Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-22
IOCAL OPTION BILL
HAS SLIGHT CHANCE OF
PASSAGE THIS SESSION
Members of General AS
sembly in Defiant Mood
About the Attitude of
Governor Brumbaugh on
Pending Measure.

uApRIsBURG, March 22-Chances for
ii anton legislation at this session
!, ,hs General Assembly apparently ARE
e,immering." However mucn of
sOss nsoot this statement may he to the
,sscstes of the local option cause. II
= ,hs consensus of opinion among eX-
h.,anced observers of legislative affairs
Kat such is the case
u,ss,snds of the local option movement,
x we're none too optimistic at the
va.,,ne of the Assembly's sessions in
yisusry. found comfort and encourage
s..nt as the session progressed. because
~ renorts of the strength of the tenn
VANCE sentiment throughout the State
kssy felt that the home folks" of
IN Iawmakcr would bring such pres
,ro IN bear, In the event of reason
M iocal option bill being introduced
80, many waverin5 legislators would
\, forced to vote for the measure. The
s,snment of these waverers, together
In The support of the out-and-out local
,n,Ion legislators would, they thought,
~ uflcicnt to pass a local option bill
.ysn through the Senate. About its fate
n the House Of REPRESENTATIVES, they
hslleyed there could be little or no doubt.
GOVERNORS FIRM ATTITUDE
what lent strength to their confidence
,,sa the firm attitude assumed by Gov
amor BrumbauEh, who most emphatically
,snsved his campaign pledges of sup
nort to the local option program. It
vas felt tnat his powerful influence,
added to the apparent sweep of public
ssntlment and the known support among
legislators themselves, assured the Sue
rsss of a local option bill
various canvasses of the legislative
voe were made. and it was confidently
asserted that county unit law could
be passed.
In the meantime the liquor men were
saying very little, but working diligently
N onend their fences" For publication
and In private they declared, when they
ala talk entire confidence in their abil-
Nv 10 defeat any local option bill. Even
IN the House, they assert. l40 votes were
nledged, publicly or privately, to vote
aEainst such measure. About the SEN
ale they felt even more confident. mot
a chance was their final word when
dIscussng the local options position in
the upper house.
Later on they cut the estimate of their
pledged vote in the House of Represent
atives to Ill, constitutional majority of
seven, In that body. But while conceding
some losses, the liquor men have more
recently become louder in their claims of
SUCCESS in blocking local option law.
Now they openly proclaim that the move
ment is virtually defeated for this session
Of the Legislature at least.
That their assertion will prove to be
we'll founded seems entirely probable.
Even the power of the Governor to en-
force his wishes on the lawmakers ia
seriously questioned,
Two views of Governor Brumbaugh's
position are freely expressed. One of them
gives the Governor credit for sincerity;
the other puts him in the light of a skill
full politician, excepting in line" with the
Republican party leaders, while at the
same time appearing to keep faith with
the people to whom his public pledges
have been made.
LEGISLATORS IN DEFIANT MOOD.
One of these views, both of them merely
surmises, is that Governor BrumbauEhs
official acts, as well as his less public
relations with legislators, have been so
to the lawmakers that,
when the issue is drawn, he will find
he can no longer command them; that
they will not seek to avoid an open |
breach with the Executive. but rather |
court II, in order to ''get even" for what
they regard as 'scores to be settled by |
killing one of the Governors pet measures
and incidentally doing the will OF the !
leaders, who are as anxious as they, not |
only to defeat local option, but also to
rebuke to Governor Brum-
baugh In fact, it is generally believed |
that open defiance of his wishes Is to be |
expected
The second view of the situation is that |
he Governor has a working agreement
With the leaders. whereby he is at lib |
,rfy IN urpe the local ODtion program |
n the open, thereby going as far as he |
nay, legally, to redeem his pledges |
while at the same time the Organization |
leaders,, having both the desire and the |
nauence to kill local option, will do so. |
full responsibility for their acts
md relieving the Governor of any odium |
rising theTefrom
With this uncertainty about the sltua-
ion existing, neither side of the local
pti0n controversy is remitting any |
horts. The quiet work of the liquor
obby goes merrlly on and the temperance
eople of the Commonwealth continue to
lurry petitions for a local option law to
helr representatives i'm the Assembly.
with both sides expressing the utmost
onhdence. there seems to be little doubt
nat bitter fight is in prospect. And
Is the attitude OF the lawmakers them
eWes toward Governor BrumbauGh
mich seems to indicate that the local
puon program Is doomed to failure, un-
'ss the demand of constituents upon
helr legislative representatives. shall be-
one SO overwhelming that the law
Makers are literally frightened into ac-
9leseence with the popular demand.
" y snort, as 1t now appears, local option
on the skids," and II Is DIP to the peo-
le themselves to rescue 1t.