Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-31
WARE MAY FORCE
PENROSE TO YIELD
Governors Friends Gain Up
per Hand by Penrose
4 Blunders in Senate
CLAIMS ARE IN CONFLICT
Both Factions Insist They Could
Have Way, but Facts
Z Are Doubtful
CLAIMS ARE IN CONFLICT
By a star Correspondent

HARRISBURG. Jan. 31.-Tho Ware.
Brumbaugh forces won the second round In
the investigation battle this week and are
now ION top" This was the consensus of
opinion here today notwithstanding the
claims and counter-claims that were put out
by both camps today as to the ultimate fate
of the Sproul resolution.
The Administration forces, after having
lost in committee, gained tho advantage
over Senator Penrose and his lieutenants
IN the Legislature, who want to probe into
the administration Of Governor Brumbaugh
and the various departments of the State
Government through two legislative mis-
plays" by the Penrose leaders. They were:
First Tactical errors made by the Sem
ate Penrose leaders.
Second. Loose wording of the probe
resolution.
The sproul resolution Is SO vague in It's
wording and Is on its face such a "Lexow,"
irving the proposed commission the broad
est possible powers, that the Vare-Brum-
baugh leaders at once opened their cam
paign against 1t on this score.
FAVORED FAIR PROBE
They declared, at the opening Of last
weeks session, that they favored a probe,
but one that would be fair" They then
proposed amendments to the resolution, the
principal one of which was the Salus amend
rnent which Senators Salus and Ware tried
TO have the Appropriations Committee of
the Senate adopt. 1t was voted down, 23
TO 10.
The Salus amendment would have elm.
mated perjury on the part of witnesses who
might testify before the commission.
Senator Sproul himself privately admits
that the defeat of the amendment was
big tactical mistake on the part of the Pen
rose forces The Vare.Brumbaugh leaders
had gone on record as favorlng fair"
investigation. To permit them to amend
the resolution in their own way through this
amendment would have forced them to sup
port the resolution without having the scope
Of the probe seriously interfered with
On top of this, the Penrose leaders made
another mistake in not postponing action
when the resolution came up on second read
ing in the Senate Monday night. when there
were not enough Penrose votes in the Senate
TO give Penrose majority
The fact that the resolution is so worded
that it gives the proposed commission
power to probe Mayor Smith, Mayor Arm
strong of Pittsburgh the burgess OF any
borough in the State or even any constable,
also probably lost votes for It, The State
Senators began to hear from their con-
etituents who perhaps were little afraid
of the threatened investigation, and several
votes were changed in this way, according
to political experts who have been observing
the course of the Sproul resolution closely.
Today both sides are making claims
about the fate of the resolution next Mon
day night, when it again is on the calendar
for third reading and final passage In the
Senate before it goes to the House.
PENRosEs BIG CLAIMS
The Penrose leaders say they sure of
between twenty-nine and thirty-one votes
for the measure. They include in their
claims "at least" twenty Republican Sena-
tors and nine Democratic Senators. They
assert that every Democrat except Stewart,
who voted for postponement on Monday
night, will line up with the Penrose forces
for an investigation along the lines Pen
rose has mapped out.
The Democrats undoubtedly, according
to the Indications they have given, are
heart and som for probe OF the Cover
nor, but the Vare-Brumbaugh leaders re-
fuse to concede that Penrose can line up
nine of the ten Democratic Senator's
The administration leaders are declaring
today not only that Senator Stewart will
vote against the resolution If it is called
up next Monday night, but that Senator
Hndman. of Clayton, who voted for the
Salus amendment in committee, will also
vote against the probe.
The Ware Brumbaugh leaders also say
that two of the Democratic Senators who
voted with the Penrose forces against
postponement Monday night have switched
and will vote against the resolution. They
also say their forces have not been broken
into by Penrose
1t would appear, to sum II all up, that
Penrose win have twenty-seven votes for
the Sproul resolution next Monday night
provided all of the fifty members of the
Senate are present
The Democrats are making hay while
the sun shines" during the fight over the
Sproul resolution. They have prepared an
other investigation resolution of their own
and are prepared to offer 1t to the Legis.
lature for the Republicans't TO support il the
Sproul resolution is defeated.
One interesting feature of the vote on
the Sproul resolution is the newly-dis.
covered fact that c. William Beales. OF
Gettysburg, who was elected to the Senate
last November, has not yet been sworn
i in.
Beales has retained his seat in Congress-
from the York-Adams district. When this
Legislature organized on January 2. he
was in his seat in the Senate Chamber
but did not go to the presidents desk tc
be sworn in.
The Penrose forces are making every
effort to have him resign from Congress
and bring him into the Senate before next
Monday night
Both sides, in fact, will bring all IN,
pressure they can to bear upon all mem
bers Of the Senate before the Legisla
ture reconvenes next week. in the hope O
changing votes
NOTHING DONE YET
The investigation has delayed the ordi
. nary legislative procedure to such an ex
tent that nothing at all has been don,
during the first month and a regular pro
gram of recesses is being mapped out
Speaker Baldwin proposed in the Hous,
yesterday that the Legislature meet four o.
hve days for two succeeding weeks from
now on, and adjourn for an entire weel
every third week. Also an adjournmen
will be taken from February Is until Tues
day. March s. This will combine the usua
recesses over WRshington's Birthday an,
the Inauguration OF President Wilson.
There are two outstanding results Of tn
nght over the investigation resolution. On
10 the handling OF senatorial courtesy" b,
the two opposing factions. and the othe
Is the political opportunity which Senate
Sproul failed to take advantage of.
Sprouts failure. or declination. to TAX
advantage Of an opportunity that seldom
comes to any political leader, Is the tall
OF the Legislature today.
When he was leading the fight agains
postponement. he declared that the Stat
was tired of being drawn into the factiona
B hr1t IN PhiladelphiS between the Wares an
Penrose and McNichol.
The upstate leaders. who have had :
finance factional campaigps every year be