Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-25
Ehpntttp Olrat

Statewide Good Roads Day which
PENNSYLVANIA is observing to-day as
far as weather permits, started in Ne
oraska. The idea is about ten years
old and now most of the Western
States have a day in the year on which
the men of the Commonwealths. from
the wealthiest and the highest in office
TO the poorest and the plain citizens,
go out and work on the roads. Where
they can not work they pay for mate
RAJ, tools, teams and even for labor.
The main thing is to get rid of bad
places and the systematic pounding at
some spots which have been COM
plalned OF year after year has resulted
IN elimination of the worst places
me scheme spread to the eastern
states and was taken up by Ohio and
others. In this State Washington
county was the first to take up the
idea ana county good roads day was
lnaugurated in 1914. 1t was such a
success that the late Highway Com
missioner Robert j. Cunningham, who
was the county controller of Allegheny
at the time, observed it and last year
got Governor Brumbaugh to issue a
proclamation setting aside May 26.
thousands and thousands of men went
out to work on the roads and State
wide Good Roads Day became a fix
ture. 1t is believed that the record of
last year will be surpassed to-day if
the weather does not interfere, In
TINS part of the State the day is a great
event and is an occasion of neighbor-
mood gatherings, but in Western coun-
ties whole communities take the day
OH TO work on the highways.
Mayor Miles b. Kits, of Erie a form
er legislator who is we'll known to
many people here, was in Harrisburg
yesterday to see Farley Gannett, the
engineer, regarding the plans for the
improvement of the sanitary and
drainage conditions in the lake city.
Mr. Kits was elected last winter in
spectacular campaign and has taken
! hold of his work with as much earn
estness as he used to labor in the Leg
tslature and will be a vigorous mayor.
lie tells some interesting stories of the
way the S1,5O0,000 loan for the i'm
! Iprovements was carried. Like in the
elections for the loans in Harrisburg
years ago there were outcroppings of
opposition but the people in charge
made use of the movies" the minstrel
shows, the theaters, handbills. bill
boards, decorated wagons and other
means to illustrate the advantages
of the loan. The result was that it
carried by a fine majority and the city
will be a great deal better off in the
end and the people glad they author
lied the work.
Mayor kits, of Erie, enjoys the dis
tinction of being the only man elected
mayor of a Pennsylvania city, and per-
haps, of any city, on February 20. He
was chosen mayor at a special election
after strenuous fight in which he de-
feated a strong coalition against him.
Nhn n rln cd ~lA
personal friend and whom Mr.. Kits
had supported, died before taking of.
| flee and the legislator was chosen to
succeed him. Mr.. kits is a lawyer,
having studied law while teaching
school and is a self-made man, whose
strong character has made him some
enemies. However he showed his
sense when he took office and when he
found the loans were facing a fight by
getting the men of all factions abou:
him and the result was a campaign as
much to his credit as to the city.
The Spring visiting season is on in
full force at the State Capitol and
every afternoon nowadays there are
people at the big building from many
of the surrounding counties. Yester-
| day afternoon there were probably
thirty automobiles filled with people
at the Capitol, each one containing
people from within fltty miles. Spring
appears to be the favorite time for tha,
people in this section of the State to
come to the Capitol, while the auto
mobile parties from farther on take
the summer days.
The session of the State Board of
Pardons yesterday afternoon was one
of the longest to be held in months.
1t was evidence that summer is COM
ing and that the lawyers are anxious
to get the lists clear of cases. The
next session of the Board will be the
last until Fall and it will probably be
another heavy one. The action of
Lieutenant-G Governor McClain in limit
ing arguments enabled the Board to
get through with its task.
]. Henry Scattergood, of Pbiladel-
phia, who was here yesterday to see
the Governor, has long been promi-
nent in Philadelphia political affairs
from the legal side. He was one of
the members of the first board of reg
istration commissioners.
Senator Horace w. Schantz, of Le-
high county, the first Republican SEN
ator from that county in over a GEN.
tury, was here yesterday attending the
meeting of the State Board of Par
dons The Senator is the Republican
candidate for Congress in that stalwart