Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-03
PsGkco ~
Pe~~s4esada
by the Ex-Committeeman


day and there have been suggestions
without number as to the alterations
which should be made in the docu-
ment. None of these, however, is
! likely TO assume partisan form and
the general expectation is that there
discussions.
i Attorney General William T. Schaf-
fers hope is that the sessions of the
Commission will be marked by ex-
! pediuous but dignified handling of
the important subjects which will be
| considered. The opening next Tues
day will be attended by short cere-
mony and Mr.. Schafrer will outline
| the desire of the Governor, who will
not be able to get here in time to
attend the inauguration of the work,
| but who will probably visit the Com
mission later on in the week.
First lubors will be in studying the
| constitution and deciding upon what
| sections should be changed. This
| VIII take several weeks of hard work
by the committees.
: The Philadelphia Inquirer gives
| considerable attention to the plans
for the new Commission and says
that one of the big subjects will be
| taxation of natural resources, in
| cluding a tax on coal. 1t also pre-
| diets that there will be important
\ changes relative TO the appropria-
| tionS for hospitals and other sub
jects which will enable charitable
grants to be put into general bills
\ instead of having a separate list.
! Most important, the Inquirer says,
will be the municipal features. 1t
remarks philadelphia, and in fact
every other city, in the State. will
demand that the Constitution be
changed so as to grant u greater
degree of home rule. 1t is pointed
out that the mayor of New York has
veto power over all legislation en-
acted by the General Assembly OF
the Empire State at Albany, which
directly affects that municipality.
The recent experience at Harrisburg
in the enactment of the new charter
for the Quaker City. with the mem
bers from other counties than Phila- |
delphia, who controlled the situation, |
being dragged and hauled about by |
the runners of rival political fac |
tions from this city, was such as to |
demand, relief from these objection |
able conditions. The classification
of cities as at present has been found |
to be unsatisfactory and a PROPOSE |
ton has been advanced for the |
specification by name of the city to |
be directly affected by any proposed |
legislation. While Philadelphia is |
the only first class city in the |
Commonwealth, there are two second |
class cities. Pittsburgh and Scranton.
These municipalities, so widely
separated and located at the extreme |
western and eastern portions of the
% al a -
ing constitutional restrictions are OBJ
hGed to work upon the same charter
and other legislative conditions. |
What has been deemed desirable in |
Pittsburgh has not always been ac-
ceptable or workable in Scranton, |
and each of these cities will seek to |
provide for q separate legislative |
program of its own. The third class |
cities have an organization which |
will no doubt appoint a committee |
to make such recommendations to |
the Constitutional Revision Com mis-
sion as may be desirable"
Auditor General Charles A. Sny
der will begin his strenuous task of |
selecting the mercantile appraisers |
this month. There have been many |
rumors about men TO be named. but |
the Auditor General has kept his |
counsel. There will be something !
like 100 appointments made.
Col. George Nox Mccain, writ
ing in the Evening Public Ledger, |
makes some sharp criticism of State
departing report publication /
methods. He says: THE lack OF |
ready-to- hand Information in all de-
partments at Harrisburg has been |
notorious for a quarter of century. |
The States publications are never up |
10 date. Department reports find |
their way into the hands of the pub
lie years after they have been com |
piled. with one cepGon--Smull's !
Legislative Handbook. 1t is usually |
ready for distribution a few months |
after the close of the legislative ses- |
sion, which is due TO the untiring ef- |
forts of Senate Librarian Miller. The |
new Commissioner of Labor and In !!
dustry, Doctor Connolly, ] have no !
doubt so far as his department is |
concerned, will speed up in this re-
spect. for he has come 10 the work |
with q great record for efficiency"
This year it does not look as /
though the proofs for Smull's hand |
book would be ready much before !
Christmas and the 1919 book, for |
which copy was prepared long ago, |
will appear in 1920. The last re-
port of the Adjutant General is |
dated around 1914. There are other |
departm reports. copy for which |
was ready promptly, which are away |
late.
-Mifflin county Republicans are |
likely to have a legislative contest I
on their hands Representative g. |
q. Corbin wants to run for the Sem |
ate and some people in Lewistown |
district want to run for the House. |
Representative William j. Nc |
Caig. chairman of the House APP |
propriations Committee, will be a |
candidate for reelection next year |
in Pittsburgh.
EX-Representative Ellsworth G.. |
NJ. Kuhns, one of the orators u few |
sessions ago, is to be clerk to the !
Lehigh county commissioers.
School boards reorganizations |
took place pretty generally through !
out the state on Monday and for |
once there are no reports of tie |
votes and controversies over the con-
troll of boards. Comparatively few |
changes in officers were made.
From all accounts the census !
supervisors are not going to have !
the easy time anticipated in getting !
enumerators for the decennial job. |
At first it was thought that there |
would he many places for deserving /
Democrats, but the Democrats did |
not seem to like the prospects of |
pay or work in many districts and |
even in such rock-ribbed sections as |
Berks and Lehigh the Democratic |
4. a s,..t.. Fas4