or person has, or expects to have, any personal or special interests in the legislation of the Commonwealth.

The CHAIRMAN. Does the gentleman from Allegheny (Mr. Ewing) desire the floor?

Mr. EWING. Mr. Chairman: I offered my amendment and closed my remarks. The CHAIRMAN. The Chair was under the impression that the gentleman from Allegheny (Mr. Ewing) gave way for a motion that the committee rise. That would entitle him to the floor this morning if he desired it.

Mr. EWING. That is true, sir; but I believe I have nothing further to say at this time.

Mr. WRIGHT. Mr. Chairman: I desire to offer an amendment to the amendment of the gentleman from Allegheny (Mr. Ewing.)

On looking at the amendment we discover that the penalties there provided for extend to persons after their election and during their term of office. The amendment I have to offer extends a little further than that, and goes back to the time when a man becomes a candidate for the office. He may, before he is elected, enter into any contract or corrupt bargain either with persons or corporations; then he takes his seat in the Legislature, and he cannot be reached by the penalties provided in this amendment. Besides, sir, the amendment, as I take it, is defective in another respect. The person who commits bribery within the Commonwealth, as a matter of course, may be reached through the criminal courts, and be indicted and convicted of bribery; but it is very easy for a party who contemplates an attempt of this kind to slip over to Trenton or Camden, or to leave the capital and go down in the direction of Baltimore. He can there make his corrupt arrange ments, and there is no power of indicting him in this Commonwealth for the of fence.

I have prepared an amendment to the amendment, to strike out all the words up to the word "solicit," in the third line, an insert: "Any person intending to be come a member of the Legislature, or having become a member thereof, shall be guilty of bribery, and punished as provided by law, who shall, either within this Commonwealth or elsewhere, by himself or by any other person for him," &c. Mr. CORBETT. Mr. Chairman: I hope th committee will vote down this amendment. This section, as reported by the

committee, is certainly strong enough, and is certainly a good deal too strong to suit my views. If the amendments are voted down, when the proper time comes I will move to strike out all after the word "thereby."

The question being taken, the amendment to the amendment was not agreed to.

Mr. EWING. Mr. Chairman: I wish to make an explanation in regard to this matter. Judge Black is unavoidably absent. I had supposed, yesterday, near the close of the session, that he would probably be here this morning. Judge Black expects to be heard on this question, and no doubt the Convention desires to hear him. I suppose the amendment I have offered can be introduced upon the second reading of the report. If I am right, and I think it will save time, I will withdraw the amendment I have offered.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman has the right to withdraw the amendment, and can introduce it upon the second reading of the report.

Mr. EWING. Mr. Chairman: In consideration of Judge Black's absence at this time, I will withdraw the amendment.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman has a right to withdraw the amendment. It has not been amended.

Mr. EWING. I withdraw the amendment for the present.

Mr. CORBETT. Was the amendment not rejected by a vote, and so announced? The CHAIRMAN. The amendment has not yet been voted upon.

Mr. CORBETT. Mr. Chairman: I move to amend the section, by inserting after the word "testimonial," the word "employment," and strike out all after the word thereby."

Mr. LILLY. Mr. Chairman: I think the amendment which has been offered by the gentleman from Clarion (Mr. Corbett) is very good as far as it goes. I think the amendment makes the section very much better than it is, but I think it should go further and strike out the whole section. I think it would be a great deal better. I think that these strictures have gone entirely too far in our endeavor to provide for honest legislation, and it ap pears to me to be a very bad policy to go on any further with this sort of thing. There is not a man in this Convention, and hardly a man of average intelligence in the State of Pennsylvania, if this section is adopted, could go into the Legislature, in either branch, and sit there continu

ously and do their duty conscientiously. The section says that he shall have no personal interest in legislation. We expect to have general laws passed hereafter, and every man in the Commonwealth is interested in every bill that shall be passed in the Legislature. I think it is highly improper to tie up a man in this manner. I think, therefore, the whole section ought to be voted down. I will, however, vote for the amendment of the gentleman from Clarion, (Mr. Corbett,) as it takes away part of the section, and then I will vote to take away the remainder of it.

I

Mr. D. N. WHITE. Mr. Chairman: hope this amendment will not be passed. One of the chief ways corruption in the Legislature arises is from a person acting as an attorney for a railroad corporation that desires legislation to be passed in its interests. If any persons or corporations desire to secure legislation at Harrisburg, and to bribe some members of the Legislature, they at once employ an agent under the guise of an attorney who, by means of his influence and money, procures the necessary legislation. Ithink it is the most important section we have had before us to prevent corruption in the Legislature, and I hope it will be adopted.

Mr. BIDDLE. Mr. Chairman: I trust sincerely this amendment will pass. What is the meaning of the language at the end of the section as it stands now, "any special or personal interest in the legislation of the Commonwealth?" Has not every corporation, has not every person who has interests, likely to be affected by legislation, an interest in the legislation that is proposed and is under consideration? It is tantamount to saying, as it now stands, that every member of the Legislature who is elected by his constituents to further any particular line of policy, no matter how fair that policy may be, no matter how just to the Commonwealth at large, he shall be practically debarred from representing such constituents. It is impossible to find any human being in the Commonwealth who possseses the ordinary inlets of intelligence who would not be within the purview of this section. I really think I am not going too far when I say it is impossible to find such a human being, and we ought to beware whether in our hasty zeal to correct that evil, about which so much has been said during the last two or three months, we do not make it impossible to constitute a Legislature at all. We are, by the present section, and by some others under

discussion here, placing a burthen upon the people of this Commonwealth too intolerabe to bear.

Now all that is desirable to be attained is, that no improper influences shall be brought to bear directly upon the members of the Legislature. When you prohibit that, you prohibit all that you can properly attempt to do. Legislators are not judges. It is a total misapprehension of their functions to regard them in that light. They are there to propose, and discuss, and to act as persons who are furthering the interests of those who sent them there, in all respects to act fairly and honestly, but still to advocate very often partial views. Yet by this section, and other sections, they are treated precisely as if they were called upon to hold evenly the scales of justice between parties litigant. I trust this amendment will be adopted as it is proposed.

'Mr. ELLIS. Mr. Chairman: I offer the following amendment: "No person shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature who owns, or expects to own, any property, real, personal or mixed.”

The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will hold that the amendment is not germain to the question, and it will therefore not be considered.

Mr. JOHN R. READ. Mr. Chairman: I trust that the latter part of this section will not be defeated by the members of this committee without fully understanding what the Committee on Legislation intended when they reported it. I do not agree with my colleague from Philadelphia, (Mr. Biddle,) that it is unwise to make such a provision in the Constitution of the State. The object of it, as I understand it, is simply to prevent legislators from having a private or personal interest in the matters upon which they are required to legislate, other than as citizens of this Commonwealth, and I believe that if we provide that they shall not be specially retained as agent or attorney be fore they enter the halls of legislation, and that they shall cease such employment from that time, if they have been employed or retained, much evil will be hereafter prevented. Why, we all know that it is one of the most approved ways of bribing a member of the Legisla ture, to retain him as counsel for a particular interest upon which he is asked to legislate. It is one that seems least repulsive to them. They think that there is no wrong in acting as the counsel for parties as their lawyer, when they are

of abuse, I take pleasure in making this statement to the Convention. It is proper also to state in regard to the Reporter that, perhaps, the delay was not his fault, inasmuch as a number of the members retained the copy to correct and revise their speeches.

made to the committee. An abstract of the account is here with submitted, marked "A."

Also, the account of William W. Harding for 241 reams of paper, amounting to $1,807 50, furnished to the printer under his contract; and the account of Val.

COUNTIES, TOWNSHIPS AND BOROUGHS Mr. LAWRENCE, from the Committee on

Counties, Townships and Boroughs, presented the following report, which was read:

SECTION 1. The Legislature shall have power to erect new counties. No new county shall have an area of less than three hundred square miles, nor a population of less than eighteen thousand, and no county shall be reduced to a less area than four hundred square miles. No new county shall be erected until the same shall be approved by three-fifths of the votes cast by the electors embraced within each of the sections of the counties taken to form the new county.

SECTION 2. That section of a new county

taken from another county shall pay its equitable proportion of the existing indebtedness of the county from which it is taken; and if in the formation of a new county any township be divided, the indebtedness of such shall be equitably apportioned upon the respective divisions thereof.

SECTION 3. The Legislature shall, by general laws, prescribe the powers of boroughs and townships, and confer upon the courts the authority to erect boroughs and townships, to change their boundaries, and divide boroughs into wards.

The PRESIDENT. This article has now been read the first time. It will be laid on the table and printed.

CONVENTION EXPENSES.

Mr. HAY, from the Committee on Aocounts and Expenditures, presented the following report, which was read:

The Committee on Accounts and Expenditures of the Convention respectfully reports:

That it has examined the account of the Chief Clerk for expenditures made by him, under the authority of the Convention, up to the 21st day of February last, showing the payment of the sum of $1,911 00, and a balance in his hands on that date of $89.00.

And that the same is correct, according to the vouchers exhibited and statements

and other articles furnished for the use of the Convention at Harrisburg, which is certified by the Chief Clerk.

of the Convention, and should, therefore, These accounts are for proper expenses be paid. The following resolution is accordingly reported:

Resolved, That the accounts of William W. Harding and Val. Hummel, mentioned in the foregoing report of the Committee on Accounts, are hereby approved; and that a warrant be drawn in favor of William W. Harding for the amount of his account, and that the Chief Clerk pay the account of Val. Hummel.

To James Craig, janitor, for services from 7th January until February 21, both days inclusive.......

To C. C. Mullen, janitor, ten days at Harrisburg

To John Switzer, fireman, for services from 12th November, 1872, until February 21, 1873, both days inclusive......

To James Chambers, assistant fireman, for services from 7th January until February 21, both days inclusive........

To D. Skerrett, page, for services from January 7 to February 21, both days inclusive.................................................... To T. M'Gilloway, page, for services from January 7 to February 21, both days inclusive........ To Percy Meyers, page, for services from January 7 to February 21, both days inclusive........ To J. B. Allen, page, for services from January 7 to February 21, both days inclusive.....................................................

$157 50

141 00

117 00

30.00

164 50

117 00

58 50

58 50

58 50

58 50