Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-02
PENNYPACKER AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Governor Pennypacker's First Official Act Was to
Refuse All Railroad Passes and Other
Forms of Executive Graft"


mowers we're careless and Indifferent. lhlS
is the point at which the correcting agency
ourht to uc applied. Complaint aftcrwnr"
is feeble and apt 10 be futile, II had nc
como tho habit mt Harrisburg, ns else
where. for charters to be Issued as u mat
Tor Of course. and they were supervised III
the outer Office. II is even said that clork
was trained to initiate the signature hhu
add the approval of tho Governor. EVERY
charter that went out during my lo"r
wears had my actual approvhl ana h'arS
my autograph II had been the custom iof
the lawyer. in drafting the grant OF power
to rso the general words uf the statute My
requirement, that no two different purposes
should bo included was carried into erect.
ON one occasion nm application WAS made
for tho right to make aud sell explosives
IN pcrpctuity. The danger Of such grant
can readily be seen. II was refused untl'
the time was limited to twenty-five years
Tho statute required that 10 10; cent 81 the
capital stock should be paid into the treas
ury of tho corporation. 1t had come to he
tho practice to take out charters with only
nominal capital, with the expectation that,
Tho Donora Light, Heat and Power Com
pany, with u capital stock Of only $1,000,
800 in tho treasury, entirely insufficient
for tho work proposed tu he done, desired
a charter aud | refused approval, holding
that there must he n capital stock or at
least $4,000. This was an arbitrary sum or
my own fixing. but it meant that there
must he $500 in the treasury, enough to-
insure good faith There cusucd a great
hubbuh aud outcry among the lawyers.
The Governor had no such power II was
his duty to approve a public hearing wns
asked. in order that n reconsideration
might bc secured, and was granted. Law.
yers from over tho STATE. including Robert
Snodgrass. Of Harrisburg, and Richard e.
Cochranc. Of York, gathered before mo aud
argued at length the questions of the power
OF the Governor and his relation to tho
granting Of charters | wrote an opinion.
holding that the approval by tho Governor
was not intended TO 10 merely that no
should scc that tho paper was in proper
form, but meant his assent to the granting
OF tho power contained in II. There was
muclt professional aud newspaper talk
about tho necessity Of my rccoding and
about compelling me to approve by man
damus. Had such a writ come, ! should
not have given it the slightest attention,
holding that, within his sphere. tho Gov.
ernor is entirely beyond the control Of the
courts. However the profession followed
the precedent which had been established,
and since that time no corporation has been
chartered in Pennsylvania unless IL had a
capital Of $4,000, with $500 in the treasury.
The reform was real and important.
The next jolt was with the Republican
organization Of Dauphin County, supported
by both of the United States Senators.
A vacancy occurred in the Court of Com
mon Pleas OF that County and the forces
there agreed upon $. !. McCarrcli. was
espe0iallE anxious not to make mistakes
in the appointment Of Judges and felt that
professional Illness was the most impor-
tant qualification. listened to cyerybodv
who wanted to talk to me upon the subject
Lyman ID. Gilbert and Charles II. Berrner
leaders of the local bar, were i'm accord 4,
tho opinion that the nttest appointment
would be that of Michael W. Jacobs Inc.
tice j. Hay Brown of the Supromo Cour,
came to me to urge that appointment and
he was very decided in his opinion. In
deference to these professional idpmar,.
appointed Jacobs. Tho blow was mri.
gated however, by the appointment NJ tho
same time OF John J. Henderson. who had
been supported by both Senators and had
'he reputation of having done good IepaI
work in his County Court, to the superior
Court Against Jacobs the party nominated
ana elected George Kunkel and, therefore
IN my hrst bout with the politicians 7
nnally came out second best.
An act was passed giving to Governor
stone and some OF the heads of denar,.
ments the desks they had used while in
off,ce' 1t pursued a custom which had long
prevailed. I approved the act with ,ho
suggestion that the furniture to la nut in
'he'r places be selected with a view to its
remaining as the property of the State
CONTINUED TOMORROW,