Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-18
Poet;c4 i~
Pe~~oqeso~io
By the Ex-Committeeman

Rivalry for control of the trend
of legislation" in the next general as
sembly, as Governor Brumbaugh has
designated the contest for the speaker
ship of the next House of Representa-
tives, has gotten to a stage unknown
in Pennsylvania politics in twenty
years and claims and counter claims
have been filling the air with sugges-
tions of radical changes in legislative
methods and threats of official be-
headings and reprisals.
Senator Penrose has answered the
Governors declaration that he would
not wait for legislative action to probe
wrongdoing in any department by
saying that the Governor will probably
be furnished with information and
Auditor General-elect Snyder has
given forth some intimations that he
is making some Investigations on his
own account.
Richard j. Baldwin issued a claim
Saturday in which he said that he had
information less than three days
old'' that he would have 110 votes.
Senator Penrose said that Baldwin
would win in walk. Representative
Cox said that his election was cinch
and Senator Ware declared the Bald
win claims absurd" Friends of
George w. Williams say he is gather
ing up votes and that the influential
Altoona Tribune is for him. The
Democrats are looking on and pre-
pairing to fish up what they can from
troubled waters. And if the ruction
goes on the fishing will be good. The
Democrats are looking forward to
1918 just as are the State administra-
ton men who want to name Cover
nor Brumbaugh's successor, a Job
which the Penrose people also fancy.
Senator Penrose drove a blow at
the county caucus plan on Saturday
when he said apropos of the Phila-
delphia caucus that it would not bnd
anyone. Seventeen Philadelphians, he
said, are signed up for Baldwin. The
Governor says that is not so. Senator
Ware says it is ridiculous" Senator
Penrose persists.
Congressman John r. X. Scott
saws that CoX's election is a foregone
conclusion and that he is now consid-
ering legislation. Scott is candidate
for Governor in 1918, If certain
Brumbaugh. official is not, in which
event he will run in 1922. Hence
Scott's prominence.
Senator Penrose and his friends
intimated on Saturday that they
would put a crimp in the veto power
| of the Governor" as the Philadelphia
Record says, by passing the appropri-
| alton bills in the middle of the session
and having the House sit in review OF
| the vetoes instead of dumping them
all on the Governor and going home
/ A1. lit, 41,A hnY1 de Of "a
ernor. This suggestion has been heard
biennially since 1874, but it drew
blood from the administration side
| Just the same because Scott came out
with a clarion call to adopt system of
hospital appropriations to be worked
out by commission.
For years this systematizing oil
hospital appropriations has been
urged, but Scott's sudden espousal OF
it seems something like a grasp for
a life preserver when a submarine
heaves in sight. Scott in a long state
ment says: "It is manifestly impossi-
BILE for the appropriation committee
to which are referred thousands OF
bills calling for appropriations to char
table and semipuhlic institutions In
the short space of time allotted to II
to make a proper investigation as to
the needs and requirements of each
institution. Usually the amount of the
| dependent upon the political complex
lon and influence of the member rep
resenting the district In which the In
stitution Is located. Each member
feels that 1t is his bounden duty to OBJ.
tain as large appropriations as posi-
BILE for the institutions in his district
and many of them feel that their ser.
vice to their constituents is measured
by the amount and number of such
appropriations. Log rolling is the In
eVitable result"
The Democratic legislative con-
ference adjourned late on Saturday
afternoon with the determination to
stick together and not to vote for any
Republican candidate for speaker nc
matter how great the temptation. Two
Democratic members, Isherwood and
Bell, were reported as inclined to vote
for Cox, but seemed to have given up
the idea when they heard the strong