Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-23
RAMSEY BILL
GETS TART VETO
Governor Says 1t Would Be
the Limit of Fu-
tility

the measure creating the Stdte
Salary Board in messages reviewing
the purposes of the legislation and
declaring in the case of the Ramsey
| bill that 1t would be futile legisla-
tion and that the Salary Board bill
was of doubtful constitutionality.
In his veto of the Ramsey bill the
Governor says:
This bill purports to be an act to
| enforce the eighteenth amendments
to the constitution of the United
States by prohibiting the manufac-
| ture, sale and transportation within
the Commonwealth of intoxicating
| liquors for beverage purposes and de-
| fining the term Intoxicating liquors
for beverage purposes?' The Legisla-
| ture in this bill has endeavored to
define the meaning of the words in
| toxicating liquors for beverage pur-
poses by providing that they mean all
vinous, spirituous. malt or brewed
| liquors or any admixture thereof for
beverage purposes when they contain
| more than 2& per cent of alcohol by
weight at a temperature of sixty de-
grees above zero. fahrenheit. Wheth-
er such an alcoholic content as that
thus defined is or is not intoxicating
is n question of fact as to which
seems to be some difference OF opin-
ion. This bill further provides in
substance that although a beverage
with such an alcoholic content may
in fact be intoxicating IL shall be
considered NOTWITHSTANDING Such n
provision might open n very wide
door to evasions of the law. AS the
legislation now rapidly passing
. h.
an alcoholic content very much less
than that prescribed by this bill and
as the Federal law when passed will
be supreme, il would be the limit OF
futility for this Commonwealth to
put upon its statute books an act
which would be a dead letter as soon
as the Federal Government shall
have spoken upon the subject"
Salary Board Veto
In vetoing the State Salary Board
bill the Governor says the purpose is
commendable and seeks to remedy n
manifest inequality that exists in the
compensation of certain state Of
ficers to the Board and remarks that
such powers can not be delegated.
The Governor then says This bill
in effect clothes the said Salary Board
with the power to amend, alter or
change a law fixing the salary, for
example, of the deputy head of a
epartment-a position created by
statute. filed by appointment of the
Governor, by and with the advice and
consent OF the Senate, and with a
salary attached thereto expressly
prescribed thereby. If the Legisla-
ture can delegate its power to some
board thus to change a law specific
ally fixing the salary of a public Of
fcer, Is it not tanamount to giving
it the power to abolish the office by
withholding all salary therefrom or
may the Legislature not take the
further step and delegate the power
to some board to change or alter the
laws which have established all pub
lie places? Aside from that consti-
tutionai doubt, I am not convinced
that the system here proposed to be
set up is sound in policy, or whether
1t would not entail n burden upon
the board charged with it's admins
tration and invite abuses wholly dis
proportionate to any advantage 1t
might secure. a departure from
our hitherto accepted one settled
policy of fixing the compensation of
public officers and employees so
radical as this should only be made
where the way is free from all ques-
tion as to it's constitutionality and
where the gains in view are so patent
and consequential as to make such a
change of method altogether desir-
able and its adoption an unmistake-
able duty"
Eminent domain is one OF the great
powers of the State and should be
controlled through the Legislative and
judicial branches of the Government
and not through an administrative
body says Governor Sproul in veto
ing the bill giving water power COM
panies furnishing electricity the right
of eminent domain. subject to the
Public Service Commission. The
Governor also says that the bill does
not exempt homes, churches or
burial grounds.
Deputy Mayor Goes.
The Governor also vetoed the
deputy mayor bill for second class
cities on the ground that 1t is an
innovation which he does not think
should be established and that If any
person is needed he should be chosen
by Council and not delegated by the
Mayor.
Other vetoes were:
Increasing fees of clerks of quar-
ter sessions courts on the ground
that the present fees provide enough
compensation.
Requiring Medical Bureau to grant
licenses to persons passing an ex-
animation provided by law, which
the Governor says is Objectionable
because 1t does not require examina-
tions in this State or give the Bureau
authority to decide whether stand
ards of State holding the examina-
ton equal, those of Pennsylvania.
Existing laws. he holds, cover the
case.
Increasing pay of assistant asses
sors in first class townships from SIS
to 81. the Governor saying he Is not
satisfied that they should have more
than similar officers in other di-
visions.
Regulating fees of several officers
of the State, a similar bill having
been already vetoed.
The Governor also vetoed the bill
requiring the Fish Commissioner
within a year to certify whether an
adequate fishway has been built in
the McCall's Ferry dam and the At
torney General to proceed with quo
warranto action if it has not been
constructed. The Governor says it
would make "a mischievous prece-
dent" and an invasion of rights OF
the executive part of the Govern
ment by the legislative. He says there
are now remedies at Jaw by which
the Attorney General can be petit
toned to employ and the case tried
out "in orderly way" in the courts.
Truck Rolls Over Into