Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-04
rrNNyrACKER AuroBroGR,ruy--So. II
fCopDri0ht 1918. bv Public Ltdo'r CompanU


fCopUriOht. 1918, bv Public Ltd9or CompdnD)
Tn MY opinion pretty much all of the
value of civil service reform consisted in
the principle Of pernancnce of tenure and
therefore. in no instance was there a re-
mova from the routine offices because of
factional or political differences. There was
much pressure for the removal of Frederic
W. Fleitz. Assistant Attorney General, and
Colonel Lewis T.. Better, the Deputy Secre-
tary of State, and o,hers, because of polit
ical disobedience, but they were all re.
tained The heads Of departments were
called together at stated times to consult
with each other and me about the good of
the service. There had bee. much talk
about the profits of the printing office. The
reports of the departments had grown to be
bulky volumes, and as a general thing
they were little read. and for the most part
in a short time thrown away as rubbish.
Saving State Funds
The profit came from spreading out
tables and leaving pages aud half pages
with nothing on them, called by the print
ers fat" This fat" was eliminated. For
instance, the report of the Factory Inspec-
tor was cut down from volume OF six
hundred pages to n pamphlet OF forty
pages. And during my term the acts Of
Assembly were bound in ,hccpskin as the
contrac, required, instead &C. in "skiver."
In fact the profits were so taken out of
the printing that 1t became difficult to find
a printer willing to undertake the State
printing and there has been no scanIdl in
connection with the work since. Much of
this success was due to the act that A.
Nevin Pomeroy, PIT at the head of the de-
partmert, was'a capable man, himself the
publisher of newspaper and skilled in
the ways of the trade
Cassatt's bill TO legitimatize betting upon
horse.racing was introduced in one of the
houses, but recalled. as | understood be.
cause of the fear that it would meet with
a veto.
An incident occurred which caused some
amusement. 1t was known that favored
State aid to the University of Pennsylva
MIA but the pet among the legislators was
the .Chirurgical College. and a bill
making a large appropriation to the latter
institution came to me, passed by both
houses. I sent a message to the Legisla-
a bill depended upon a general examination
Of the finances; that, therefore, it was nec-
essary to have all the bills relating to such
institutions before me at the same time and
asking that the others be sent at once.
They complied A correspondent wrote to
the Philadelphia Record
No use trying to fool that man on
appropriations or money matters, on
anything, in fact. outside of political
scheming or other politics on which he
defers to Quays judgment. W''h these
exceptions he Is too canny for the boys
here. In the present case the ferret
started after the rat, but the rat has
annihated the ferret.
For the first time in recent periods the
University of Pennsylvania received a
direct appropriation apart from that given
to the hospital. | revived the custom of
having its trustees meet once n year in
the office of the Governor and of having it
report its finances annually to the Legisa.
ture, and I had its report a State insti.
tuition incorporated in Smulls Handbook.
A bill was passed increasing the salaries
of the Judges of the State. like bill had
been vetoed by Governor Beaver upon the