Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-01-18
EVENING CHAT

Tener will turn over to Governor elect
Brumbaugh late this afternoon and
where the Philadelphia educator will
reside for the next four years has been
the official home of Pennsylvania's
| Governors since the days of Andrew q.
/ curtin. From the days of Simon Sny-
der, VINO was tnaugurated December
| 20, 1918, as the first Governor to take
the oath in Harrisburg, until Civil
War days the State made little or no
provision for the residence of its ex-
ecutives. The earliest mention of an
! otnclal residence is in a description of
| early Harrisburg about 1890. it is
stated that Chief Justice Mexican re-
sided here, living In a substantial log
house in North Front street where the
residence of Mrs. Lyman d. Gilbert
stands. Mention is made of several
! Governors having their homes about
| Front and Locust streets, but there
| was change with every admins
| tration. Governor Porter lived in Mar
ket street in a house remembered by
| older Harrisburgers. Governor Skunk
/ lived in Front near Walnut, where the
| Gross residence stands, probably the
| same house. Governors johnson and
| Pollock lived in Front just south of
| Market and Governor BigIer in Mar
/ ket about where Dives, Pomeroy &
! Stewards store begins. When Packer
/ was Governor the mansion was located
| IN the Spicer property in South Second
| street where so many of the Pennsyl-
Vania Civil War regiments received
their colors from the hands of Curtin.
! In the early sixties the city of Harris
! burg appropriated $4,000 and bought
| the property of Wells Coverly at Front
| and Barberry. Soon after the adjoin-
ing property was acquired and the two
were thrown together and the State.
remodeled them and furnished them.
1 ft.N,
! tensively remodeled. Since Curtin's
| day II has been the Executive Man
J sion, maintained by the Common
| wealth.
: Many kind things have been said
aoout Governor Tener by people con-
nected with the State government and
many compliments have been given
/ him for his action on laws of impor-
tance to the State at large, but of all
that has been said to him he doubtless
| appreciates very much thanks which
| nave been rendered him at almost
! every turn in the Capitol the last Week
| oy the force of caretakers. 1t is re-
called by many Harrisburgers that
! until few years ago the force of men
| employed about the Capitol was in a
| more or less unbusinesslike form. Sue
cesslVe superintendentsh had endeavored
| 10 get the Legislature to designate the
positions and salaries, but nothing was
done, and men had to be employed
from contingent and other funds Gov
ernor Tener not only succeeded in get
| ting all of the caretaking force prop
| erly lSted, but arranged their salaries
| on a fair basis. 1t was the first time
| such an act had been passed in many
years and it brought a sense of Sc
| curlty to holders of places and of
| Sratlncation to others who got increase
| OF pay. These men and women have
been thanking the Governor for his
/ interest in their behalf and the Gov
ernor has shown genuine pleasure at
what they have said.
Governor-elect Brumbaugh in the
course of remark at Philadelphia
| the other day cleared up what has
| oeen more or less of a misconception
IN the minds of people not familiar
| with legislative procedure. There had
| been some things printed about his in
augural address and then a reference
| 10 the message he will deliver to the
| Legislature. As a matter of fact, the
| new Governors inaugural address will
ne also his message to the Legislature.
| II was so with Hastings, Stone, Penny
! packer. Stuart and Tener. The Gov
| ernor mas the right to communicate
10 the Legislature what he pleases
| When he pleases and how he pleases
| Dr. BrumbauSh is going to follow the
! precedent and anything further he will
| nave TO say will go in written form i'm
a special message as Governor Tener
did with the chestnut tree blight
proposition.
People who have followed the in
| augural ceremonies of years gone by
Will doubtless recall the fact that Rem
/ Jamln Hoover. the man who was driver
\ or the inaugural carriages of four Gov
! ernors In the inauguration professions.
uled Just about two years ago Ren
/ hoover was coachman for James
| McCoTmick for years and was known
ABOUT the city for his fondness for ami
| mas. He was canal boat driver
| When ne was a boy and after working
| Tor the Harrisburg Car Company was
driver for the Citizen Fire Companv
| 1hen he entered the service of William
| calder and was the proud driver of
| the four-in-hand carriages at the in
! ausuratlon OF Governors Geary, Hart
| rant Tor both terms, Beaver and Pat
| tison in the second inaugural He
really drove the carriage for Pattison's
| nrst inaugural, but the Governor elect
| decided to walk to the Capitol. and the
| carriage went up the street with its
escort without any occupant. In addi-
| ton to driving these Governors TO the
| Capitol it fell to Ben's lot to drive the
hearse containing the body of Gov
| ernor Geary. who died three weeks
after his term expired. The expert-
ness OF Hoover's driving was the rea-
son for his selection for these duties
| Everyone knew how he loved horses
| and story is told of how once when
the ice on the Susquehanna broke a
| Few hours after Hoover had driven
| across it with a four-horse sleigh he
! almost cried when he thought of the
! narrow escape of his horses. Ben died
| almost two years ago to the day and
| after he had retired as a driver of
! Governors he was always around To
/ see the manner the guSernatoriaI car
! riage was handled.
! Governor Tener declared last night
10 group of newspapermen that he
was qualified for two lines of work i'm
order to keep the wolf from the door
now that he is going out of office. IT
/ nave all the requisites to be a NOM
ber of the State Grange and the Broth y
erhood OF Locomotive Engineers" said
/ he. When I was a kid | thresbed
wheat with fail, and that's more,
than you fellows have ever done And
furthermore, have done it without
hitting myself on the head. And 7
have also run a locomotive. | ran ona
when L worked in an iron works at
Pittsburgh when l was young man -
/ WELL KNOWN PEOPLE
--E&-oenator 5ayard Henry was