Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-16
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BY the Ex-Committceman

Some final determination about
the legislative program for the last
two weeks of the session, which is
now expected to end on June 2S,
will be reached in Philadelphia over
the weekend. Senator Penrose and
his friends will have talk on the
situation in the General Assembly
and Governor Brumbaugh and his
friends will decide what to do about
the direct inheritance tax bill, which
is the bone of contention.
The Governor has refused to talk
about the direct tax bill, but his
friends have said very freely that
he objects to the provision giving the
Auditor General the appointments of
attorneys in each county. The Leg
islature has not been liberal with
the Governor on new places and the
plans of the Department of Labor
and Industry for expansion have
been manhandled.
Nothing can be learned as yet as
to the effect the latest difference may
have on the harmony scheme to let
practically all of the Governors re-
cess and new appointees be con-
firmed
Philadelphia legislation occupies
a peculiar position on the House CAL
endar. The Heffernan bill to take
policemen and firemen out of poll
tics was defeated last week and it
is figured out that fourteen men who
have been classed as Penrose sup
porters voted against it. Whether
an effort to reconsider will be made
next week is problematical. The
Philadelphia small council bill and
the elective school board bill for
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, both
likely to start fights, are between 22S
and 240 on a third reading list of
800 bills. With the close of the
session in sight many bills are going
to be slaughtered.
The contending Philadelphia fac
tions referred their differences to
special committee yesterday at long
meeting of the Republican city COM
mittee. Senator McNichol gave the
committee a very plain talk about
what might happen.
-Ex-City Treasurer Jones and the
York city council are going to fight
out their battles in court.
District Attorney Slattery, of
Luzerne county, and Mayor Kosek,
of Wilkes Barre, are having an in
teresting interchange of opinions
about moral conditions in the cap
ital of Luzerne.
An interesting story is going the
rounds to the effect that Governor
Brumbaugh has been adm onishing
some of his officials not to be sassy"
in their dealings with legislators,
especially at this time. One of the
stories is that w. ]. Roney. manager
of the State Insurance Fund, when
asked by Chairman Buckman, of the
Senate appropriation committee, to
prepare an amendment, told the
Bucks Senator to go to another
cline.
Butler county has been made
wet again. The licenses held up
have been granted for the most part.
DR.. H. A. Surface, former State
Zoologist, seems to be amusing him.
self again. The doctor does not like
some of the Governors ideas on ag-
riculture and he thinks the Agricul-
tural Department authorities should
be more active.
Governor Brumbaugh has writ
ten to Johnstown authorities, accord
ing to Johnstown newspapers, giving
hearty support to the proposition
in that section.
According to stories which are
going the rounds members of the
House are considering sending a
committee to the Governor to see
if he would regard it as an affront
to pass over his veto the bill raising
salaries of legislators after this ses-
sion from $500 to $4,000. The
theory is that the Governor, having
vetoed the measure, may not feel
badly if the lawmakers made provi-
sion for the future. The Mitchell
bill episode is the foundation for the
plan. The Governor has not been
heard from.
Mayor Smith has shortened his
hours in Philadelphia and 3 o'clock
is the official closing time. This is
stated to be because of the pressure
on his Office force, which has to work
hours after time because of the
many visitors received during the
regular hours.
Nineteen associate judges, the
side judges of the rural counties,
will be elected in Pennsylvania this
fall, provided the constitutionality of
the act erecting Clinton county into
separate district stands. This is
now being tested out in the Dauphin
county court and will probably be
appealed. There are about score
of counties which have these lay
judges. The judges whose terms ex-
pire are: S. w. Bernheisel, Perry;
Zenas w. ellison and W. E. Harley,
Juniata; William B. Stigers, Fulton;
Gottlob Rowe and A. K. Diefen-
derfer Union; John S. Hershberger.
Bedford; Charles +. Hauch, Column
bia: Harry r. Hyde, Elk; Joseph NJ.
Morgan, Forest; George j. LeBar.
Clarion; r. L. Westlake, Wyoming;
John Siggins, Warren; ]. Roller
Mccoy, Miffiin: George H. Metzger,
Monroe; G.. f. Swartwood, Pike;
James L. Brennan and Martin Fl.
Schram, Montour; James p. Miller
and Dennis Keefe, Sullivan.
Governor Martin G.. Brumbaugh's s
message to the Legislature yesterday
vetoing the Siggins bill. providing
that the State should build roads in
the Cornplanter Indian reservation
in Warren county, was intended as
notice to the legislators that it would
not be worth while to pass any bills
providing for additions to the State
highway system. There are about
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