Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-29
PoeIica i~
Pe~~o4eSo"io
By the Ex-Committeeman

The proposed legislative check upon
governors and mayors who seek to dis
miss officials for political reasons, n
measure born of the abrupt changes
made in the State government just
prior to the speakership contest last
winter, was affirmatively recommended
by the committee of the House in
charge last night and will reach the
lower branch next week. The PROPOSE
ton is in the form of an amendment
to the constitution and is another
piece of political dynamite. Its con-
sideration will probably lead to a fresh
outburst of factional political speeches
and the perennial Philadelphia row
will be dragged out again on Capitol
Hill.
The resolution would have to pass
the present Legislature and the next
before going to the people. The Gov
ernor, the man most concerned, has
nothing to do with it. 1t provides, in
brief, that there shall be no dismissals
except in the manner that the Legis-
lature prescribes. This is aimed TO
stop such dismissals as those of Su-
perintendent of the Capitol Rambo
and Commissioner of Banking Smith
without charges being filed and hear
ings given.
The committee in charge also re-
ported out the bills providing that
Philadelphia city employees shall
neither be assessed nor contribute for
political purposes and that they shall
not take part in politics. The bills are
designed to go with the Heffernan bill
which has been the cause of two air.
ings of the Philadelphia scrap and
which will probably furnish another
opportunity.
Men who observe politics are won
dering what would be the effect If the
Philadelphia reform bills now being
urged by the dominant faction in the
Legislature, but not in the State or
city administrations, should become
laws and there would be another of
those changes of control which Phila-
delphia works out every now and
then. For years the Shern law has
been invoked to stop political activity.
The newest set of bills, which are
backed by the committee of seventy,
are designed to put teeth in the Shern
law
Incidentally, it might be added
that Daniel j. Shern, the former floor
leader in the House and for whom
the law mentioned was named, may
be a candidate for Senator to sue
ceed Samuel w. Salus. 1t has been
Shern's desire for years to get into the
Senate.
Considerable criticism of the
legislators for letting the resolution
to support the President become q
football of factional politics has been
heard about the city. 1t is not inn
possible that the conference commit
tee which will be put in charge of the
measure next week will take it's time
about reporting compromise.
This session is about as prolific
as any known in recent years in the
way OF liquor legislation. 1t varies
from the restrictive to the wide open
| The chances are that there will be
precious little done about new liquor
| bills.
The Lynch bill repeating the non
| partisan law insofar as it relates to
the nomination and election of second
class city officers has been reported
! from the Senate Elections Committee
of which Senator James p. McNichol
is chairman. Ex-Mayor John Won
Bergen of Scranton and other promi-
nent citizens of that city are asking for
the repeal. The bill will be on first
reading Monday and can be consider
ed finally in the Senate next week, ii
there is any desire to hurry action on
it. If the repeal goes through, the
mayor and five councilmen to be
chosen this fall in Pittsburgh and
Scranton would be nominated and
elected on partisan tickets. Senator
w. P. Graft has presented a bill to re-
! peal the portions of the law relating
to the judiciary. It is understood that
1t will be brought out of committee Sc
that both measures can go before the
Senators at the same time.