Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-13
SCRANTON MEN
PRAISE SPROUL
Declare He Was at All Times
Favorable to Enactment of
Mine Cave Legislation

Scranton, Pa, May 13.-Members
! of the Scranton Surface Protective
| Association, although taking no
stand in the fight for the Republican
nomination for governor between
Senator William c. Sproul and High
way Commissioner j. Denny O'Neil
in a general discussion of the mine
cave question said it was only fair
| to Mr.. Sproul to acquaint the public
with the fact that he at all times
during the last session expressed
himself to committees from the as
sociation as favorable to cave leBis-
lation and even advised what to DO
to secure such a measure as the
Scarlet bill.
The matter was brought up by
President John f. Durham, Demo-
crat. who referred to the fact that
at the West Scranton meeting of the
O'Neil campaign party Saturday
night one of the speakers. Attorney
General Francis Skunk Brown, de-
clared that the Scarlet bill which
had the united backing of the asso-
citation, was killed in the senate COM
mittee on corporations.
Sproul Was Their Friend
ut is only fair to Mr.. Sproul to
say that Senator Crow and not Sen
ator Sproul, was chairman of the
committee on corporations" and 1t
appears to me to be rank injustice
for anyone to make statement of
that kind. 1t is not true as mem
bers of our committee who went to
Harrisburg know.
The one fellow who treated us
we'll while we were in Harrisburg
was Mr.. Sproui," continued Mr.. Dur
kan. He took us into his office,
talked the whole matter over with
us and told us what to do. 1t was
he who suggested that the associa-
ton get into politics and told us TO
call on the legislators from the nine
coal producing counties and place
the question up to them. He told
us to get those men to stand back
of the bill. 1t is not fair. l say, to
Mr.. Sproul, to charge him, with kill
ing the Scarlet bill. AS a matter of
fact he pledged himself to vote for
the measure if it came to a vote on
the floor OF the senate. At one of
the committee meetings he be-
seeched Mr.. Crow to release the biz
from committee.
Alderman Dominick Gibbons, a
Democrat, who was a member of the
association committee that spent
several months in Harrisburg en-
deavoring to have the bill passed,
also refuted the accusation of the
O'Neil campaigners that Senator
Sproul had hand in killing the
Scarlet measure. Outside of prom
ising TO sign the bill if it came be-
fore him Brumbaugh didn't do a
thing to help us. hen our COM
mittee went to Senator Sproul he
told us what to do and Furthermore
told us we could use his name in say
ing that the legislators from the nine
coal counties should get together
and demand that the bill he passed.
D. John T. Davis also spoke of the
work Senator Sproul performed in
behalf of the mine cave bill. He
was the only man down there, with
the exception of Senator Snyder.
who really did anything real for us"
Mr.. Davis said. This statement, he
added, he made in justice to Mr..
Sproul and to refute the arguments
that Mr.. Sproul was not in favor of
mine cave legislation.
In the discussion that followed
the remarks of Attorney General
Brown to the effect that the police
power can be used in solving the
question, Meredith Jones said it bore
out the stand of the association.
Then if the police power can be
invoked, as Mr.. Brown said il cam"
Mr.. Gibbons asked, and as Mr..
O'Neil promises he will do, what is
TO prevent Governor Brumbaugh
from using it now. We don't have
to wait. If the police power is any
good and can be used why doesn't
the Governor use it?"