The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-05-07
ovERWoRKING THE GOVERNOR

While there appears to be little likelihood of
adoption this year OF any one OF the plans that
have been suggested for rearranging the time for
holding the biennial sessions of the Legislature so
&tlat they will not be opened coincidenty with the
of new governor, there some
|forceful arguments that can be advanced IN favor
'pf some such readjustment at future time.
In a recent semi-public utterance Governor Brum-
.baugh said that when he went into office last Janu
larry he had made up his mind personally to read
+eyery bill that came to him from the Legislature
a thing that he has thus far succeeded in doing,
but he admitted that, by reason of the immense
emount of time and expenditure of mental energy
that this plan involves, he has many times been
tempted to break his resolution. 1t is common
knowledge that the Governor has devoted night
.after night to burning the midnight oil in
Inning carefully every of the hundreds of pro-
posed laws sent to him by the Legislature for his
approval re- lection, notwithstanding the vast
amount of other very important work that falls to
the lot Of any governor at the outset of his ad-
ministration.
The benefit that the Commonwealth derives from
this painstaking scrutiny on the part Of the Gov
ernor of every measure that is offered to him for
final determination as to whether it shall find
place the statute books is, believe, generally
admitted. Governor Brumbaugh could, as the gov
ernors of many other states do, depend on the
Judgment of his advisors in passing some of the
bills, but few if any persons will take the ground
that it is not far better for the Governor person
ally to know the meaning of every line in the
measures he passes on.
But while Governor Brumbaugh is doing this
work thoroughly, besides attending to thou
sand and one other duties that absolutely must be
performed by him, result is bound to be that he
will not have the same amount of time and mental
energy to devote to many important matters that
arise outside of the business of the legislative halls
Governor Brumbaugh is only human. He can do
only certain amount of work in day, even if he
prolongs his working day to 16 to 18 hours of the
"a. When he has the Legislature on his hands at
the outset of his administration he is bound to be
compelled to let important things hang fire
until after adjournment of the lawmakers which,
without session, he would have been able to dis
pose of long ago.
/! We need only point to the of the Public
Service Commission in which, the Governor has
made it evident, he plans some readjustments. If
it had not been that the Legislatures work had
occupied much of his time he could doubtless,
by now have had the Public Service Commission
readjustments made 1t may perhaps be assumed
that the Governor has in mind other departmental
changes readjustments that he plans to make
but on which he also has had to defer action while
reading bills from the Legislature.
If the time for holding Legislative sessions were
Shifted so as to fall six months or a year later
han it does succeeding governors would not have
10 be confronted with the necessity of crowding
10 much important work in few brief months or
TO postpone pressing administrative matters, as un-
der the present arrangement.