Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-01
Potitics s~
PsnmaiGsasI
By the Ex-Committeeman

1 sA@S otSie0 4(CpaA VI <A6A y
Capitol Hill seems to- have become
firmly possessed of the idea that
| persons connected with the State
government must not have outside
| connections especially interests in
concerns supplying materials, i'm
plements or anything else which
may come within the scope of the
work of the branch of the State
government with which they hap
| pen to be identified. Secretary
Frederick Rasmussen today refused
TO make any statement about the
designations asked yesterday and the
men who resigned said that they
are going to leave. e. b. Dorsett,
late chief of markets.. said that he
would take one of some positions
offered him.
The executive department has let
1t be known that it will not tolerate
appeals from orders of heads OF de-
partments for designations. In the
from department week ago an
effort was made to have the order
countermanded without success.
Resignation of Irwin G. Reagan,
of West Chester, otherwise known as
Spider" will be asked soon. This
is matter for the trustees of the
State Library. Reagan displaced
Norman d. Cray. of West Chester.
long identified with the Library and
an expert in publications year or
so ago during one of the outbursts
of the Brumbaugh administration.
1t will be necessary for the Legis-
lature to pass an act creating the
office of deputy commissioner of
health as supplement to the act of
1905 before the powers of the COM
missioner can be exercised by a
deputy according to an opinion Civ
en- to Col. Edward Martin, state
commissioner Of health. Col. Mar.
tin inquired as to the authority to
create the office of deputy. There
has been an assistant commissioner,
but the opinion holds that deputy
should have the powers of the COM
missioner in his absence and should
have the qualifications of the COM
missioner. The opinion holds that
he should be appointed by the gov
ernor.
Few things which have occurred,
about Capitol Hill in the last three
or four years have attracted more
attention than the plain statement
at the governors office the other
day that heads of departments of
the State government are RESPONSE
BILE for what their forces do and
that such matters as the employ
ment of q clerk or stenographer are
not to be taken to the governor of
Pennsylvania for approval. And
neither will the governor so out and
interfere with removals by heads of
departments FOR ordinary reasons
1t is such a refreshing change from
the methods of\the last three years
that everyone is talking about it and
expressing qualification. And there
is also a great deal of satisfaction
heard that talebearers are not en-
couraged.
One of the first things which it
is believed will be brought about
will be the placing of every person
connected with the State govern
ment on a fixed salary. The salaries
will be adjusted to meet conditions,
not war time conditions, but in
keeping with common sense and a
salary board will be created which
like a board of directors will pass
upon such matters as used to be
dealt with by departmental chiefs
in accordance with orders from the
governors office and the size of
their contingent funds. This plan
was recommended to the last Legis-
lature in the thoughtful report of
the Economy and Efficiency COM
mission, which by the way, was
juggled before it got to the public,
and the legislators thought so much
of the proposition that they enacted
it in the form of bill that was
vetoed. 1t is probable that some of
the archaic acts governing certain
departments will be repealed and
the establishments put on a modern
basis, the department heads being
given a free rein to get results. Some
attempts in this direction were made
last session, but petty jealousies in
terfered and men grown gray in the
service were deprived of emoluments
justly due them.
1T was a matter of much COM
ment at the Capitol to-day that this
week the State War Board abolished
the war service bureau and revoked
the appointment of Governor Brum-
baugh to head it and the Governor
also separated William H. Ball, the
ex-governor's secretary, from the
State Board of Charities.
There seems to be some heart
burning in Philadelphia over the
municipal court appointments. Nc
Nichol has always been regarded as
q Ware man, while Bartlett has
been inclined the other way.
Charges that dead and "imagin-
airy men" voted in Lackawanna
elections were made at Scranton
yesterday.