Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-01
Pee;t;c4 IT.
Pe~~eqeeo~io
BY the Ex-Committeeman

1t commences to look as though
bills to repeal the nonpartisan cleo
tive feature of second and third
class city laws were commencing
the long, long sleep. The hearing on
the third class repeater scheduled
for to-day was cancelled and the
second class city bill went back to
committee in the House.
Evel since Senator Penrose made
his declaration against the proposed
changes in the election laws stock of
the repealerS has been going down
and the hearing scheduled for to-
day on the third class bill was abb
ruptly called off last night by Chair
man Stadtlander, who said he had
not been consulted about it. Rep
resentative Dawson, sponsor for the
second class city bill, sent it back
to committee himself.
No date will be fixed for ad-
journment this week. The talk is
still heard of May Is. This is fa-
vored by many rural members who
are anxious to get home and a
movement to fix a date about the
middle of this month to shut off in
PRODUCTION - hills is likely to as
sumo shape this week.
An interesting bill appeared in
tllC IIOuSS ldSL IllShI 1NcpES-
sentative w. w. Jennings, of Brad
ford. 1t looks like a kick from the
State Board of Agriculture against
the abolition of that body. The Jen-
ningS bill proposes to re-establish
the board, which it is intended in
the administration agricultural re-
organized to abolish, and to give 1T
power to run the Department of
Agriculture. The secretary of the
boards executive committee is to be
Secretary of Agriculture and to be
paid $4,000 a year. The Jones bill
makes the salary $4,000. The bill
has no chance and is either a pro-
test or presented as a vehicle for
compromise. The fact that it ap-
peared at all is interesting.
The Brady bills proposing
amendments to the primary law and
changing the Philadelphia registra-
ton law were granted an extension
of two weeks on motion of their
sponsor in the House last night.
Secretary of the Commonwea
Woods informed the House that he
had sent to the War Department
the legislative resolution asking that
soldiers be allowed to keep uni
forms and had been informed that
Congress had already taken such
All liquor legislation pending
before the House will come up for
consideration at q public hearing
before the House law and order
committee next Tuesday. The de-
cision to hold the hearing is the
result of an agreement between the
'wets" and "drys." Among the bills
pending in the House is the Ram
sey bill to permit the sale of beer
containing not more than two and
three-fourth per cent. alcohol and
the Fox enforcement bill. Governor
Sproul has gone on record as fa-
voring no action by the State on de-
fining what constitutes an intoxi-
cant. He took the stand that Con-
gress would decide that question.
Wet" leaders plan to defy the Gov
ernor by trying to put the Ramsey
bill through the Legislature, argu-
ing that it's passage would force the
Governor to veto the measure. He
certainly would use an ak. Repre-
sentative John w, Vickerman, lead
er of the dry" forces in the House,
introduced his enforcement bill last
night. 1t is expected to supplement-
the Fox bill.
Among legislative visitors last
evening was United States District
Attorney e. Lowry Humes, of
Meadville, who stopped off to see old
friends and was congratulated on
looking so fit. He found time to
confer with Representative w. G.
Sarig and other remnants of the
fighting Democrats of former years.
Representative w. Heber Dith-
rich, of Pittsburgh, called to the
chair in the House by Speaker Rob-
ert S. Spangler, last night made
a.. :.
graduated by friends.
Appointment of a superintend-
ent of public instruction will de-
pend upon the passage of the bill
for increase of the salary of the
to 10000, legislators
have been informed.
William II. French, Associated
Press correspondent at Pittsburgh,
visited the Legislature. He used to
cover the Legislature of Connecti-
cut.
The interesting comment ap-
pearing on this page last week rela-
tive to Senator Penrose and the nom
partisan law, from which credit was
inadvertently omitted was from the
Washington, Pa, Observer. 1t
shows what Western Pennsylvanians
are thinking.
A Statewide protest against the
Hepburn bill which proposes to
place the Administration of the
Mothers Assistance Fund in the
hands of the courts in twenty-seven
counties as yet unorganized is being
made by the club women of Pennsyl-
vania. They are acting in response
IN renueSt iSSI1ed nv Mrs Franklin
p. Iams, chairman of the Legislative
Committee of the State Federation
of Pennsylvania Women's Clubs. In
her circular to the 10000 women in
the organization, Mrs. Iams requests
the club members to write at once,
opposing this bill to Cover
nor Sproul. to the various county
representatives.