Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-23
wNTCHOL AND CROW
SAY THEY WILL FIGHT
LOCAL OPTION BILL
organizatio t j o n Leaders
Throw Down Gauntlet in
nefiance of Governor.
Will Oppose His Child
Labor Measure.
tr,oN 4 srArr connEspoNpENr.l ]


s.nrants OF the Washington party. and,
.o.stbly. the Wares, on one side, and Sem
~. NoNichol and Crow on the other,
!. facing the voters of the state as
s,,i, of the open break between the
swar,or Lesu and the Republican organza-
SO ~, leaders last night over local option
md child labor
The parting of the ways came at
.ssrence between the Governor and the
.1nt legislative Committee, held in the
.Ssc,,tIye mansion for two hours last
night. ......,.,,. s.o,,,,to
- thore was a SHOW. down" of hands
sn.yerv ~ one present except Senator Ware
st,hon the cards were all on the table,
s,notora Crow and McNichol had def
st,sIv told the Governor that they would
nnnose not only his local option bill, but
NJ. child labor bill as we'll They favored
,hs Reynolds bill. they said. Senator
ware did not define his attitude.
pRtrMBAUGH DEFINES POSITION.
The Governor carried the fight to Nc
Nlcbol and Crow. After the Administra-
,,on workmen's compensation bills had
b.en briefly discussed. and the Senate
ladders had told the Governor that they
favored the enactment of workmens
.omnensation measure, although they in
tsnd TO amend the Administration meas
nre freely, Governor Brumbaugh himself
hrorpht up the question of local option.
He called the attention of McNichol and
Crow TO the fact that local option was
IN his personal platform, and said that
because a local option pledge was in his
nlatform, he thought the Republican
state leaders should ASSIST MN IN pass
ing the bill.
Goyernor Brumbaugh told the members
AZ the Conference Committee that he be-
ileyed that If the Republican organl2a-
Hon leaders oppose local option now 1t
will hurt the Republican party in 1916.
when a President and a successor to
limited States Senator Oliver are to he
elected He said that he thought local
option would be one of the big issues in
that campaign.
Lieutenant Governor Frank McClaln
was the first to say anything contrary
10 the Governors Views. THE people Will
be so anxious to see the wheels of the
mills whrring that the present local op
tion wave will have passed. he said.
CROW REsENTs COERCION"
Senator Grow, who is chairman of the
Republican State Committee, then out
lined the attitude of the Republican Or
ganizatlon toward local option, and took
exception to the Governors coercion" of
members of the House In his local option
campaign.
"The Republican Organization has not
nterfered with legislators In any way,
he told Governor Brumbaugh. I'VE leave
them to follow the wishes of their con-
stituents We believe that everybody else
ought to adopt the same course"
Senator Grow added that If 1t could
be shown that the Republican Organiza-
ton had sought to influence any member
Of the Legislature on the local option
question. then he would vote for the bill
himself
Senator McNichol told the Governor
that he had pledged himself to vote
against local option during the campaign,
and that he intends to stand by his pre-
election promise, notwithstanding any po-
sitlon the Governor might take. Sem
ators Sproul and Snyder told Governor
Brumbaugh virtually the same thing.
The conference then turned to child
, labor, and Governor Brumbaugh was in
formed that the Republican Organization
leaders favor the Reynolds bill intro
duced at the request of the Pennsylvania
Congress of Mothers, the measure for
which the manufacturers declared at the
public hearing a week ago.
Senator Ware Is not expected to support
the Governor on the local option question.
but will probably continue to leave it to
the individual members of the Legislature
themselves, to vote as their constituents
want them to vote.
Governor Brumbaugh, In his efforts to
get the local option measure through the
legislature, has obtained the assistance
OF William Finn. of Pittsburgh, of the
Anti-Saloon League officials. and other
washington party men, a number of
Whom worked hard last fall for the cleo
uoh OF Clifford Pinchot as United States
Senator.
Half dozen State employees and
number of Anti-Saloon League officials,
VINO have been travelling around the
state and lobbying for the local option
Olli on the floor of the House, have been
praising the Governor personally to the
members OF the Legislature and others
with whom they have come in contact,
ana there is a growing suspicion in
harrisburg that behind this is move on
the Governors part to build up his own
political machine.
WHAT A NEW MACHINE COULD DO
An open attempt by the Governor 10
ouild up his own machine, however,
would have a tremendous effect all over
the State, especially IL the Wares should
stand with him In a fight against Nc
Niehol and Crow. With Finn, j. Denny
oNell' another possible ally, and inde-
pendent Republicans in Allegheny, with
he washington party members, and In
uependent Republicans in other parts OF
.he State and with the Wares and the
Ihdependents in Philadelphia, Governor
sfumbaugh would have a State machine
.hst, In the opinion of many legislators,
would put up a stiff fight with a strong
and Crow.
senator Penrose is expected to take no
open part in any fight that might develop,
put he would. of course, throw his in
huenee TO McNichol and Crow. the latter
Oliver.
=, open revolt OF the Legislature against
sne Governor is now expected as a result
" the break between the Governor and
ele Organization leaders last night, and
alignment
senators Ware and McNichol had a
snort snort heart-to-heart' talk with Governor
ofumoaugh this morning in an effort 10
smooth over the present crisis. At the
soheiusion of the conference none of the
paluelpants would say that anything had
zen accomplished toward preventing an
ppen break between the Governor and the
"spupilean ~ Organization leaders.
:, ne Senate Committee on Executive
examinations, which is composed of all
ne Senate leaders, was to have conferred
Hith the fanVEruar, foaaxg I,s.a fho ,naFar-