Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-09
Peeitca IL
Pe~~oqesaia
BY the Ex-Committeeman

BY the Ex- committeeman
The Legislature of Pennsylvania
goes away to-day for an ante Easter
vacation which will end on Monday
night, April 21. The opposition to
the plan, which was loudly voiced
for time, was not aggressive yes
terday and some lawmakers lost
little TIME in going away.
1t is expected that during the re-
cess many things will be adjusted
that Will be conductive to closing
up the work of the session in May.
The Philadelphia bills will likely
be the subject of some conferences
and from all accounts, some of the
rival leaders in the Quaker City are
not so far apart. The effort to
make 1T appear that the Governor
wds interested in the recess failed
mise,ably and it is generally recog-
nized that he had nothing to do
with IT. Similarly schemes to make
capital out of the recess blew up"
During the recess a number of
committees will meet and the hear
ing on the compensation amend
nent suggestions will be held here
as scheduled next Tuesday.
The stage is being cleared for
a fine old fight over the bill to rip
out" the Philadelphia and Pitts
burgh school boards which was re-
ported late yesterday. This is 60
ing TO be an interesting proposition
and some political animosities kept
under cover during the charter ne
gotaslons will probably bob up.
From all accounts the people
opposing the proposed compensation
amendments will come here with
take kindly to the Mackey pro-
gram. This matter and the various
police bills will make interesting
situations after the recess.
The House law and order COM
mittee will rid itself of liquor bills
in the week following the reconven-
ing of the Legislature. There will
be no more hearings. Yesterdays
hearing developed into a one man
discussion by Wayne Wheeler. at
torhey for the Anti-Saloon League,
who crossed swords with Repre-
sentative W. T. Ramsey. The Wick
erman and Fox bills will be reported
out and the alcoholic content"
measure will have troubles alb its
own.
The State system of making ap-
preparations to charitable institu-
tions not wholly under State control
much discussed in campaigns. was
attacked at a hearing held by the
judiciary special committee of the
House on the Allan d. Miller bill
for distribution of State grants on
a basis of service rendered. but at
the same time ii was pointed out
by other speakers that the plan pro-
posed does not provide a method
which could be handled easily. The
speakers for the bill were X. L. NJ.
Pray, Senator George Woodward,
Philadelphia; Mrs. +. j. 1ams. John
Yates and D. j. Terry, Pittsburgh,
who referred to the fact that legis-
latiVe committees did not always
follow recommendations of the
state Board of Publicn Charities:
w. I. Greasy and John A Nc
Spartan, of the State Grange, who
opposed the system in vogue for
years. and others. The bill was
criticised by F. E. Shapperkotter,
f. {. Bowie. Philadelphia; j. Z.
Roth and Sherwood Conrad, of
Pittsburgh, while Judge Isaac John
son, president of the State Board
of Public Charities, also discussed
some features of the bill The bill
is similar TO others before the legs-
latures of recent years. The COM
mittec did not indicate any action,
although there is unquestionably a
sentiment growing for some change
in the method of making appropria-
tions owing to the demands for
uorey for public works and govern
mental expenses. The subject is
one with considerable political pos
sibilitles.
The woman suffrage amend
ment was reported to the House last
evening from the judiciary general
committee and the fight is on.
The House concurred in the
Senate amendments to the West bill
increasing salary of legislators to
$500 a year from $500. 1t now
goes 20 the Governor and if ap-
proved will become effective in 1921.
There were few votes against it in
either house. The present members
can not share in it but they are
suffering from an allowance set
thirty-tiNe e years or more ago.
The Philadelphia Inquirer says
in its Who's Who" column:
THE incoming Secretary of In
ternal Affairs, James Fleming Wood
ward, was born in New Brighton,
Beaver county, February 19, 1868.
In 1872 he moved with his parents
to Pittsburgh and later to Allegheny.
He was educated in the public
schools and in the Western Penn
sylvania University. He has for years
held the position of superintendent
of the McKeesport hospital. He
served in the House of Representa-
tives from 1906 until he ran for the
office of Secretary of Internal Affairs
last year. He is best known for his
work as chairman of the Appropria-
ton Committee of the House in
which capacity he had to do with
the allotment of many millions of
dollars of State funds which he dis
bursed with honor to the State and
credit to himself, He ran many
thousand votes ahead of his ticket
in his home county and an addition
al evidence of popularity among his
neighbors was shown at a big testi-
monial banquet given him in Nc
Keesport last week.
Considerable interest has been
shown at the Capitol in the decision
of the Chester County Court
declaring that County Treasurer
George f. Wilson does not owe the
county $500 to $500, as alleged by
former County Controller Robert G.
Kay, who had surcharged the treas
urer with the amount while he was