Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-11
Enr&tt11g Glrat


is that 1t adjourns for about . fort
night Immediately after 1t organ
ICES. While this recess, which Is q
favorfte theme for reform writer's
when things are dull, is for the pur-
pose OF making up committees ana
outlining q legislative program. It
in reality overcomes one of the ham
dicaps which the constitution places
upon an incoming Governor. For
some reason the trainers of the basic
law of the Keystone State provided
that all Governors after 1873 should
take office the third Tuesday of
January following their election.
While they stipulated that the Gem
eral Assembly should meet the first
Tuesday of January. The result has
been that retiring Governor hav-
ing sent his farewell message to the
Legislature has nothing to do for a.
fortnight. Years ago leaders of leg
islative bodies feeling that the in
coming Governor chosen at the same
time as half the State Senate and all
of the House and nine times out of
ten of the same political faith, was
entitled to outline legislation, hit on
the idea of an adjournment until in
auguration day. Hence, the spec
tacle is presented of retiring Gov
ernor messaging the General AS
sembly and giving the benefit of OBJ
servations and experience has to sit
by and see the inaugural address of
his successor accepted as a sailing
chart.
The fact that his new predecessor
had the same time of 1t can be at
best a melancholy satisfaction. Sim
ilarly, the Senatorial custom of lay
ing over all recess appointments of
the retiring Governor until they can
be reviewed by the new Governor is
one of the things that form an over
tapping of administrations. 1t is very
probable that when the time comes
to change the constitution that leg
islative terms and gubernatorial
tenures will begin at the same time.
1t is not of record in Pennsylvania
history that Lieutenant Governor
has ever been called upon to issue
writs for special elections to fill va
cancies caused by popular choice of
Senators to fill the two highest Of
| ices of the state government. This
obligation will fall upon Edwin e.
Beidleman when he resigns as a
Dauphin Senator to become Lieu
tenant Governor and he will thus
order an election not only for his
own successor but for the successor
to the Senator chosen as Governor as
| well. 1t is q most unusual situation
and to q student of Pennsylvania
history one of rare interest, because
1t is more than a generation since
I
has been chosen Governor. Two men
have gone. from Congress and ono
| from the common. pleas bench to
fill the chairs of Pennsylvania, but
recollection of men here does not
go to a year when a man went from
the State Senate to the executives
desk and as for two Senators being
chosen to the two highest offices it
is situation as unprecedented as
their majorities.
|
1t was with much regret that many
Harrisburg people heard of the
death of Francis J. Torrance for
years president of the State Board
of Public Charities, and one oI the
! big businessmen of Pittsburgh. Mr..
Torrance would have served q quar-
ter of century on the board had he
lived until next summer and in all
that time he never missed but three
sessions. 1t is not generally known
that he was one of the men who
urged enlargement of the Harris
burg State Hospital for the Insane,
and that he heartily supported the
rebuilding program a number of
years ago. For long time he urged
a new hotel for Harrisburg and when
he heard of the new Penn-Harris,
said Harrisburg had Struck it's
gait"
4, A number of philanthropic Har-
risburgers have adopted French and
Belgian children and are support
ting them in their homes across the
sea. These children write regularly
to their foster parents and keep
them advised of their progress in
school and of their home life. In
some cases they have lost both par
| ents and in other the father only
has been taken through the cruelty
of war. One of the gentlemen inter-
| ested in these little ones is proud
of q beautiful little girl who has
sent him her photograph and who is
much interested in her benefactor.
From all accounts the delinquen-
cies of the telegraph and cable COM
pariies in the delivery of money that
/ is. teiegraphed are not being ac-
cepted with complacency by men in
the military service, even IL busi-
ness people and the relatives of men
in the Army and Navy have to sit
/ back and take what they get from
the wire service now that it is con-
trolled by the national authorities.
Indeed, the lot of clerks at the tele-
graph offices is anything but pleas
ant since the deterioration in SER
lvice which began when the gov
ernment took over the systems has
become q matter of general knowl-
edge. The old effort to please which
was such feature of the service.
seems to have given way to an effort
to avoid blame and the attitude of
some of the officials has likewise
undergone q marked change. The
situation in this city was remark-
ably summed up by stalwart col
ored soldier from one of the reserve
depots an evening not so long ago.
| man." said this colored soldier,
"I wants to send some money to
nah girl an / wants you to send 1t.
Now, Use part of dis government.
too, an eff dis doan' get to nah girl
I'm comm back heah wifi some of
nah buddfes an clean out de place.
De ahmy has some rights"
! well do our best, but you see
began the clerk.
"I do see. An you see, too. I got
jes' much to say ez you. I'm in de
ahmy."
| Iy,,o ou,,o,o f~or. a frouaIipO rnau-