Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-05
Poeh;ca ;~
Pe~~oqGsoio
BY the Committeeman

|
Auditor General Snyder's appoint
ment of Charles Johnson, Montgom-
ew county, Republican leader and
treasurer of the Republican State
committee, as First Deputy Auditor
General so close upon the Governors
selection of Charles A. Amber, ex-
Speaker of the House and prominent
in Montgomery county affairs, to be
Insurance Commissioner as successor
to j. Denny O'Neil, is regarded as an
acceptance of the challenge for the
control of the State ticket next year.
Newspaper comment throughout the
State is that the Governors appoint
ments were notice to Senator Boies
Penrose and his friends that the bat
tie was on. Mr.. Snyder appears to
have accepted for the Senator and
his partisans.
1t is notable that Mr.. Johnson is
the leader against whom Mr.. Am
| bier and his friends have been con-
tending in Montgomery county and
that Mr.. Amber is the man whom
the State administration backed
against Senator Snyder for the Audit
or General nomination.
What everyone is interested in
now is what will be the next move
at the Capitol. The Governor has
several judgeships and State places
to fill and there are always rumors'
! floating around that this or that head
of a department is to be displaced
to make room for some one more in
sympathy with administration polit-
ical ideas.
| Except for the Philadelphia
Evening Bulletin, there has been
practically no editorial comment
upon the Governors appointments.
The Bulletin says that the two men
appointed are but pawns in a polite
al game.
Governor Brumbaugh is expect
ed to return to the State Capitol
next week, probably late in the week
and in all probability he will set
about filling some of the places
which he has at hand. His return
will start a fresh crop of reports
about "house cleaning" Attorney
General Brown, who has been ill, is
not expected here until next week.
Il have nothing to add to my
statement of last night" said Com
missioner O'Neil this morning. 81
meant what T. said about poll
tics. When I was in Office in
Allegheny county 1 did not go
after them with a club. am going
| W uO lllC bCoI L Itill IS6dtu W IIlc
highways of Pennsylvania and espe-
cially to meet the war needs"
1t became known here to-day
that it was only last Saturday night
that Governor Brumbaugh called
upon Mr.. O'Neil to take the highway
commissionership. The McKeesport
man had been spoken of for the
place q number of times and it is un-
derstood that he declined 1t some
time ago. Last Saturday the Gov
ernor who was in the vicinity of
Philadelphia, asked him to reconsid-
er the matter. In another conversa-
tion across the State, which took
place on Sunday, Mr.. O'Neil con-
! sented and Immediately began pre-
parations to turn over the insurance
department to Mr.. Amber, whom the
Governor had been desirous of plac-
ing for some time.
The Pittsburgh Gazette-Times
Echarges that the resignation of Will
liam A. Magee, candidate for mayor
of Pittsburgh, as Public Service
Commissioner, had strings attached
to it. The PittsbArgh paper says
that the Governor has never pub
licly indicated that he accepted the
resignation" Mr.. Magee resigned by
letter direct to the Governor and
it was said that the Governor accept
ed the resignation by telegraph.
The Philadelphia Record to-day
revamps the story about Senator w.
M. Lynch, of Lackawanna, being
chosen superintendent of Farview
State Hospital. This attracted much
attention. Immediately after the Leg
islature adjourned, but the Senator,
who came here to see the Attorney
General, said that he did not come
under the clause which would forbid
a Senator from accepting a place to
which he would be chosen by a
board. The Senator was a member
of the board.
United States District Attorney
Kane, of Philadelphia, who has been
roasted by the North American for
not being more active against pro-
Germans, and who was ripped up by
laJohn P. Dwyer, managing editor of
! the Democratic Philadelphia Record
for his course, has at last asked the
Federal Grand Jury to get busy. 1t
is said that the national Democratic
leaders began to grow nervous over
Kane. He was one of the high
brow" appointments put through by
the reorganization clique.
Senator McNichol has signed
transit contracts for $10,000,000 on
bids submitted six months ago, say
ing he is willing to take the risk.
Senator Ware has refused to sign.
Representative ]. V. Cummins
OF Philadelphia, is taking an active
interest in State highway contracts
fHis firm bid on four yesterday.
"A boom for A. Merritt Taylor
transit expert, for mayor of Philadel-
phia, has apeared.
-Pittsburgh's mayoralty candi-
dates are going at it hammer and
tongs. The Pittsburgh Dispatch says
} that bricks are flying and other pa
pers say that DIR. ]. p. Kerr is ma
king the friends of w. A. Magee
mad. The registration commissioners
of Pittsburgh have been taking a
hand in the fight.
Tomorrow is registration day
, in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and
Scranton and it is expected that the