Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-04-05
EVENING CHAT

Harrisburg being q State capital is
Ipretty well used to demonstrations of a
lpublic character, especially In favor of
Legislation, and every session in the last
two decades has produced at least a
big outpouring of people, but it is
doubtful whether anything attempted
heretofore will approach the demon
stration planned for the city to-mor-
row. For 1t should be remembered
that while some of the most eminent
men of the Commonwealth, men of
great. talent for organization, have laid
the plans for the pilgrimage to Harris
burg OF the hosts in support of local
option that there will be an effort
made by those opposed to the legisla-
ton to make a counter demonstration
and in some communities at least, men
affiliated with the "wets" will endea-
vor to match the delegations of the
| drys. The interest in the hearing
to be held has been well workedSup,
and properly so, but there will doubt
less be many people here who will ex-
pect to see the local option bill in
the hands of the Governor before they
leave the city. The average man does
not understand, apparently, that near
ings are but preliminary to committee
action on bills and while the size of
a crowd has big effect, all the people
of Pennsylvania massed on the banks
of the Susquehanna could not pass the
bill, the organic law providing that a
measure must be read three times on
three separate days in each house.
But there is no question but that the
demonstration tomorrow will speed
on the bill. The misconceptions about
| legislative procedure are as varied as
| it is possible for them to be and
courses in civil government are ap-
parently needed in the schools, judging
from many remarks heard at the Capt.
tol during rush" days.
But to return to demonstrations.
This year local option will be the big
thing. The trainmen and conductors
| last week had a real sizable demon
stration and the compensation and
other bills had notable hearings, but
their crowds did not touch the mass
of people that gathered to support the
opponents of the full crew law. Last
| session the All-Philadelphia bills
brought to Harrisburg several thou
sand Philadelphians for speech-mak-
ing fest and the year before the Pitts
burgh-Scranton bills resulted in a
demonstration that was worth while,
not only in point of numbers, but from
the makeup of the delegation. In
1909 local option jammed the Capitol
on the occasion of a big hearing, which
was followed by immediate committee
action on the bill Pure food and local
option were the occasions of big dem
curiously enough in that year the To-
cal option bill got the highest num-
ber of votes ever known for it in the
House. On the question of putting
the bill on the calendar the vote was
80 to %. One vote separated the
"wets" and the "drys." Since then the
vote of the local optionists has been
going back, but this is another year
and there will be different tale to
| tell. Old-timers, as those who survive
a dozen sessions are known, recall the
days of Magee and Finn, who were
past masters in getting up demonstra-
tions and who used to bring to the city
delegations during sessions of the Leg
islature to show how deeply the people
felt on certain legislative matters, the
feeling of the people being more or
less graded by the number of passes.
Legislative demonstrations, like
! those made during political conven-
tions undoubtedly have their uses,
but in the present day of no passes
they are n mighty strong indication of
! how deeply the hackers feel on bills
| 1t is doubtful if anything in recent
years can touch the local option dem
onstration which has interested rich
| and poor, manufacturer, skilled man
and laborer. Religious and social CEN
ters when stirred up on any PROPOSE
| tion vital to welfare are capable of
producing surprises.
1t was an odd sight that people who
were about Union Station saw yester-
day morning during the brilliant sun
shine. Train after train came into the
city from the East with cars covered
by snow. Some of the trains arriving
early yesterday morning looked as
though they had been in the midst of
blizzards, while freight cars going west
were plastered with snow as they or
dinarily appear in the depth of win
ter. Reading trains that came in last
night left this morning with snow still
clinging to the roofs of cars.
While farmers in Chester and Mont
gomery were digging their way
through snow to go out and feed the
stock Saturday afternoon, farmers in
Susquehanna township were plough
ing and folks in the Swatara
were making garden. People who took
automobile rides through the country
Saturday afternoon remarked the fact
that farmers were not bothering about
the winds or the chill air, but were
getting the ground ready for Spring
sowing. Unfortunately the ground is
pretty dry, but the April showers are
due. Possibly the heavy snow in the
eastern counties will be a great bene-
fit for it will result in lots of moisture,
something that is needed hereabouts
if things are to bloom. Some of the
fields that were narrowed on Saturday
during the high winds were almost
hidden by the clouds of dust.
The high winds of Saturday did not
daunt lovers of sport and there were
numerous games of scrub" played on
improvised diamonds on vacant lots,
while every golf course had its devo-
tees banging against the ball and driv-
ing into the wind. Even the tennis
players undertook to get in little fun,
but they found the courts not in any
kind of shape for starting the season.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE