Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-14
LOCAL OPTION TO
GET FAIR CHANCE
Hearing Will Be Held in Spite
of Assertions to the
Contrary

Two of the greatest developments
in the fight for local option in Penn
sylvania for years were uncovered to-
day when it was learned that organ
lied labor through International Busi-
ness Agent Andrew T. Mcnamara, of
the Machinists'. would speak for the
Nickersham local option bill in the
House hearing next Wednesday and
that David Hardy, of McKeesport, a
wholesale dealer, was evidently acting
for the liquor interests, or at, least,
the predominating faction Among
them, and is carrying on the negotia-
tions from the wet" side of the
street and assuring the "drys' that
they will not be interfered with in
their desire to address the hearing.
Representative william C. Wagner,
of Allegheny county, is chairman of
the House committee on Law ond Or
der, to which committee the Wicker
man bill was committed. Mr.. Wagner
has not favored a hearing on the bill
and at the present time is not overly
Keen to have it. His attitude is that
there should be no speech making but
State Insurance Commissioner ]. Dem
ny O'Neil, has been requesting q full
and open hearing in the matter and
he is backed by the dry" forces of
the Keystone State. Incidentally,
Speaker Baldwin, who is not mum ber-
ed among the local option advocates,
has steadfastly advocated free and
open hearings on all Legislative mat
ters and said that his attitude on the
local option bill was the same as on
all other legislation. At one time lit
looked like breach among the liquor
forces, not as to votes on the bill but
as to the method by which the hear
ing should be conducted and Mr..
Hardy now is apparently in the saddle
in the House as far as the liquor inter-
ests are concerned and is representing
the conservative element which also
wields the power. He has not in any
way showed any sympathy for the
dry" propaganda but he has made it
plain that next weeks hearing will be
like those of previous sessions. This
schism in the liquor forces is quite un-
usual though the most ardent local
opttonist does not think it will cause
any of those claimed by the "wets" to
shift to the dry" camp. However, the
dove of peace is winging it's way over
the camps of the two factions in the
vets" and evidently finding il a hard
job to find asylum. Mt. Hardy is the
liquor chieftain and outside of being
chairman of the powerful Law and
Order committee Representative Wag-
ner seems to be temporarily outside
the walls. However, he will be placat-
ed because the general wet" going is
too precarious these days for any of
the supporters of that interest to be
allowed to get off the reservation.
The acquisition of Mr.. Mcnamara
to the local option ranks is significant
as it is being explained by the option
lists as harbinger of where labor will
eventually line up. He has been active
in industrial matters in Western Penn
sylvania, being especially prominent in
the business affairs of the machinists
in the Turtle Creek Valley last year.
He has countrywide reputation in
labor. The other speakers for both
sides have not been announced It is
expected that Chairman Wagner will
preside at the meeting because the
liquor men wisely want the entire af-
fair carried off with as little noise as
possible and are calling on the Mt.
Oliver man to take in his horns
The predictions here on the vote on
local option do not show the "drys"
have much of a chance. 1t takes 104
votes to pass bill in the House and
some of the strongest dry" advocates
claim they will be doing very we'll to
muster so for local option. The uues-
ton of a Statewide prohibition
amendment is thought to be several
votes stronger in the House than
local option.