Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1883 — LEGISLATIVE NOTES. [ARTICLE]

LEGISLATIVE NOTES.

The judiciary committee of the lower house of the Pennsylvania Legislature has favorably reported a bill providing that if the authorities of Philadelphia will furnish, without cost to the State, suitable accommodations for the executive business, and for the sessions of the Legislature, that city shall be made the capital of the State. Pbesidekt Abthub recently received a dozen bottles of whisky, with a note from the agent of it requesting him to taste of it and kindly send him his opinion of its quality, to be used as an indorsement. The agent received the dozen bottles by express two days later, and a letter by mail from Mr. Phillips, the President’s secretary,stating in somewhat satirical language that the President was indifferent to the merits of the whisky and declined to sample it ~ N . .... The boom to secure the release of Sergeant Mason, who tried to shoot Guiteau, does not seem to work up as anticipated, and the prospects of his release are not any better now than they were several months ago. In the meantime “Bettie and the baby” are living quietly on their farm in Virginia. Mrs. Mason occasionally visits Washington. It is understood, however, that at the expiration of his term of office President Arthu** will grant a pardon to Sergeant Mason. In a murder case, in California, which was appealed to the Supreme Court, the only defence made was “insanity from the long continued use of intoxicants.” The lower court charged the jury that “insanity produced by intoxication would not destroy responsibility when the party when sane and responsible made himself voluntarily intoxicated, and that drunkenness was no excuse for crime, but it was a circumstance for the consideration of the jury in determining the degree of crime.” The Supreme Court held that the charge was correct, and affirmed th e judgment The recent decision of a United States District Judge in Missouri tends to make of the postmaster a person enjoying greater immunity from physical assault than does Pugilist Sullivan himself. A country postmaster in the above State was assaulted by a drunken man. Although there was no actual interference with the mail,the Judge before wh he assailant was arraigned imposed a fine of . SIOO, under an old act of Congress,which dedaies that “any person who shall knowingly and willfully obstruct or retard the passage of the United States mail shall be liable,” etc. The Indianapolis Journal says: “A special to the Journal from Elkhart gives the particulars of the recently reported faith cure’ at that place. It seems that the 'procuring cause’ was a devout person in Boston, who fixed upon 3 o’clock of a certain day when prayers was to be offered, and that it was ‘precisely* 8 o’clock at Elkhart on the day named when the cure was effected. There is a difference in time between. Boston and Elkhart of about sixty-five minutes, so it would seem that the faith cure’ is limited, as it were, by human circumstances and conditions. We do not quite grasp the matter,but it would appear as if a cog were out of this miracle somewhere.” The most extraordinary punishment , which is,perhaps,on record is to be found in Morrison’s “Account of Germany.*” “Near Lipdau I did see a malefactor hanging in iron chains on the gallows, with a mastive dogge hanging on each side by the heels, as, being nearly starved, they might eat the flesh of the malefactor before himself died by the famine* and atFrankforde I did see the like punishment of a Jew.” The only thing which may serve to lesson our surprise at this shocking refinement in cruelty is the reflection that it happened in a country so pre-eminent for the horrid nature of its punishments that no one can be prevailed upon to accept the office of executioner but he who, by being the son of a hangman, is obliged to be trained up, and take upon himself the necessary employment. J im Elliott, the pugilist, who was kill ed last week at Chicago by Jerre Dunn, a similar character, had an unenviable record and his life is a dark review of continuous crime: Elliott has been a thief ■early his whole life, having served nearly twenty years in prison for crimes he had been convicted of. Before the fire he used to make his headquarters in Chicago, one of his pals at that time being tbe wellknown Mike Garrity. He was arrested by Ffakerton with Billy Forester and several other burglars for attemsting to rob a bank at Wilkesbarre, Pa., but the whole party broke out of jail and escaped. Afterward Elliott was arrested in Philadelphia for garroting Hughey Dougherty,

the negro minstrel, who had his nose broken. He was sentenced to the Eastern Penitentiary for this, and served over te*i years there. He was a pal of John Gordon when the Iffiter “tell” in lows, and Elliott fought Gallagher at Detroit to get money to secure the release of Gordon He had also been arrested in New York tor crimes, and was known to detectives as one of the most desperate men in the country—a pickpocket, a burglar and a prize-fighter. He had been in Chicago this last time for about six months. Elliott wolud seem to have made good use of his spare time when loeked up, as he was well read and very intelligent, having a good knowledge of several languages, living and dead.

The will of ex-Governor Morgan gives a fraction less than SBOO,OOO of an estate of $6,000,000 to charitable and benevolent purposes, including gifts of $200,000 to Union Theological Seminary; $206,000 ecch to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, to the Board of Home Missions, and to Williams College; of SBO,OOO each to the Supplementary Fund for Clergymen’s Salaries, to the Manhatg Eye and Ear Infirmary and to thj Presbyterian Hospital, with smaller bequests of $5,000 to $2,500. To his wife e gives his house and a million of money, and the income for life of a million. To forty other relatives he gives $407,500, and leaves balance of his estate in trust for his grandson. and namesake. A host of friends are remembered, and household servants receive SB,OOO each. The Tribune says the will of the late Governor sustains the reputation for generosity which he showed in life. Bequests are left for charitable and educational purposes. This benevolence is not to flow in a narrow channel but flows over a wide field of good work.

A Special telegram to an Indianapolis paper graphically describes the closing scenes of the recent congress. The dispatch is published Saturday and reads: The accumulated work of two years is crowding upon the last hours of a dying Congress. The pressure is tremendous —l5O members are going out of the House many of them to return no more, and they are struggling to get last-chance bills through. It is a scramble and a rush. The people of Washington are taking an intense interest in the proceedings of Congress, and they crowd the galleries by thousands. The press at night is greatest. Multitudes swarm to the Capitol, filling every nook and comer of the great building, taking possession of the galleries, the corridors, reception and committies rooms. The House end is the most attractive, and every inch of the space assigned to spectators is gobbled up before the hour arrives for business to begin. Members rush hither and thither with theii ladies trying to find seats that have been overlooked They find the galleries full to overflowing, and they storm and fret and fume, anxious to anchor their charges, and doubly" anxious to get back on the floor fearing that something important might be rushed through or stampeded to death in their absence. The diplomatic galleries are seized and filled in an instant, and when there is no such thing as finding a vacant seat anywhere or an inch of standing room men, women and children wander disconsolately up and down the corridors, take refuge in committee rooms or crowd into the gallery entrances, straining to catch a glimpse of the scene below. The buzz and hum of a thousand voices fill the hall, and those who are unaccustomed to the confusion and uproar of the bear-pit go half wild trying to keep the run of business. To a great majority of the spectators the proceedings are absolutely devoid of meaning; they make nothing out of the din, but there is action, and action is what they want—not dry statesmanship. When an exciting incident occurs the great audience awakens to a lively interest in what is going on. It delights in episodes like that of Thursday night An occasional knockdown or set to with hard gloves or bare knuckles would be relished as a seasoning not too rich for the popular palate. It is doubtless a grievious disanpointment to many that none of the gentlemen see fit to go down into the ring and fight, but the constant recurrence of spats answers as a substitute.

Representative Shively’s bill, which makes mechanics* liens attach to all classes of structures, and includes attorneys’ fees, passed the Senate and became a law. ■> The Benz road bill finally passed the House Tuesday, (and now only awaits the Governor’s signature to become a law. It repeals the statute of 1882, and substantially re-enacts the law exiating previous to the last General Assembly. Mr. Mosier’s H. B. 832, am mding section 1,622 of the criminal code, relative to search warrants, has passed both Houses and become a law. The amendment provides that property seized by search warrant may upon proof of own-

’ ership be delivered to the proper owner, ■ and not held by the sheriff as the old law I provided. | House bill No. 5, introduced by Mr Deem, has received the signature of tbe Governor. It contains an emergency claure and will govern the town elections in May. By tbe provisions of the bill towns shall have but one voting place, which shall be stated in the notice of election. The law contains a proviso that the trustees of any town may,if public convenience- requires, establish a voting place in each ward. Senator Campbell’s convict labor bill passed the Senate Thursday. It provides for a thorough system by which to put the contracts for prison labor in the most open competition, the object being to have the convicts bring the highest price in the market that competition can force, and the result must be to raise the prices paid for convicts so much as to make the prisons bring an income to the State, and also to overcome very largely the depressing influence upon free labor which the present system of low prices for convicts has caused. In the House, Friday, a very important bill, introduced by M r . Shively, was passed. It provides that all life insurance companies doing business in the State on the assessment plan shall issue a bond to the State for SIO,OOO for the faithful performance of its obligations, and shall already have at least $200,000 on insurance and 1,000 policy holders. It makes it-a’felony for any company to is sue a policy on the life of an aged or extremely infirm person to another person —the so-called “graveyard” plan. A determined effort will be made to get the bill through the Senate. Another “tete a tete” occurred in th Senate during the all night session of Tuesday. Senator Henry concluded his speech at 1:40 o’clock, and Senator Graham, who was recognized by th e President, began his argument A stormy scene ensued. Senator Bell, in an excited manner, demanded that the Lieuten-ant-governor take the chair and assume the responsibility of the rulings, instead of the “hireling*,’ (refer; ing to Senator Spann) who was then in the chair. Senator Hilligass became very noisy and be! ligerent and Senator Smith, of Jay, joined in the general clamor. Several insinuations were made against Lieutenant-governor Hanna, who took the chair and read the “riot act” in language that could not be misunderstood. He said that he assumed every responsibility and did not propose to be bulldozed by any senator on the floor. This declaration was received with much applause.