Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-13
Pee;t;c4 l.
Pe't~e4eea~io
By the Ex-Committeemsn

sylvania Legislature in the last
quarter of a century. 1t is not
uncommon for the doors to be
! locked a couple of times and the
House polled to ascertain the pres
ence of quorum when the men
| do not vote, but only three times
in the last decade has the sergeant
alarms been directed to bring mem
bers to the bar of the House such
i as he, was directed to do yesterday
The events of yesterday recall how
| in 1918 the House failed to show a
quorum on call and George E.
Alter, then speaker, directed that
the absentees be rounded up and
as a result of a hurry call to the
Island, the attendance at a ball
game dwindled while that of the
House increased. In 1909 the SER
geant-at-arms went out by orders
of Speaker John F. Cox and arrested
number of members as a result of
the deliberate breaking of a quorum
by upstate members under leader
Z
important positions to-day. This
occurred on a Thursday and the
next Monday night half the House
was hailed to the space in front of
the desks and the incident forgotten.
Absence without leave is serious
only when conditions become such
as they have grown this session
through the dragging along of bust
ness or when things are tense such
as they were ten years ago.
Some twenty-siX years ago the
House was polled one afternoon
when a big ball game was on. This
was when the old Capitol was still
standing and the members were
thoroughly scared and the sight of
men elm bing in windows was re-
called yeserday by some of the old
timers. 1t was a rare event and a
talked about the frightened state
of the members.
The most serious outbreak in
the history of the House occurred
| in 1911 when NJ. Clyde Kelly, now
| in Congress, and George Baldwin,
now judge of Beaver county, de-
clined to take their seats at the di-
rection of Speaker Cox and precipi-
| tated a small sized riot in which the
sergeant-at-arms took the mace to
them and was defied. The members
got into a serious wrangle and an
ink we'll narrowly missed Daniel L.
kiester. now mayor of Harrisburg
and then a member from Harris
burg. Several members doffed their
coats and couple had fist fights.
Some of the most dignified lost their
heads and were only persuaded from
making spectacles of themselves by
| friends. Through it all, Speaker
Cox, supported by Chief Clerk
Thomas H. Garvin, Resident Clerk
| Charles Johnson and James n.
Moore and others at the desks,
maintained their places, the Speaker
demanding order, which he finally
obtained. 1t was an unpleasant in
cident and laid the foundation for
some of the pickering of 1913.
The Senate has rarely had any
| troublulous scenes in the last half
century, but the House, because of
its larger membership, has furnished
much history.
| In connection with yesterdays
developments it may be said that
| Representative Richard Powell, who
was one of the figures in the debate,
has not been out of the House five
minutes since the sessions began.
Messrs. Cox and Glass. of Philadel-
phia, Ware leaders, and Chairman
! Dawson. of the ways and means
committee, are other men who have
not been away and their records are
with that of Speaker Spangler for
attendance. Some of the rural men,
bers like Bower, of Perry: Corbin,
of Miff1in; Berkeley and Bowman,
of Cumberland; Bolard. of Craw-
ford; Mallery, of Venango; Jordan,
of Lawrence, and others have good
and Bechtold of Dauphin, have also
been regular in attendance and were
on hand yesterday when the test
came.
If sergeants- alarms had been
sent after everyone of the absent
members of the Legislature there
would have been big bill rolled
up for the State. The expedient was
adopted of sending kilograms to men
whom it was thought would prompt
ly respond. If they do not, the
House may demand that the men
purge themselves of the contempt
in which they stand, all of which
"Oulu 80 iHtO tIle JOufHdi.
Members of the House coming
back to Harrisburg in answer to
the summons to explain absence
without leave encountered unpleas-
ant hotel conditions in this city.
Practically all of those living at
hotels during the session had given
up their rooms when they left on
Tuesday or Wednesday and on their
return found the city entertaining
the State Council of the Red Men
and the State Laundrymen's conven-
ton about to begin. Hardly a room
was to be had in hotels and many
hctel men had been sending guests
to boarding and lodging houses.
Speaker Spangler received nu-
merous kilograms, some of them
declaring that members were very
i'll. while ex-senator George w.
williams. of Tioga- who left the
House few minutes before the roll
to ascertain a quorum was called,
wired that by no possible train con-
meet ons could he get here before 2
o'clock in the afternoon. Some of
the me'nhers had gone to Philadel-
7 hia TO" tho weekend and others TO
; homes in distant parts OF the State
, which could not be reached under
ds= Sonc of the telegrarIs came
back to the Speaker with informa-
ton that the member addressed was
not at hand. but in Harrisburg.
The Friday meeting of the
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