Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-07-21
EVENING CHAT

~ -AvEHVO ~ MN
III Mayor John X ROYAL carries out
his rumored idea of becoming a candi-
date for City Council after the ex-
piration of his term as Mayor at the
close OF 1915 he will be the first Mayor
oil the city in forty years to go into the
legislative office when he finishes his
allotted years as executive. 1t is not
that 1T is not a laudable ambition for
a man who has had the experience of
four years as Mayor to aspire to sit in
the Council, but it has so happened
that all but one of the Mayors had
enough of city administration when
their terms ended, and efforts to have
them run for councilman proved fruit
less. In the cases of John A. Fritchey
and John d. Patterson they went back
TO the Mayors chair, but not back to
ccuncilmanic duties. In borough days
IL was nothing uncommon for a citizen
to serve as councilman and then be
elected burgess, go back and serve
as councilman and even be elected
burgess again and then return to a
seat about the council table. 1t
was an excellent idea because it gave
the citizens of the young State Capital
the advantage of services of men of
intelligence and that experience which
is so valuable in municipal affairs. That
It was generally favored is shown by
the continual mention of certain men
as councilmen. This practice of re-
electlng men to Council who had
proved good and faithful servants was
continued even into the days of the
Dlcameral councilmanic system and
one man served dozen years. If that
had been in recent times there would
nave been complaints of continued
office holding and demands to give
someone else a chance. However to
70 H. -
mas happened that only one of the
Mayors from Kepner to Meals ever
went back to Council. That one was
w. *. Nerbeke, who served in Select
for year. Practically every Mayor
served as a councilman before called
TO the higher place, but only Mr.. Ver-
beke ever went back, although it
would have been a good thing for the
city mad 1T been able to command the
services of some of it's Mayors after
they had gone through the troubles
that bes,t the occupant of the chief
maslstracy of the city. The new third
class city commission form of govern
ment statute has made many changes
IN the city government and perhaps it
VIII result in some changes in the re-
lation discussed.
Speaking of city government calls to
mind some remarks made by a couple
ernments of other cities of the State
one OF these men took a Harrisburger
10 task during the last session of the
Legislature for his opposition to the
clark third class city law, the act
under which we are now working. The
Harrlsburger said that this city had
round the law governing third class
cities to work very satisfactorily here
ana that Harrisburg had made phe-
nomenal strides under it, The other
man retorted that this city had been
the only one which had and predicted
that the State Capital would rise to
meet the new law as -conspicuously as
1t had the old.
When the two men were here re-
Gently one said: Remember what we
told you. Mr.. Harrisburg? Here you
are getting along all right under the
new law"
We'll. it did upset us for a while"
was the reply.
Yes. 1t did. and it upset some
more. l want to tell you." and here
the man who made the prediction last
year paused and called up some friends
from other cities. "and you, that some
OF the other cities are not straight
ehea out yet. But Harrisburg is, and
It's working we'll under the Clark law
ana giving an example to some other
cities that wanted the change and
heiped bump Harrisburg when 1t did
not. You've got the knack of running
city and think you could do it
under a Chinese puzzle let alone the
third class city law"
The roadside artists have done sorry
things to some of the pictures of the
candidates for State offices which were
posted in the merry days of Nav.
vance {. Mccormick appears along
the riverside in a dandy full beard.
very black, while Judge KunkeI has
been changed to resemble James w
Barker, one of the legislative candi-
cate In this city, by a Cumberland
county man. Michael j. Ryan has
peen given walrus moustache on a
caro- IN Steelton and John r. K. Scott
mas cowcatcher chin ornament with
out moustache and pair of specs ON
card affixed to pole near Hummels-
town.
Governor Tener has found some who
Will stay with him as long as he cares
TO go in for playing golf. The Gov
erhor took up golf a couple of years
ago and has kept at it. OF powerful
physique and fond of exercise. he will
pay IN rain or shine and gets lot of
eIJoynent out of 1t. But it's mighty
seldom that he will stop on eighteen
hoies. He got Cap" Anson here last
fall and kept him going for twenty
seven and then for thirty-six holes. He
Keeps the fat off Samuel c. Todd and
waiter II. Gather and the other dav
he got DR.. Eugene Noble, recentIv
president of Dickinson, in a match.
Inc docsor was there, good and strong
at the end of thirty-six. The Governor
is working up to the fifty-four and
slXtN-three classes. which are held bv
a haF