Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-26
Fight for Humanitarian
Legislation Will Have an
Issue This Week and Out
come Depends on New
Alignment Of Leaders.
Measures Are in Committee,
Where They Have Been Kept
Pending Fate Of Williams
Local Option Bill - Speedy
Action Expected.
BIZ a stad oorrespondent

HARRISBURG, April 2s.-The final
rounds in Governor Brumbaugh's fight
tor the enactment OF a child labor and q
workmen's compensation law will be
,oueht out in the Legislature this week,
I-pon the result of the last stages of the
Executive's battle for this humanitarian
legislation depends n new alignment OF
leaders in the Republican party in Penn
sylvania.
Roth the Cox child labor bill and the
administration workmen's compensation
measure are now in committee in the
Senate. They have been in committee
there for two weeks, pending the fate
N the Williams local option bill, and the
attitude Of the Governor toward the Sem
ate leaders following the defeat of that
measure
Roth measures will be reported out this
week, II is expected. The judiciary
Special (picklng) Committee of the SEN
ale, which has the child labor bill, will
meet tonight to take action on that meas
ure. The Corporations Committee of the
Senate, which has the compensation bills,
"a scheduled to meet tomorrow to report
that measure.
MANUFACTURERS FIGHT.
The manufacturers have made q bitter
fight to have both measures amended in
Senate committees, and the Senate lead
srs, with the exception of Senators Ware
and McNichol, who have pledged their
assistance to Governor Brumbaugh, are
inclined to support the amendments de-
sired by the manufacturers.
Should either or both of these measures
come out of committee amended, as the
employers have asked, 1t will mean that
the leaders of the Penrose-Crow faction
in the Republican party in this State
are carrying the fight to the Governor,
and 1t will mean a flight to the fnlsh,"
as the executive has said, until the Re-
publican party in Pennsylvania has been
reiuvenated under a new leadership, that
of Governor Brumbaugh himself.
The Republican Organization leaders
have served notice on the Governor that
4 II he runs along" with them in patron
age, as well as in legislative matters, they
will not 60 out of their way to embarrass
him. y
They are assuming the attitude that the
defeat of local option In the House last
Wednesday was personal defeat for the
Governor and his policies.
GOVERNORS ATTITUDE.
Governor Brumbaugh, however, has ac-
cepted the defeat of the Williams bill as
being only temporary setback in his
fight for local option. and already has
taken steps to continue the fight. He Is
personally directing the formulation of
plans for the election of a Legislature
next year that will be pledged TO the en-
aotment of a local option law. The mem
bers Of the House who voted against the
local option bill, and especially the 30
Representatives who promised him that
they would vote for the bill last Wednes-
day, but who voted against the measure,
viii be the principal men against whom
the Governor will campaign in their own
districts next spring.
The Legislature this week will get
down to the closing business of the ses-
sion. The child labor and the compensa-
ton measures are the only important
ones still before the Assembly. They
probably will be acted on speedily, so
that the Legislature may adjourn about
the middle of May.
The last of the appropriation bills will
be reported from the committee the first
Of this week, and they will be rushed
through the branches in which they orig
mated, so that they can go to the ap-
propriation committees of the other
branches as soon as possible.