Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-10
HE WAS UNAFRAlD
How Gov. Pennypaeker Jolted
the Supreme Court - Freight
Tunnels Under the City a
Now Forgotten Scheme
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN


Governors, attorneys general, high
state officials. mayors Of cities with
metropolitan aspirations. and the al,
and sundry lesser lights in the political
zenith are subject, at some time in their
official career, to jolts that sorcly jar
their dignity.
a distinguished senator once remarked
to me that he had become so accustomed
to being kicked that he never turned
around to see who was doing the kick
ing.
a great deal has been said about the
brusqucncss of Samuel W. Pcnnypackci :.
but those who knew him best were
aware that he was one of the clcvcrcst
diplomats that ever occupied the guber-
Material chair.
| He had William A. Stone, James Ad-
dams Beaver and Martin G.. Brunbaugh
fcascd to fare YOU we'll when it came
to tact of certain Kind
TI1E Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
L is presumed to be. and rightly, the
acme of official and personal dignity.
II Is the shrine before which tho bright
est legal luminarics dim their glow.
There was one time. however. when
the courts effulgrncc paled triiic.
II was when Governor Pennypacker
declined to attend the dedication OF the
PENNSYLVANIA binding nt the st. Louis
| Exposition in May. 1901. because he
was ut skies and scvcns with the per
sonnel of the Supreme Court.
The stage was all SGT for tho Gov
crnor's appearance. lie was to have becl
the orator of the day.
A private car was engaged in which
the Governor and members of the SUI
prcmc Court were looking forward to
hnlcyon time.
In the interim though. n GOODNESS had
arisen between the executive ana the
court. 1t was the talk of the state. 1t
reached a point in which the term
STRAINED relations" scarcely describe"
it,
The Justices OF the Supreme Court
had decided to hear appeals from the
middle district in Philadelphia instead
of Harrisburg. The Governor resented
this action. The law provided that the
court should sit in the middle district
4. X. Mcclure. prothonotnry of the
Supreme Court and its recognized
mOuthpicCc on the subject. declared that
the courtroom in the state Capitoi was
unfit for use. Besides the law library
ton still further incCnscd the Governor.
Matters were III this condition just
before the St. Louis junkct was to take
place.
THE committee in charge OF tn" ded-
l. ication exercises. of whirh Colonel
James II. Lambert was executive OH
Ger. were Mt their wits ends. With
the Governor fouting the Supreme
Court and the latter mCtaphorically in
viting his cxccllcncy ''to go to. it
would certainly cmbarrass its members
to occupy the same car with him.
1t was finally suggested that the Gov
crnor should have his own special car.
while another was to be provided for
members Of the court and their fami-
lies.
TheDhcight of the ridiculous was
reached when it was proposed that the
Governors car be placed at one end of
the train and that of the Justices at the
other.
The work of engraving the elaborate
invitations had begun. whrn the order
was peremptorily Cancelled and all
plans changed and this without notice
to the court.
Governor PCnuypackcr had cut the
'ftl'lth hh'''
He decided to forgo attendance at
the dedication and instead to make his
appcarancc on Pennsylvania day. The
latter was set for August 20, the auni-
ycrsary of General Anthony Wayne's
victory over the Indians at Fallen Tim
bers.
TT FOLLOWED that aS the Governor
L would not attend the ceremony
neither could the members of tho Su-
premc Court. so they all were COM
pcllcd to stay at home and chew the
cud of disappointment. They missed
fine trip and an elaborate ceremony.
Governor PrnnypnCkcr did not. OF
course, declare in 50 many words that
he had declined to appear at the dedica-
tion for fear of cmbnrrassmNnts that
might arise from meeting members OF
the court.
The reason assigned was that Penn
sylyania day. and not tho dedication of
the PENNSYLVANIA building, was the
nropcr occasion for his appearance at
tho st. Louis Exposition. Then per-
haps he winkcd at Bromley Wharton.
He is the only individual who ever
threw monkey wrench into the beau
tifully adjusted machinery of the high
est judicial body of the state.
rNIIE philadelphia Rapid Transit Go.
i hasn't had to fight competition since
Thomas T.. Mittcn graspcd the holm.
It's present troubles recall n now for
gotten scheme that was hntChCd sixteen
years ago literally to dig the ground
from under its feet,
II was known aS the freight tunnel
prOicct and contemplated the COnstruc-
ton of freight subway lines under every
important downtown thOroughfarc.
It's real sponsors were Israel w. Dur
ham and James =. McNichol. though
senator William Finn, Of Pittsburgh.
was understood to complete trio OF
principals.
Others interested were Senator
Charles \. Porter, Speaker Henry f.
Walton, OK Senator John $, Weller, |
!. Clayton Erb and Select Councilman
william Gallagher, of the Tenth ward
The proposition created such con
sternatiOn in Rapid Transit circles that |
President Parsons hurried away to Chi
cago to inspect its then recently con-
structcd freight tunnel railway.
The proposed subway was to consist
of tunnels nine feet in height and six
feet in width at depth Of about forty |
feet beneath the surface of the street.
In connection with the trunk line
and branch tunnels there were to be
freight stations with elevators from the |
surface by which freight could be loaded |
directly into the cars.
The cars would then be delivered to
steam railroads at various points on the
outskirts of the city.
1t was II mighty clever scheme, but
IL never amounted to anything.