mulcted in a large sum to de- fray the expenses. At least the State can make some such effort to prevent the often hasty and unwarranted cail for the presence of troops. These recent disorders teach us that Jega! arbitration, upon which we so much relied and in which we had so much confidence, is futile. What. then, is the remedy? Every effort that has been made in legislation is without results. Is it not to be found in teaching greater devotion to our laws and institutions, accompanied with a patriotic spirit, ever maintaining with due courage the individuality of citizenship, so much contended for by our fathers? Without such a spirit our laws will be in vain. If abuses exist, if one citizen is oppressed more than another, the remedy is through the law. We believe that government of the people still lives. The power of the people, therefore, through the ballot, can remedy any evils or abuses that exist. In this connection legislation should be had looking to the prevention of the intro- duction of armed bodies of men, without the consent of the authorities of the county _ or State, The State of Pennsylvania has al ready a ‘‘State police’’ in the coal and iron police. There is no necessity for any com- pany or corporation introducing armed men who are not citizens of the State and who are unknown to its officers or to its authority. I recommend that severer penalties be im- posed for the interference of individual rights of person or property, either by threats, intimidation or violence, covet or open. Recent attempts upon life and pro- perty, by the use of powerful and dangerous explosives of modern discovery, reveal the inadequate provisions of the State laws for the regulation and control of these agencies of the evil minded. Stringent laws for the sale and reckless storage of gunpowder, a much less dangerous explosive, have been enacted, but they do not include nitro-gly- cerine and dynamite. I recommend that. measures be adopted governing their sale and storage. The Governor pays a high compliment to the National Guard, and commends the suggestions made by Major General Snowden and {Adjutant General Green- land. FACTORY INSPECTION, In the matter of fire escapes on industrial institutions the Governor contends that fuil authority should be given the Factory In- spector. Other suggestions are: That no minor shall be employed in any factory or mercantile Tat for a longer period that 10 hours per day, or 60 hours per week. Section 4 of the same act permits the employment of children under age and permits them to work without re- Sizlction, provided a less number than 10 are employed. Section 2 ofthe Factory act pro- vides for the employment of children at 12 years of age. 1 recommend that 14 years be substituted as the age of employment of children. There are more than 20.693 under 16 years of age employed in the state. The duty imposed by the act of 1891 upon the Factory Inspectors to see to the enforce- ment of the semi-monthly pay law has been more than the department, with its present force, could properly execute, I recommend that the Mine Inspectors be required to en- force its provisions in their respective dis- trices, and the Factory Inspector pe rae quired to see to its observance within their jurisdiction. ROADS AND ROAD LAWS. There is no doubt of thepopular demand which exists for the enactment of legistion on the subject of roads and roadmaking. At the last session of the Legislature the act passed for the improvement of our road system was so unjust in its distribution of State aid, and its purposes so numerous and diyerse, as to expcse it to the Constitutional objection of containing more than one sub- ject, and I felt constrained to withhold my approval, The basis of distribution which it Proposed was the amount of road taxes collected and expended by each township for road purposes during the preceding year. This would have put it entirely with- in the power of the rich and populous dis- tricts, such as adjoin large cities and bor- oughs, to receive a large share and possibly the full amount of State bounty, while re- mote districts where road improvements were most needed, would have been with- out relief. The importance of good roads, in their re- lation to travel, traffic and economy, is con- ceded. Under existing laws the expense would largely fall on the farms of the Com- monwealth. These already have more than road method would In or ten increase The Governor concludes with a tribute to the late Adjutant General William McClel- land and ex-Governor Henry M. Hoyt. Ir we are faithful God will see to the average number of school children in attendance we will indirectly, have a compulsory Sys | 1 it that we are successful.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers