Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-06
PeeI;cs L.
Ps~~siLaa;a
By the Ex-Committecman

the legislative session has followed
the rout of the liquor leaders in their
attempt to prevent the House OF
Representatives from ratifying the
constitutional amendment and to
judge from some Of the talk heard
in the corridors of the Capitol these
discounted buccaneers intend to
make things so interesting that the
session instead of closing in the lat
ter part of April or early in May
may run into June. The state has
had three June sessions lately and
they have not been popular with the
public and certainly not with the
legislators, who have found it expen-
sive.
Just how the legislators friendly
to the liquor people would view a
plan to stay in Harrisburg in those
first real hot days in May and on into
the month of roses at the present
cost of living is rather problematical.
Some of these men are inclined to be
sore over being lined UP against a
dry" amendment scheduled to go
through and would probably resent
any more dictation and rear up when
regulatory legislation came along.
Another thing which is contributing
to the loosening of the bonds which
have held some legislators to the side
of the ,"wets" Is the TACT that the
new Governor, just entering upon
his administration with unusual
prestige and fine prospects-and
many ppointments-is being cred
tied by newspapers and the public
with being the man who put over
the amendment in the House. The
folly of antagonizing Sproul for the
sake of lost cause is apparent, say
some experienced observers of legis-
lative matters.
One of the reasons why the Sem
ate. will not vote until the week of
February "a on the amendment rati-
fer is that Senators Ware, McCon-
nell and others are getting ready to
take their usual winter vacations
and will be away until about that
time. The belief is growing that the
figure of thirty votes favorable to the
resolution IN the Senate will be too
small when the vote is taken. The
wrath being vented by some of the
liquor leaders on Penrose, Sproul,
Crow, Beidleman and Baker because
the resolution passed the House is
not calculated to diminish the vote
for the resolution in the upper
House.
q e.
tional judges which may be asked
from the present legislature on the
ground of increased criminal court
business may have a rocky road to
60. There are counties where it is
recognized that common pleas busi-
ness is extensive, but with prohibi-
ton coming it is natural to suppose
that the criminal business will take
a drop in the whole state just as it
has in counties which are dry" and
which have furnished news items
about empty jails and grand jurors
being sent home because there is no
business to keep them at the county
seats. The police dockets in Harris
burg during the arid period of the
influenza outbreak furnish interest
ing local evidence sof what may be
expected.
Some of the legislators are of
the opinion that the general assem-
bly, will enact bills increasing the pay
of jurors to 81. In Philadelphia the
long trials which have attracted
statewide attention have caused
much protest from men who have
received the pay authorized by old
statutes and which seems paltry in
these days of high wages and the al
titudinous cost of living.
Members of the House are COM
menting very favorably upon the
prayers of Chaplain Feldman. The
chaplain has been patriotic in all of
his petitions and yesterday not only
prayed for maintenance of law and
order but that the lamentable con-
ditions in Europe may not cross the
sea to America.
The Hazleton Ministerial Asso-
citation has taken a fall out of the
Powell bill to repeal the prohibition
of sports on the Sabbath in the Blue
laws. Others are expected. to fol
low. The Rorke bill, which appeared
yesterday. would repeal that clause
of the old act of 1894 that forbids
entertainments and concerts of an
educational nature. There is som g
question whether Rorke's bill would
not permit movies on Sunday nights
james +. Woodward, secretary
of internal affairs-e elect, is assisting
Chairman McCaig in the work of the
House appropriations committee. ot
which A. b. Smith is the secretary
and clerk. Mr.. Woodward has had
wide experience having been three
times chairman of. the COMMITTEES
The committee is about up to the
average ,at this time of a session in
regard to bills.
The Philadelphia charter revi.
sion people who were here the Other
day are said to be planning the final
draft of legislation which they dis.
cussed with the Governor. From
what has been learned Messrs. Wins
| ton, White and Coles were told nv
the Governor not only to be practi.
cal, but to do their best to reach
agreements on the main features ot
the. bill before bringing it to Harris.
| burg.
Richard w. Williamson. n,
Huntington. has retired as counse
for the state in collection of main.
tenance from estates of inmates n,
state hospitals able to pay. George
w. Coles, who succeeds him is tbt
secretary of the Philadelphia Tow
Meeting party.