Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-08
Eirrtttng Glrat

While the records on the subject
are somewhat vague it is generally be-
lieved on Capitol Hill that the meet
ing of the Pennsylvania presidential
electors in the blue and gold hall of
the lower house of the Legislature to-
day marks century since the quad
rennial sessions of the college were
first held in Harrisburg. This city.
becoming State Copital by act of the
Legislature in 1910, actually became
the seat of government in tie fall of
1912, the Legislature meeting for the
i1rst time in the old courthouse on De-
cember l of that year. The State
courts also sat here during that win
ter but there is no record of the elec-
toral college meeting here to cast the
vote of the State and for some time
there have been statements that the
electors Travelled to Philadelphia early
in 1913 to vote for the reelection OF
James Madison. 1t would be inter-
esting to clear up that point and prob
ably something may yet be found at
the Capitol that will furnish more in
formation. 1t is we'll established that
the Pennsylvania electors met here in
1917 to vote for James Monroe for
President, there being considerable
feeling among the partisans of De-
Witt Clinton, his rival, but it was not
the first time that the electors of the
Keystone and the Empire States
voted different ways. TIE electoral
meeting, while more or less formal.
has been marked all these years by
an adherence TO traditional forms and
the meeting in 1913 was held with the
same procedure as the meeting in
1857, the records having been looked
up.
On the subject of electors it is in
teresting to note that the pay of the
men chosen to sit in the college re-
mains at what it was many years ago,
a mile for the distance actually
travelled. One man who sat as an
elector in the last college said that
he had to pay two cents mile and
the So did not meet the cost of his
meals. The position of elector, how
ever, is one of great honor and the
care given to statement of the fact
in biographies of many prominent
men shows that it is so regarded.
The manner in which the railroads
are hauling coal through this city
these days is something worth watch
ing as it not only illustrates the lively
condition of industry but the inn
portance of the position of Harrisburg
as q transportation center. The ship
ments that went through here on Fri
day, for instance, contained cars,
dozens of them in some instances des-
tined for New York, Boston, Balti-
more, Philadelphia and even Maine.
In addition there were many other
cars consigned to intermediate points.
The amount of coal passing through
the Harrisburg district in twenty-four
hours is something tremendous and il
the weight could be given it would
amaze the average. person.
The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
in the course of an article published
a few days ago quoted from TIE Fed
eral Gazette OF January and February,
1890, when there were lotteries held
for the start of Dickinson College.
One of the lotteries appeared to be on
an extensive scale, practically ma
tional affair and over 10000 tickets
were sold at $4 each, there being close
to 10000 blanks. This is nothing un-
day and of the later decade tell of
lotteries for the building of town
halls and churches and one of the
most prominent in Harrisburg owes
its first home of any consequence to
chance, invoked in the name of
religion.
The average Harrisburg youngster
appears to be as much bent upon GO
ing to the movies as some used to be
in the days of ten, twent, thirt''
shows in the old Grand Opera House
or the periodical shows. walking
matches and the like that used to take
place in the old Chestnut street rink
And perhaps, they are as keen as in
the days VIXEN Brant's hall was in its
prime. In any event two men were
accosted five times by boys wanting
to go to movies within two blocks on
Saturday. The boys did not ask
dime to go into the show as used to
be heard around Third and Walnut in
old days, but only wanted cent With
youthful cunning they figured out that
the smallest coin, whose purchasing
power is so much diminished because
of the shower of dollars now, could be
gathered in more easily than the
shiny dime.
Prothonotary H. +. Holler, who
completed one of the most successful
business years ever known in the office
of the clerk of the courts, comes close
to being the oldest man about the
courthouse in point of official service
for the county. Mr.. Holler came into
Office as clerk to John P. Melick, when
he was elected prothonotary early in
the nineties.