Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-28
Ehrntttg Gllat


ing grace and there are a good many
| pleasant incidents occurring in the
present legislative speakership turmoil
to make one forget the rancor of the
statements which are put out for pub
lie consumption. The other evening
when the rival clans met iE the Com
monwealth Hotel they indulged in con-
siderable badinage about what was go
ing to happen and it is whispered that
a few bets Were made. Yesterday
morning when Richard J. Baldwin
went to breakfast in the Common
wealth Hotel he found Congressman
John r. X. Scott, Director William Fl.
| Wilson, eX-Representative d. j. Shern
and Representative e. r. Cox, the
mainstays of the Cox headquarters,
having the morning meal. Mr.. Bald
win sat down at the same table and
anyone being around would hardly
have considered them the big figures
in one of the fiercest contests known
In years in Pennsylvania legislative
affairs. In the afternoon the con-
gresham visited the Baldwin head
quarters to assure the Delaware man
that the opposition had not over
looked him. but had been busy, where
upon he was told that 1t did not need
visits to give assurances of undying
| friendship. Later on Scott met Charles
Johnson, former Insurance Commits
sioner, and informed him that he had
better look out. as he was trying to
steal some of his members in Mont
gomery. Occasionally the leaders have
aRlt ~ 2, Il h..
of kidding" that has been going on in
the Commonwealth Hotel is something
rich.
One reason why the speakership is
so eagerly sought is that the Speaker
will have the power of naming COM
mittees. which he did not have in 1913,
although the House voted 1T back to
| MIN last session. In addition the
| Speaker is the main man in the slate
committee, WHICH parcels out about
a hundred offices for the session, in
cluding some of the leading legislative
ornaments in the way of pastors. fold
ers and watchmen. The Speaker is
the most powerful man in the Legis-
lature. as on his nod depends whether
a bill will get read.
| City School Superintendent f. f.
Downes, who made the address of well
come at the meeting of the state teach
ers yesterday, gave a history of the
! organization which surprised many
who were not aware of the length of
life of the association and of the i'm
portant part it has played in the edu-
cational legislation of the State. DIR.
Downes has made quite study of the
problem and was comp1imented by
some of the educators present upon
his review and on the way in which
he brought Harrisburg to the atten-
ton of his hearers.
The action of the Bethlehem Steel
Company management in giving each
employe of the big Steelton plant Il
Safety First" calendar is part of the
work which has made the Bethlehem
system one of the greatest in the
world. Indeed. the safety first aid
and emergency methods of the plant
at South Bethlehem have been held up
as models and the results have been
discussed in all the States and in Eu-
rope. The efforts of the State and
corporations to inculcate the import
ance of Better Safe Than Sorss
will be far reaching.
Lew r. Palmer chief of the Bureau
of Factory Inspection, who is the head
of the National Safety Council, is one
of the first men to take up that line. He
became interested in safety soon after
leaving Princeton and was one of the
first men in the country to get the
title Of Safety Engineer" For time
the old mill men and the executives of
the old school regarded the safety
movement as a fad, but the change in
the order of things began to tell as
soon as the safety pioneers showed re-
suits. Now there Is more care than
for safety of hands than precaution
4 against fire in practically every plant
run on an intelligent basis in the
country. A Tip" from a safety expert
gets faster attention than an order
from fire insurance inspector.
|
Many inquiries are still being made
about the vote cast for various candi-
dates at the November election. The
other day half a dozen inquiries were
made as to how the vote for presiden-
tial electors and Supreme Court justice
| compared with the vote for Auditor
General or United States senator. APP
parently some people had bets or else
they were seeking information but the
inquiries came from different sections
and at varying intervals. George d.
Thorn, chief clerk to the Secretary of
the Commonwealth, is the court of
last resort.
A case of unusual interest which is
to be taken up by the Public Service
Commission next week will attract the
attention of everyone who is connected
with u summer camp or who has had
trials and tribulationS with q rural
telephone line. A Paterson (N. j.
pastor has complained that the service
of q Pike county line was no good and
he gives numerous reasons which indi-
cate that he had trouble most of the
summer. The hearing promises to at
tract much attention from people who