Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-26
Poeitsca e.
Ps~ro4eso~ia
By the Ex-Committeeman

national committeeman from Penn
sylvania has been received with
considerable qualification by the
partisans of Judge Eugene C. Bon
niwell, late Democratic candidate
for Governor and sincere enemy of
the Attorney General, because it in
dicates to them that the reorgan.-
zation machine is in worse shape
than generally believed. The Bonni-
well people have taken heart and
propose to do little reorgGnizing
on their own account when the State
committee meets next year.
When Mr.. Palmer was elevated
to the attorney generalship it was
generally believed that he would
| resign the titular political dictator
ship of the Democracy of Pennsyl-
vania and the Bonniwell faction
Immediately began to prepare to
contest the seat. They progressed
so far that Mr.. Palmer let it be
known that he was considering the
| matter. On Thursday, in Philadel-
phia, according to the Philadelphia
Record he denied that he will re-
sign as a member of the Democratic
national committee from Pennsyl-
van:a." The Bonniwell people in
terpret this to mean that Palmer
is afraid to go to the mat in a conS
test for the seat this year and that
he will hold on until the May pri-
mary next year when his successor
will be elected at the polls by the
Democrats.
The Record also says that Mr.
Palmer would not say whether he
would be a candidate for national
committeeman next year, although
there are lots of Democrats who
wish that he would either harbor
that ambition or desire to pose as
a candidate for the votes of the
Democratic national delegates for
the presidential nomination. 1t is !
becoming apparent that the history !
OF 1907 is going to repeat itself and |
that the Democrats will furnish one !
OF their interesting squabbles for |
control of the delegation to the ma
tional convention with the accom-
plished and able Attorney General |
as the storm center.
in regard to his plans for safe
guarding what is left of the ma
chine in Pennsylvania by sending
out men TO reorganiZe the Demo-
Gratis, the Attorney General is quoted |
as saying that Ex-Congressman
Bruce f. Sterling would lead a CAM
paign to organize the State for the
Congressional and Presidential cam
paisns of 1920. Parke II. Davis,
of Easton, he said, would have
charge of the financial end of the
campaign. In remaining as a mem
her of
Committee Palmer is following a |
precedent, his friends say, establish
ed by Secretary of the Treasury |
Carter Glass. of Virginia. Secre-
tary Glass did not resign as Nation
al Committeeman when he sue |
ceeded Secretary McAdoo.
Representative Hugh A. Daw- |
son, chairman of the House Com |
mittee on Ways and Means has in |
formed the members of the Joint |
Legislative Committee of Philadel- |
phia City Councils that the bills in |
troduced by him providing for a |
return of one-half of the personal |
property tax to the State and desig- |
mating the tax a State and not a |
county revenue would not be re- |
ported from the committee. Mr.. |
orally agreed to kill the bills. He |
added that they were prepared and |
introduced at the request of the At |
torney General, but that Philadel- |
phia's status in connection with the !
personal property tax act had been |
overlooked when the bills We're pre-
pared. He informed the committee |
members they need have no uneasi- |
ness in connection with the legisIa- |
ton. Should these bills be enacted |
Philadelphia's borrowing capacity |
would be reduced by approximately |
$40 100000 and would leave about |
S45, 100000 of outstanding loans in !
excess of the borrowing capacity |
Under such legislation, councils |
would be unable to authorize loans
for public improvements for the |
next five years.
, While Governor William C. !
Sproul is favorable to an increase
in the salaries of the legislators, |
there may be some time before the
bill becomes a law. The West bill |
fixing S2,500 has been recalled and
is back in the House. The present
members will not have the advan-
tage of it. 1t will apply to their
successors, but will meet something
which has been complained of for
years. The present salary was set
in the late seventies or early eighties
and several times bills We're passed
to increase it because of what were
regarded as justifiable complaints
of legislators that the cost of living
in Harrisburg during the prolonged
sessions was high and that legisla-
tive service caused them to lose
money. These bills were vetoed, the
last one eight years ago. Since
then similar bills have been pre-
sented, but not pressed because of
reluctance of members to bring the
matter to an issue again. This
year, the living costs brought about
so much complaint that bill was
presented by a Democratic mem ber
and passed. 1t is understood that
the bill was recalled because the
Governor felt that it was inoppor-
tune to dispose of it until the finan-
cial program for the session had
been worked out.