Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-15
PENNYPACKER'S
CALL TO ASSEMBLY
Governor Explains Four Principal
Points Embodied in
His Order
rENNYrAcKER AUroBIoGRApHy--No. y,

ftopprt0ht, 1918, ~ Public Ledger Compdht,J
WANDERED on foot over the field An
old soldier came to me and said that when
he was here he knew and bunked with a
man named Pennypacker. He went with
me and showed me the place, upon the
opposite side of a little stream from the
spring which is said to have mlraculousy
begun to flow, after the prison was es.
tablished. where they had dug u sort of
grave In the side of "a hill in which to
sleep.
And what became of him." I asked.
"Oh! lie died of the scurvy."
on returning home looked up the rec.
ord In Bates's History of the Pennsylvania
Volunteers and found him described there
as missing in action" Such Is fame and
such often the rewards CT effort
Death of Judge Weiss
on the Sth I accepted the monument
erected for the 1O9th Pennsylvania Regi-
ment at Orchard Knob, near Lookout
Mountain, and near Chattanooga, Tennes-
sec.
During this month Judge John H. Weiss,
who had long presided over the Common
| Pleas Of Dauphin County. died. At once
county divided pretty evenly with very
| much bitterness of feeling The political
| forces urged me to appoint S. j. NJ. McCar.
| rell, who was counsel for the Dairy and
| Food Bureau, and about half the bar gath.
cred to his support. The other half win.
dctively objected. To have gratihed
! either side, after the contest grew warm,
| would have raised a storm. AS it hap
| pened year or two before there had been
| vacancy in the Superior Court and every
| member of the Dauphin County bar signed
| Il petition to me to appoint a neighbor
| Thomas II. Capp, of Lebanon. 1 did not
then appoint him. but | kept the petition
| One evening Olmsted came to the EXecu-
| tive Mansion to urge the appointment Of
McCarrell After he had talked to me for
| half an hour, I said to him. "Olmsted, |
cannot appoint McCarrell," and I gave him
reasons He was disappointed. Then |
said to him, How would Capp do?' lie
was astonished, but knew that Capp and
| he were close personal, professional and
| political friends. A twinkle came into his
| eye and he departed To the surprise of
everybody / appointed Capp from outside
| the county, but the joke of it was that not
a member of the bar could object for the
reason that he knew he had ndorsed Capp
for the higher court. And the dove of
peace folded its wings in absolute snence.
CHAPTER XIII
GOVERNOR-1906
The approach of the new year led many
newspapers to request the expression of
some thought upon its advent. ! com.
| pIia wit 10, L., IL
Let us arise upon New Years morn.
ing with the determination that through
out the year we will do more to de-
Nelop our own latent virtues and less in
the way of criticism of the defects of
other people. Let us resolve to do honest
work. TO proclaim it seldom and to see
as much good in others as possible.
These suggestions were not altogether
satisfactory because of the sting in the
tail. and they led to the writing of more
editorials.
| One cf the really able men III the State
was David T. Watson, a Democratic law
yer in Pittsburgh He was a man of fine
skill and attainment and, like Hensel, of
Lancaster, was an illustration of my
theory, opposed to that generally incucated
among lawyers, that a lawyer is strong
professionally in proportion to the width
of the field he covers. In other words,
the power to think accurately is of more
Importance than technical information. 1t
is what Is dgested and not what is taken
into the mind and stomach that nour-
| ishes Serious mental effort in various
directions strengthens the faculty and
makes a lawyer the better able to grasp
| legal problems. Watson came to see me
concerning that part of my call for an
extra session which related to Greater
Pittsburgh and suggested broadening
of the language so as to have it include
Intervening territory. We lunched to-
gether at the Executive Mansion and
talked the matter over. l had concluded
to add civil service reform to the call, as
1 had made it, and acting on the principle
of firing shot instead of single ball. I
accepted his suggestion. On the 9th of
January l issued supplemental call, and
it may be added that upon contest the
method adopted met the approval of the
Supreme Court. This call included these
subjects:
Four Principal Points
primary elections in such a way as TO
provide for the holding of the primary
elections of all political parties within
the Commonwealth on the same day, at
the same time under the supervision of
properly constituted officers and to make
: such change in or additions to these laws
| as may seem advisable
Second. To establish a civil service
system by means of which the routine
. offices and employments of the Common
wealth may be filled by appointments
maue after ascertainment of quaifca-
tions and fitness, and the incumbents Of
such offices may retain them during good
| | behavior
Q Third. To designate the uses to which
S moneys may be applied by candidates,
political managers and committees in
political campaigns, both for nomination
, and elections and to require the manag-
Z ing committees and managers of all
2 political parties to file with some desig-
mated official. at the close OF each cam.