Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-01
PsGsco im n
Pe~~e4eSo"io
BY the Ex-Committeeman

puDllcan State organization Governor
William G. Sproul and State Chair
man William E. Crow, two close per-
sonal friends, will look after affairs.
The Governor has long been urged
by the Senator to take part in
national politics and will probably
| be heard of considerably in the next
month or so at Washington and
elsewhere.
Announcement that the Senator
had become gravely ill did not sur
prise some of his friends, especially
those who know the attention he
gives to affairs at Washington and
his indefatigable work in connection
with the Senate. The Senator has
reached the apex. as they say in
Washington, but his Pennsylvania
friends have known ever since he
was here last summer during the
Legislative session that he was also
working harder than he ever did.
And Penrose has always attended to
business without regard to hours.
Governor William c. Sproul is
said to be very much in the minds
of men prominent in national affairs
as an available candidate for PreSi-
dent, although Odell Hauser, writing
in the Philadelphia Press, says that
the managers of the Leonard Wood
campaign believe that they have Sem
ator Penrose for Wood. However,
the general belief up the State is
that if the Governor will permit his
name to be used the keystone State
delegation would be solid for him
and he could be assured of votes out
side.
-Mayor-elect J. Hampton Moore,
who still writes a good bit in the
Phil06p1nhi1 in n
letter in the Evening Ledger: What
is it all about? Governor Sproul is
already on the hustings doing double
time as a speechmaker and he gets
better as he goes along. Some peo-
pie suspect the Governor has some
thing in his mind, although the Gov
ernor states frankly that he consid-
ers it duty not only to get in touch
with the people, but to keep posted
as TO their needs. But Lieutenant
Governor Beidleman and Auditor
General Snyder, there's the rub! For
high grade oratory they are in con-
stant demand, and generally amen
able to persuasion. They say moth
ing for themselves, but some people
say that if Governor Sproul should
be looking for some higher station
the trimming of Attorney General
Palmer as Il presidential candidate,
for instance-they would be willing
that is Beidleman or Snyder would
be willing-to take the Governors
place 1t is curious how these notions
get about, but they do obtain foot
hold"
From what people at the State
Capitol who have been observing
the trend of thought regarding pro-
posed constitutional revision have to
say there does not appear to be
any widespread demand for material
changes in the general scheme of
State government, but rather for a
broadening of the provisions relative
to the smaller divisions. Much of the
dissatisfaction with the constitution
that has been heard of in the last
two or three years has come from
the municipalities. There have also
been complaints voiced by counties.
Careful note of the points brought
out at legislative hearings and at
various meetings of wide i'm
portance has been taken by students
of the constitution at the Capitol,
and these matters seem to be more
in the public mind than others. Two
subjects which are likely to be
among the first to be suggested when
the Commission begins meetings will
be classification of counties, cities
and boroughs for facilitating govern
ment and debt limits.
Another subject which is going
to attract attention will be appor-
tionment. Years ago the point was
raised in legislative halls that an ap-
portionment bill that would be fair
and at the same time constitutional
could not be passed and the State
has been getting along, without very
much complaint, with congressional
and judicial acts passed in 1901, with
some few changes to the latter, and
senatorial and representative appor-
tionments enacted at the special ses-
sion of 1905. That historic gath
ering adopted n senatorial apportion-
ment that split a county and the
late Samuel w. Pennypacker, then
Governor, when informed that it was
not constitutional, predicted that the
question would not be raised. The
census of 1920 will be practically
completed by the time the Commits
sion makes its report to the Legis-
lature of 1921 and it will have some
figures upon which to work.
james II. Maurer, of Reading,
stands in a fair way TO be sacked"
as chairman of the State Old Age
warning from some of the signs.
Maurer was named as chairman of
the Commission couple of years ago
and continued, his plan to go to
Europe for further study of the sit
uation having run counter TO the
ideas of National officials with the
result that he was taken from the
dock, while his trunk went to Eu-
rope. Since then Attorney General
y. Mitchell Palmer has denounced
Maurer in the legislative halls where
he sat as u member from Reading
and presented the original bill for
| the Commission. Inquiry mas been
under way at the Capitol as TO what
has been assembled in the way of
data that can be of service and it
has been found that while some one
| has been very busy in gathering in
| formation the members of The Com
| mission outside of Maurer did not
know much about what was going on.
! Illness of DR.. Thomas r.. Fine
gan, State superintendent of Public
Instruction, will prevent further or
ganization of new bureaus in the
department until he RECEIVERS his
! health. When stricken down on the
| eve of the Educational Congress. DIR.
| Finegan was planning to complete
| his organization of the rural educa-
! ton bureau, which he intends to
make one of the great features of
his administration. While connected
with the New York system DIR. Fine
| gan had charge of rural education
and has been spending much time
| in studying the problems in Penn