Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-29
SESSION ENDS
IN EARLY MORN
Both Houses Adjourn After
Midnight; Long
Session

journed at 1857 o'clock, and the
House at III o'clock.
The two houses were to have ad-
! Journed yesterday at noon, but the
battle over the provisions in the gen.
eral appropriation bill prolonged the
sittings and made political history
Tor PENNSYLVANIA. The bill was print
! eu no less than four times and when
! II came before the House early this
morning things had been so we'll ad-
Justed that there was no discussion
ana not dissenting word. The vote
! was LAG to 0. In the Senate concur
renee was so rapid tnat the specta-
/ tors who had fingered hardly knew
what had happened.
Ihe conference committee restored
/ the 100000 for farmers institutes
and gave the Department of Labor
and Industry and Public Service
COMMISSION some items which had
| been cut out.
The conference committee also re-
! stored to the bill the provision that
| tne Governors contingent fund
! should be expended at his discretion.
RMS provision has peen carried in
| similar bills for the last two sessions.
put the committee cue 1t out yester-
| uay. Last night Senator e. II. Ware,
OF Phlladelphia, served notice on the
conterees that he would not stand
Tor any humiliation of the Governor
/ ana insisted upon the restoration OF
the provision. The conrerees reduced
me contingent appropriation from
S0V'Vo0 TO 1000, because he has
only eighteen months to serve.
II n inn,
House appropriations committee,
announced the reinsertion of the
clause the members of the House ap-
plauded. Senator Ware had said that
unless the provision was put back
ms friends would not support the
| bill.
No one about legislative halls re-
calis anything like the controversies
Whlch ragged over this sessions gem
eral Appropriation bill. The session |
OF lSl7 has had many unusual fea-
lures and 1t was within a few hours
or the time fixed three weeks ago
Tor final adjournment that a pro-
hounced difference of opinion broke ,
out among legislators over the re-
ductlons made in departmental items. |
Men connected with the Educational,
Labor and Industry, Agricultural, !
Pubhc Service and other depart
ments secured the attention of leg
! islators and the conferees were he-
/ sleged by Senators ana Members urg-
ing that the drastic policy be modi- !
/ fed. ...-
The report of the conference COM
mlttee was sent to the two houses /
shortly before noon but the pressure
! became so strong THAI it was recall |
ed. The conference began to stretch
out and the men stationed in the
Rouse and Senate galleries to turn
back the hands of the clocks had to
perform that duty every half hour,
Twelve O'Clock was stalled off hour
after hour and it was always between
1880 and 11.45 o'clock in the morn
| ing.
Late in the day the conferees sent
IN thclr report and Mr.. Flynn, Elk, /
one OF the members of the commit
tee, explained that 100000 for Phil |
adelphia suburban roads. and other
provisions had been cut out. Chair |
man Ramsey, of the House appro- |
prlatons committee, was taken 10 !
task about provision that no sta te !
money should be paid to West Ches- |
ter State Normal School, while DR.. |
q. M. Phillips remained as principal |
or was connected with it, MIR. Ram |
sey said this was done because poli- |
tics had been injected into the school |
and it was desired to remove the
cause. Mr.. Sones, Schuylkill, a grad |
uate, defended DIR. Phillips. and
Messrs. Canon, Mercer, and Maurer. |
Berks, attacked the handling of the
bill; while Mr.. Milliron, Armstrong, |
declared it would set a bad prece-
dent.
The controversy lasted almost an
hour. 1t was intensely hot in the
nall and the Speaker presided in shirt
sleeves. Finally Mr.. Sites, Mont
gomery, seconded by Mr.. Mitchell,
JEFFERSON, moved to send the bill
back to conferees with instructions.
but the point was made that the bill !
could not be reprinted until the next
day and Mr.. Flynn said conferees
could not be instructed. The House
then allowed the report to be with
drawn but making another change
refused to concur in Senate amend
ments. The old conferees were nam
ed again and shortly before 6 o'clock
reported with the West Chester
clause stricken out. Mr.. Flynn's
statement that. agriculture would be
further cared for in contingent funds
evoked much discussion and finally
Mr. Maurer launched into an extend
ed attack on the labor and industry
cuts.
Speaker Baldwin warned the mem
bers that If they defeated the bill
1t meant another days sessions. 10
which Mr.. Milliron raised objection. |
The bill was rejected, SO to so, need
ing 1O4 to pass Soon after it was
reconsidered. A recess was taken to
allow members to get together and
the heated feelings cropped out in
many arguments. Mr. Maurer de.
bated the cuts with Senator McNich
oil in the center of a ring of over fifty
legislators and Chief Clerk Garyin.
taking exceptions to a remark by 2
member about rollcalls, threatened
to strike him If the remark was re-
peated.
Realizing the seriousness of the
situation legislative leaders began to /
send for members VINO had gone /
home. A canvass of the Senate show /
ed thirtythree Senators still here
and about $50 Legislators in the citv |
or nearby. A hurried cancellation Of /
parlor or sleeping car accommoda- |
tions and calling up of hotels to in !
sure rooms for the night. A dele !
cation of Pittsburgh members who
had started home were sent teIe !
grams to various cities along the |
, road and urged to return.
After the recess for supper. dur
which the clock went back almost
to 10, members began to arrive from
| nearby counties. having left with the
belief that the session was over. Ere
quent recesses were taken while the
conferees were at work. and the
mem berS formed chorus ord sonr