Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-05-05


L the highways throughout the
State this year and it Is only
= rair to the people that they should
know the circumstances 1t was clear
ly understood at the last session of the
Legislature that the revenues from
automobile licenses, amounting now to
about million dollars, should be used
for the reconstruction and mainten-
ance of the public highways under the
Jurisdiction of the Commonwealth. No
one expected when the bill was passed
after the previous controversy that
there would be the slightest question
as to the availability of these funds
for the purpose covered by the act.
Highway Commissioner Bigelow and
his entire department figured conf
IDENTIFY upon active operations this year
and arrangements were made accord
ingly.
Suddenly, however. Auditor General
Powell raised question as to his
right to issue vouchers on this account,
holding that under the specific appro-
priation act he could not make the
payments. His position was declared
to be untenable by the Attorney Cen
eral and thus the controversy has pro-
ceeded with no solution of the prob
lem.
AS a last resort Attorney General
Bell sought with a writ of mandamus
to compel the Auditor General and
State Treasurer to honor warrants
drawn upon the auto license fund to
cover the cost of highway repairs. Au-
ditor General Powell asked for fur
ther postponement, but this was de-
MED by the Dauphin County Court and
the whole matter has now been set
for trial next Monday, when 1t is hoped
there will be a final decision of the
question.
It has been charged against Auditor
General Powell that he has resorted
to technicalities in an effort to pro-
long the controversy and avoid paying
out the money which the Legislature
manifestly intended for the use of the
Highway Department. He comes back
with the explanation that he has been
exercising only the ordinary precau-
ton of an official charged with respon-
sible duties. Attorney General Bel
charged in the argument last Friday
that the Auditor General had resorte6
to petty-fogging and technicalities and
that there had been constant trifling
interests of so many of the people o1
the State.
It is too bad that the political atmos
phere has been permitted to obscure
the more important features o.
highway improvement in Pennsylva
MIA Almost from the beginning tn,
opponents of the State administration
have in every way thrown barriers II
the path of the work which the peopl
are demanding shall be done. 1t woult
seem that under all the conditions an,
without any reference to politics al
officials would stand united In a prope
presentation of the whole matter T.
the courts that the question in disput
might be determined once and for al
1t ought to have been possible t
reach an adjudication of the mat
ters involved before the opening O
Spring and it is regrettable that w
are now in the midst of the seaso
of outdoor work with the whole sub
ject still up in the air.
Highway Commissioner BigeIow
tied hand and foot by the legal tech
nicalities that have been raised an
without funds he is unable to z
ahead with the on-truction of road
ways which have been taken over b
the State. and has not even enough t
repair those for which the Common
wealth Is now responsible. Unles
something shall soon be done the high
ways of Pennsylvania before the sum
mer is over will be a joke and a by
word. But 1t is not fair to place thi
responsibility on the head of the de
partment charged with the mainten
ance and repair of the roads. If, O.
the other hand. the Legislature ha
been careless in drafting the an
setting aside this fund for the main
tenance and repair of highways SO tha
the Au(:tor General Is not clear as t