Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-24
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Ps~~s4eSa"ia
By the tx committeeman

shoI HoNeTHOT Within -.
isproul will soon ask the Legislature
10 enact the bills outlined by him
IN mis- imusural address as needed
TO promote efficiency and better
business methods in the state gov
erhmeht are appearing at the Capt.
! tol and the bulk of the measures
VIII appear early in March. They
Will mark the commencement of the
real activities of the Legislature
ana probably. cause a speeding up
Oh action on the bills now in hand.
once the highway bills are enacted
the administration measures will go
10 the front and after them the long
list of appropriations for charities
ana the general appropriation bill.
Men conversant with the situa-
tlon at the Capitol are predicting
tnat the Legislature will close about
the must of May and that a very
wen uenned program for the state
lawmakers is being shaped up. One
or the matters which is causing de-
Ay is the constitutional revision
problem. The Governor will have
10 decide whether he wants to have
the question of a new document
voted on in his administration and
II ne does this extremely important
subject must be dealt with in a pre-
iAHinary way by the present session.
rev governors in recent years
nave Deen so overwhelmed by Wis
ttors as Governor Sproul. People
nave been thronging his offices and
III mas hannnn
refuse engagements to callers on
days when the Legislature is here as
such times are given to the law
makers. 1t is not uncommon for
people without appointments to ap-
pear at the Governors office as early
as nine in the morning and the long
waits they have had to endure has
taught the Importance of making
engagements.
People have also. been calling
on the Governor for speeches at a
rate never known before and he
mas been compelled to refuse many
or them. in order to find time to
work. Between visitors and demands
Tor his appearance to discuss his
legislative program the Governor
mas to work until late at night to
catch up with his correspondence
ana TO tit in conferences with State
officials between times.
With the bills reorganizing the
Executive, State and Highway De-
partments well on the way toward
the Governors desk attention will
be given Immediately to the COM
pletion of the measures to place the
state Departments of Agriculture
ana Banking on a modern basis and
then bills will be drawn to promote
more efficiency in the inspection
systems and TO relieve the Governor
from the duties of auditing many
accounts and settlements in pay
ment for state supplies. Construc-
ton of state buildings, starting with
the Capitol annexes will go into the
hands of bureau of construction
in the Department of Public Grounds
ana Buildings, as already outlined.
me latter proposition grows out of
the extensive program for the i'm
proyement of Capitol park and the
laying out of the extension as
planned by, Arnold w. Drummer.
Erection of the Delaware river and
memorial bridges would also be put
in the hands OF this bureau. Its
staff would include State archi-
tect State engineer and a State
superintendent of construction. In
all probability steps to take over all
future construction of State build
ings will be taken when the Capitol
work is well advanced. This would
systematize all State hospital and
other buildings and place control in
the State administration instead of
in various boards.
For years Governors have
sought to be relieved of the neces-
sity of passing on all bills and ac-
counts of the Forestry, Health, Labor
and Industry and other departments.
They are now handled by the execu-
tive controller. One of the schemes
suggested is for a disbursing bureau
in the Department of Public Grounds
and Buildings and special auditing
bureau in the auditor generals de-
partment to look after such mat
ters, allowing the Governor to de-
vote himself to State business with
freer hand, which would facilitate
matters. The Governor under the
| constitution would have to sign con-
tracts, but the requirement of his
! signature to settlements is the re-
suit of statutes which could be re-
pealed.
| Governor Sproul, Lieutenant
Governor Beidleman and Secretary
Baker, of the Senate, will leave
Thursday morning for Pittsburgh to
\ attend the. ceremonial session of
Syria Temple. Shriners.. They will
be escorted to Pittsburgh by a COM
mittee oc members of the Shriners.
They will be escorted to Pittsburgh
by committee of the Shriners.
Joseph N. Mackrell will preside at
the session.
The Governor will spend the
weekend at Philadelphia where he is
| to speak.
| Nobody from Delaware ccounty
was about the Capitol today. Gov
ernor Sproul and Attorney General
Schaffer and the Delaware legisla-
tors and officials and attaches were
all in the home county" because
of the special election to elevate
Ex-Speaker "Dick" Baldwin to the
4 Senate as the Sproul successor to-
morrow. From all information at
hand the Republican Organization in
Delaware was working we'll.
i Ratification of the prohibition
amendment tomorrow will be flashed
all over the country. The attitude
of Pennsylvania has been hard for
many people in the nation at large
to understand and the "drys" in
tend to make Splash" in send
Ing out the word. having been forced