Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-09
'Positics sn
Ps~~44esa~ia
BY the Ex-Committeeman

Frank A. Smith is to have no oppo-
sition as candidate to succeed Sem
ator Z. E. Beidleman when the Dau-
phin county leader is elevated to the
Lieutepant Governorship. Senator
Beidleman and Mr.. Smith are very
close friends and have been for many
years. Smith was chairman during
the strenuous campaign of 1912
when Befdleman won the Senator
snip for the first time in a three
cornered fight that has no equal in
the history of the county. Smiths
devotion and skill in handling the sit
nation We're very largely responsible
for the Beidleman majority and
Beldleman, who never forgets a
friend, would do anything for Smith
within his power. SO he is more than
willing that Smith should be his
successor. Incidentally. it is pretty
well known that Smith is thoroughly
dry in his sentiments and that he
will vote for. both prohibition and
suffrage if he gets the opportunity.
The newspapers of the state in
general, ,agree that Governor Brum-
baugh's farewell message to the
Legislature was the best he ever
wrote and that it contains matters
to which the Legislature might we'll
address its attention. The Philadel-
! phia Press says of it: THE Legis-
lature opened yesterday with great
show of harmony. Insofar as it dis
penses with useless wrangling and
time consuming contests. harmony is
| 81 pnnd thing lint If ha n hal
thing, too. 1t may presage unity of
purpose and oneness of mind in pur-
suing an entirely vicious course of
legislation. Our best Legislatures,
judging them by their work, have
not usually been the most harmoni-
Gus. If, however, the present Leg-'
islature is harmonious in following
the counsel of Governor Sproul the
state will approve both it's harmony
and it's action.
THE election of Robert S. Span
gler as Speaker OF the House of Rep
resentatives and Clarence j. Buck
man as president pro tenn. of the
Senate was a good beginning. Gov
ernor Brumbaugh's retiring message
is the best he has written and the
most futile. The Legislature pays no
attention to an outgoing Governor.
But some of the recommendation of
Governor Brumbaugh might well be
taken up by Governor Sproul and
made effective. His suggestion of a
Worlds Fair in Philadelphia in 1926
is one that is not too early to medi-
tate upon and take preparatory ac-
ton. The San Francisco fair was
marred not a little by the breaking
out of the European war. The pres
ent is no time for Worlds Fair any
where but the 150th anniversary OF
the Independence of the United
States is still seven years off. The
wounds of the great worlds war will
be in large measure healed by that
time. A Worlds Fair in Philadelphia
will be in order and it is not too
early to begin to make preparations
for it.
Most of the other recommended
tiSns of Governor Brumbaugh are eX-
cellent. 1t is pity they do not come
/ before the Legislature with some
force behind them rather than be
only mildly warmed by the Cover
nor's exhaust steam. The experiment
in the Constitution of 1874 of hav-
ing the retiring Governors term
overlap by two weeks the term of
the Legislature chosen with the in.
coming Governor is a fanciful idea
that has never justified itself i'll prac-
tice. The new Governor should have
been sworn in yesterday and in rec
ognition of this the Legislature hav-
| ing convened as the Constitution re-
quires will adjourn until it can set
and work under a Governor of its
own political generation"
The Philadelphia Record says:
An outgoing Governor cannot ex-
pect that his words shall be listened
to as eargerly as those OF an incom-
ing GoVernor-as eagerly as his
own words were four years before
1t is not that Governors necessarily,
deteriorate in office; their last mes
sages may be better than their first
But the rising sun is a summons
| to alertness and action, and the set
ting sun has somnolent associations.
Governor Brumbaugh is justified
in hitting once more a grave legisla-
tive abuse in appropriating more
| money than is available, leaving it TO
the Governor to reduce the coat to
the dimensions of the cloth. By this
process members OF the Legislature
assume the popular role of voting
money at every ones request, and
leave to the Governor the unpopu-
lar duty of cutting items down or
out. The abuse will probably go
on so long as the Constitution re-
mains unchanged. The power of the
Governor to reduce or exclude an
item without sacrificing the whole
appropriation bill was hailed orig
inally as great step forward, but
one of the discouraging things about
reforms is that every one of them
| brings in some new abuse
The Governors suggestion that
the state should provide the tuition
in a college of this state for every
| man mustered out of the army and
navy who desires to have a college
education is interesting, and not at
all impracticable. Many of the men
are over college age or lack college
preparation or tastes, and the pro-
| posed expenditure would be only
for tuition. not for maintenance. 1t
would probably not involve very
| large expense. The Governor makes
the also interesting suggestion that
the state forests would provide 5000
men with employment and market
| 100000 feet of lumber.
The substantial reason for good
roads, We presume, is that they re-
duce the cost of hauling from farms
and forests and mines to the rail-
ways, but it is quite characteristic.o of
DIR. Brumbaugh's soaring thoughts
that he finds another and q more
esthetic reason for an Improvement
in which he is greatly interested. He
/ anthnaio stf1oIxr