Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-20
Psetsc4 sn
Pen~siesam;a
BY the Tx Committeeman

| lu0 administration or DIR. Mar
tin q. Brumbaugh. eleventh COVER
nor or Pennsylvania under the con-
stitution of 1873, which made the
term of office four years, will close
at noon tomorrow. 1t will fill quite
a space in the political history of
Pennsylvania. There have been few
governors in recent years whose
| tenures of the chief office in the
| Keystone State have been as much
marked by political activity. The
| two terms of Robert E. Pattison
were characterized by the differ
ences or opinion natural between an
| executive of one party and elective
officers and legislatures of another.
While the administration of Daniel
III. Hastings was stirred up by a
series of fnctional quarrels 1t was
! more Or less composed towards Its
close and the chief actors did not
display great amin osity when the
test fight was ended. The political
activities of the administration of
William A. Stone were minor COM
pared to those Of the administration
just closing. Throughout the Brum-
baugh term politics on Capitol Hill
has been strenuous.
1t is interesting that DR.. Brum-
baugh is to be succeeded by William
c. Sproul, a member of the Senate
with which the Governor disagreed
! and prominent in the dominant
branch of the Republican party
| with which the Governor has been
at odds from the day. he took Office
and also that the new Governor was
violently opposed by the present
Governor at the primary.
There were $40 laws, exclusive
of appropriation bills, placed upon
| the statute books of Pennsylvania
during the Brumbaugh term and the
appropriations of two legislatures,
as approved by the executive, aggre-
gated S14s,757,304.6s.
1t is interesting to note that the
| inception OF the two big pieces of
legislation put on the books by Gov
| ernor Brumbaugh was in the term
of John K. Tener. The subject of
workmen's compensation was
studied and legislation which
formed the basis of the acts of 1915
was drafted by commission named
| by Tener in 1919. The child labor
and other humane legislation, as 1t
has been termed. formed the basis
of The program of the Progressive
| element of the Republican party in
| the session of 1913 and eliminated
in the sensational scenes of the
closing night of that historic session
when George E. Alter. then speaker,
kept the House in session until long
after daybreak in the hope of enact
Ing something.
Similarly, the codification of
laws, in which fine progress was
made during the Brumbaugh admin
istration, was due in a great meas
ure to the momentum of the terms
OF Edwin S. Stuart and John K.
Tener. Valuable acts relative to
making business and other laws uni
form with other states were placed
on the books at the instance of the
national committees in charge of
such matters during the Brumbaugh
term.
More progress was made in vo-
cational education under Brum-
baugh than in any other term; the
Public Service Commission attained
high degree of usefulness, espec-
tally after war began, in maintain
ing rights of public and owners in
regard to rates of utilities; the
Health Department met an epidemic
OF unexampled force in the last half
year and coped with infantile par
alysis in a serious form. The State
Forestry Reserves were expanded
until they approximate 100000
acres through maintenance of the
traditional conservation policy; the
Labor and Industry and Mines de-
partments were speeded up to meet
demands of war time and the super
vision Of foods vigorously conducted
from 1915 to 1919.
Construction of state HIGHWAYS
was pushed with vigor and over S.
100000 put into permanent con-
struction, while over $7,00O,000 was
expended on maintenance, the item
for maintenance of the Lincoln
highway alone last year being more
than $75O.OO0. Almost 300 miles of
toll road were freed, leaving less
than 250 miles to be purchased.
rather negative results have
followed the reorganization of the
Department of Agriculture and the
commission form of administering
the department has not been satis-
factory, to judge from the Cover
nor's farewell message. The State
Police force was increased by loo
men, which experience has shown
was too small.
A comprehensive plan for inn
provement OF the old Capitol park
| and laying out of the Capitol Park
extension in a manner unequalled
in state capitals in the country. was
authorized in 1918. The purchase
| of the land needed for the extension
was completed in 1916 in a manner
eminently satisfactory and at
minimum of cost
When the state was called uuon
to mobilize its strength for war the
National Guard, trained by service
| on the border in the fall and winter
OF 1s16-17. was able to take the
| field In the summer of 1917, almost
in strength to meet army divisional
| requirements. 1t was succeeded by
! the Pennsylvania Reserve Militia.
and delay in making them was
heard. Activities of the state in war
time were co-ordinated under tho
State, Public Safety Committee. later
the State Council of National De-
fence, appointed by the Governor
and provided with funds from the
S2,0OO,OO0 administered by the State
Defence Commission.
| This latter commission was es-
tablished by the act of 1917 with the
| Governor, Lieutenant-Governo Au-
ditor General, State Treasurer and
| AdJutant General as members. Dur