Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-11
FRANK BLACK RESIGNS
AS HIGHWAY CHIEF
TContlnued From First Page ]

q
jected to as political by the Com
missioner.
Letter of Resignation
Mr.. Blacks letter is as follows:
Harrisburg, Aug. IL, 1917.
Honorable NJ. G. Brumbaugh,
Wayne, Maine.
My dear Sir:
I wish to acknowledge receipt OF
your letter of the second instant in
which you request my resignation as
Highway Commissioner of Pennsylva-
mia, effective August fifteenth.
In defense of myself and my friends
generally throughout the state. 1 feel
it my duty to make the following
statement:
The reasons as set forth in your let
ter, especially those pertaining to the
manner Of oiling roads. are so ridicu-
lously small and Insignificant that
they are not worthy of reply.
AS for your other reasons pertain
ing to the matter Of legislation, would
saw that you have on file in your Of
flee complete reports of all legisla-
tion affecting the Highway Depart
ment and a reference to these Will
show our suggestions as to what TO
do with the same. You had full
department before taking any action.
statement of the policy of the depart
ment in which the distribution of all
funds to which you now take eNcep-
ton. l want to say that l intend
publishing this list, as prepared, ana
let the public be the judge whether L
am right or wrong. Your criticism
of this method of procedure is not
well taken, as you touch it in too
small a way. 1t is a proposition that
affects the entire state and the people
are certainly entitled to know what
disposition is being made OF the
money appropriated to this depart
ment.
Governor as Censor
AS YOU requested. this statement
was presented to you before being
given out for publication and, mas
much as you disapproved of the same
and | did not allow it to be publish
ed. l certainly cannot see that l have
been unfair to you and any criticism
as to censorship certainly must rest
with you.
The policy of the department as to
the distribution of it's funds has been
announced from time to time, as you
know, and is we'll known to the pub
lie, that policy being that the money
would be divided equitably and that
each county would get its just pro-
portion. l gather from your letter
that YOU do not desire to treat all the
counties fairly and evidently wish the
money parceled out to favorites. The
fact that many counties have offered
to meet the state on n "hfty-htty'
basis in the construction of state
highway routes is an indication that
the State Highway Department has
the confidence of the public, and If
the money appropriated is to be used
for political purposes it will subject
the department to endless criticism
and will be crime for which you
and your political advisers VIII nave
to answer. Since 1 have been in Of
fee there has been no mystery con-
nected with the Highway Department
and it's work has been known to you
as well as to the public generally.
Real Issue "BeclOudep'
The way l look at this proposition
is that all the statements made by
you are made with a view of becloud-
ing the real issue for requesting my
resignation. 1t has been my aim to
run the department along business
lines instead of being used as po-
litical asset l have refused consis-
tently, as is well known to yourself
and your close political associates, to
turn the department into political
machine. At your own personal or
der, contrary to the judgment and ad-
vice of the department, 1 appointed
four superintendents whose appoint
ments were insisted upon by you sole
ly for political reasons, to take the
place of men of experience, and in
each case these appointees very soon
realized their inability to handle the
work and resigned voluntarily. which
simply illustrates what 1t would mean
IL the work of the department were
handled along political lines.
Continuous efforts have been made
during my administration to force
changes and removals for political
reasons. the practice of which l could
not countenance. Such methods tend
to completely demoralize any organi-
zation, because of consistently chang
ing Ineffective and inefficient per-
sonnel and In this way the depart
ment must lose the confidence of the
taxpaylng public.
Inasmuch as every indication points
to the fact that 1t Is your idea that
the work of the Highway Department