Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-09
Enpntttg Gllat

The meeting of the Pennsylvania
electoral college in the hall of the
House of Representatives yesterday
while q ceremony that was more or
less formal and sanctioned by custom,
was of great interest because OF the
historic significance of q century OF
such meetings within the precincts OF
Capitol Hill. 1t attracted little atten-
ton because Harrisburg and the State
departments are used to meetings of
more or less Importance and yet every
motion was made in accordance with
what was done many years ago and
the college at the outset followed the
precedent of that of 1913 and adopted
the procedure of the preceding col
lege. There was another fact of in-
terest in that Provost Edgar f. Smith,
| of the University of Pennsyivania, sat
facing the great allegorical painting
of Pennsylvania by Abbey IN
which is depicted the first provost or
the educational institution and beside
| the provost yesterday was WilHan1
| Wayne, a former legislator and q de-
scendant of General Anthony wayne
who is one of the striking figures OF
the mural decoration. d. E. Long,
who sat for the district containing
Franklin county, lives within a shorI
distance of furnace and mines OF
Thaddeus Stevens, who is also shown
in the painting.
The members of the college were
more or less mystitied by the solem-
nifty of the procedure and by the fire.
quent intervals for communications
as everything had to'be done on certi-
ficate from the Governor who sat in
his office and sent no less than half q
dozen letters as he was required to
do. Another thing which was out of
the ordinary was a request that the
secretary of the Commonwealth file
the proceedings in his office. The sec
retary is not required to do so, but 1t
is courtesy which is as binding as
law and the transactions of 1917 Will
be placed with those of 1917. Another
thing which interested the members
was that they were paid SO a day, as
| provided by an act of seventy-eight
years ago which allowed that much
| for services and 1t was inquired as
| pretty good pay in those days. Three
cents a mile mileage is another an
| tique provision.
Former Congressman Horace b.
Packer, of Wellsboro, Tioga county
who was in Harrisburg attending the
meeting of the Pennsylvania electoral
college yesterday, Is an ardent ad-
| gresham, who was at one time
member of the State Senate and the
author of an important law simpllty-
ing legal processes in pennsylvania
has had long public career but he
takes more pride in the fact that he
is now n member of the borough coun-
Gil of Wellsboro and as such has done
| much for the improvement OF his
home town, than he does in any other
office he has been called upon to FILL
i Wellsboro, since he began to take an
active interest in public improvements,
has become one of the most attractive
of interior towns in the State. The
wide main street has been beautifully
paved and lighted and the center is
| occupied by well-kept Srassplot.
| Congressman Packer is a great travel
er and he has brought home to Wells
boro municipal ideas from all over
| the country. He believes in making
public works not only useful but beau
tiful and he is one of those who is
urging cities, counties and the State to
add q touch of architectural beauty to
all of the bridges built for public use.
He is also u good roads advocate and
| one of the best brick highways ine
Pennsylvania runs out from Wells
.boro. Congressman Packer met many
old friends while in Harrisburg yes
terday. 1t fell to his lot to act as one
of the tellers for the electoral college,
and it CHANGED by odd coincidence
that his colleague was ex-Congress-
man A. f. Cooper, who served with
him in Congress.
In connection with the meeting of
| the electoral college in Harrisburg
Yesterday 1t is interesting to note that
it was the fifth time George ID. Thorn
and James c. Deininger had acted as
secretaries. Mr.. Deininger did all the
| engrossing for the meeting OF the
electoral college in 1897 and four
years later he and Mr.. Thorn were
I chosen as the secretaries. They nave
been systematically reelected ana
have handled all of the multitudinous
details. AS the college works on
system which was laid down in 1889
and the procedure has increased In
stead of diminished 1t is some task
to get things in running shape. Chair.
man David b. Oliver, who in spite or
his SO years is very vigorous, com
plimented the secretaries upon the
manner in which they had worked out
the details.
Deputy Attorney General Horace w.
! Davis, who sat in the college as sub
stitute elector, took occasion to per-
petrate joke IT have now attended
three COLLEGES said he; Washington
and Jefferson, George Washington and
| the Electoral.
| Thousands or people Watcned the
ice move off the river yesterday and
these can now understand why there
is large deposit of sand and river
coal from Independence Island north
ward to Kelker street in the middle of
the river. Here the ice is piled high
for considerable distance, showing
that the current sweeps onward along
the Cumberland and eastern shore line
leaving large body of quiet water
Immediately north of the big island.
OF course, this peninsula is likely to
be secured out with the next high
food by q change of current. but for
the last two or three years there has
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