Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-19
PsGtco IT.
Pe~~aYeSo~io
BY the Ex-Committeeman

| SAdh L tuOuSHl lIldl 1t WOulu pS dulS
! to accomplish. 1t has studied inn
portant articles and set aside those
which are not believed necessary to
amend and its preliminary work for
exhaustive inquiries is well adj
vanced,' said Attorney General
! William l. Schaffer, chairman of the
State Constitutional Revision Com
mission to-day. "Of course, it must
! be understood that our work now is
preparatory. We have to study
! the constitution and separate what
is considered as proper to stand and
get the rest into shape for holding
of hearings. But the work done and
| the references back to committee
| after the Illuminating discussion
show that the members are thor
oughly imbued with the spirit of
| the work"
| 1t is not probable that the ques-
| ton of eligibility of the Governor
to succeed himself will come up
| again, but soon after the holidays
there will be an interesting discus
sion on the G"c tion of appropria-
tions to charitable institutions
George Wharton Pepper, who has.
| by common consent. taken charge Of
a proposed amendment, will advo-
cate it before the committee in
| charge of Legislative matters. 1t
! is pretty well recognized by mem
bers of the commission that the re-
| ligious bond is an important element
| in charitable institutions and the
| idea is to allow appropriations where
| denom!national matters do not bar
anyone from receiving the benefits
of work or service.
Another big subject for con-
sideratiop when the Commission
meets again will be the Department
of Internal Affairs. There is a
strong disposition to make the office
appointive. 1t is possible that Sec
retary of Internal Affairs James +.
Woodward will appear before the
committee in charge of this amend
ment to present his views and to
outline what the Department now
does and what it plans.
The question of taxation has
only been started by the committee
in charge and it is considering not
only coal and other natural re-
sources but the whole realm of cor
poration and local taxation, coop
Grating in the latter with the COM
mittee on cities. 1t will take some
weeks before it evolves a general
scheme. The members will study
some data during recess and then
near NldlG OlliCidlS.
While Col. John c. Groome re-
sumes the activities of the office of
superintendent of State Police after
two years leave of absence on war
service, it is believed that he will re-
tire early in the year and take
charge of his business in Philadel-
phia. The name of Captain Lynn G.
Adams. in command of the troop at
Butler, is being much mentioned as
possible superintendent. From all
accounts he is to come here to sue
ceed Captain L. f. Pitcher, the pres
ent deputy who resigned to become
chief of police of Wilkes Barre, Of
fered to him some time ago. If
Adams is promoted to the superin-
tendency it is said that Captain Will
liam f. Mayer, in command of the
Greensburg troop, may become dep
! uty. Both men are veterans of the
! State Police service.
EARLY steps for the organization
! of the bureau of rural education will
, be taken by DIR. Thomas e. Finegan,
! the state superintendent of public
instruction, who is rapidly regaining
! his health. DR.. Finegan had charge
of this work in New York state for
years and is planning n big develop
ment of this feature of State work
| in Pennsylvania.
Here is an expression regarding
| Governor William c. Sproul at Wash
| ington from the Scranton Times,
one of the big Democratic newspa-
pers of the State: our own Cover
nor Sproul made a speech at the
meeting and also gave the represen-
! tatives of all the states in the coun-
try a chance to see him, size him up
and get sample of his goods. This
would be important if the Governor
| should turn out to be more than q
! favorite son candidate. The reports
| in the press of the country indicate
that the Governor made good
speech and favorable impression -
james ]. Gerry, well known in
| Democratic politics in York county.
will be chief sheriffs deputy in
York's governmental reorganization.
The demand of the civil service
reformers that Mayor-elect Moore
restore Messrs. Ritter, Van Dusen
and Bolger, the old civil service COM
mission that Mayor Smith put out of
business, is being watched with in
terest as the new mayor has some
ideas of his own on the subject.
1t looks as though the disposi-
JlOn III regard 10 delegate candidates
in the Republican party is to let
things drift for a time. Friends of
Governor Sproul want to size up the
effect of his speech at Washington.
The headquarters of the Repub-
lican delegation from Pennsylvania
to the Chicago convention will prob
ably be in the Congress Hotel, where
the delegates held forth in 1915.
Ambition of Ira G.. Lutz to be
n candidate for the Democratic con-
gressional nomination in the Berks-
Lehigh district is likely to upset
some apple carts. There were hopes
that there would be only one candi-
date. The Philadelphia Press has
this to say about places in that city:
Mayor elect Moore's selections foI
his cabinet, now nearly completed
savors little of politics. but much ol
expected service. Fitness for the
place has evidently been the con-
trolling test in each case. 1t is par
ticularly marked in the appointment
of James T. Cortelyou for head OF
the Department of Public Safety
His career as chief postal inspector
in this city for the Federal Govern.
ment was marked by much achieve.
rnent in the ferreting out and bring.
ing to punishment men who at.
tempted to use the United State.
mails for swindling purposes"
The Philadelphia Evening Bull
letin, in an editorial on the Gerard
boom for the Democratic Presidential
nomination, says: THE required
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