Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-20
sPsest;cs IN
Pe~nsaGaxia
By tho E1-CommittecmAN

AHe way the House or representa-
tives is working is one of the in
teresting things in Pennsylvania
politics just now. According to men
who have followed the Legislature
the activity of the lower branch Of
the Legislature at this period of a
session Is something not only un-
heard OF but very much to be de-
sired. Whether it will be produc-
tive OF many laws. however, depends
upon the way the senators view the
strenuous program of the House.
Ihe senator's have been holding the
usual two sessions a week with GUS
tomary recesses, while the House
actually passed third reading bills in
number before the twentieth of Feb
/ ruary.
Speaker Spangler takes the posi-
tion that if bills in which members
nave a more or less individual in
terest are gotten out of the way now
there Will be less work to do when
| the big bills come along and he is
urging not only from the rostrum,
put privately that chairmen expedite
matters and keep the committee
pigeonholes cleared out.
Governor Sprouts big bills will be
not be ready for about ten days.
The Banking department bills will
oe gone over by the Commissioner
John s. Fisher next week and Sec
retary of Agriculture Rasmussen will
have his ideas in concrete form in a
snort time. 1t is not believed that
much legislation relative to the Pub
lie Service Commission will be en-
acted and the peculiar condition pre-
Valling regarding the headship of
the Labor and Industry department.
makes it improbable that much will
be done outside of detachihg the
Compensation Bureau from that
branch and erecting it into a depart
ment with Harry A. Mackey as
chief.
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Cyrus e. Woods will have the first
law relative to state department
reorganization to record in a few
days and it will change the pre-Co-
iumbian system upon which the de-
partment has been compelled to
operate. There ar salaries being
paid in that department which were
established in the early eighties and
Tor a branch that handles much !
important matter it has had to labor
under old laws for years
notwithstanding some reports Ex- |
Senator John M. Jamison, OF Green's |
burg, is the Republican nominee for
congress in the Westmoreland- Butler
district without any contest. He was
named at Pittsburgh after a long
discussion, John II. Wise, Butler
lawyer, being put forward by that |
county.
A brief love feast was then held |
and Mr.. Wise and Mr.. Jamison both |
made short addresses. Mr.. Wise as
sured the candidate of his loyal sup
port and urged to come soon to But |
Ter county that he might assist him |
in campaigning. Mr.. Jamison thank |
ed Mr.. Wise for his sacrifice and |
pledged his efforts to secure in the |
near future reapportionmento of the |
state which will make Westmore-
land county a separate congressional |
district and unite with some county |
or counties. giving position in |
which it will have an equal chance. |
The candidates received the warm |
congratulations and pledges of sup
port of all at the meeting
The presentation of the repeater
for the non partisan judicial and |
second class city law of 1918 yester-
day will be followed by legislation |
establishing new councils for Pitts |
burgh and Scranton. The election |
of judges will be on the old party |
system, nominations being made at |
the direct primary. Governor Sproul |
is understood to be agreeable to the |
plan to abolish the non partisan |
system for judges and. the two sec
ond class cities, but there is no indi- |
cation of how he feels on third class
city non partisan elections The AL |
legheny and Lackawanna delega-
tions are said to be favorble to the |
change for second class cities. The
plan is for councils TO be composed |
of FIVE men with one each for 90, 900
population additional. all membrs to |
be elected at large on party tickets. |
From all accounts the Philadel-
phia charter revision bill will appear
in the Legislature next Monday and
then things will start The meas
ure will be the big subject for dis
cussion because the factions in Phila-
delphia are working to make their
com mbinations for the crucial time.
The interest in the controversy over
the bill is commencing to grow
among rural members.
Senator Edwin n. Ware will be
back from Florida next week and
will personally direct the fight
against the charter people. The fight
in the House will be handled byl
John r. K. Scott.
There are the "makings" of 81
first class legislative fuss in the
various bills relative to automobile
and some of the far seeing men are
trying to harmonic differences be-
fore they get the point of making
trouble. ~rrr
The Smoky City Council will not
send an agent to Harrisburg to keep
in touch with legislation affecting
Pittsburgh. Says the Pittsburgh
Gazette Times. -f
This announcement was made yes
terday by President John II. Heron.
and his decision had the approval
Council. A resolution authorizing the
President to appoint such an agent
was adopted by Council a week ago
but such complete information as to
all bills introduced in the Legislature
is coming regularly that Mr.. Heron
decided it was not at all necessary
to send an agent to the Capital.
TRADE BRIEFS