Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-09-20
Entered at the Post Office at Laporte, as
second.class mail matter.
A WANAMAKER WATERLOO.


second-class mail matter.
A WANAMAKER WATERLOO.
The most notable contest was that
waged in the Fifth senatorial district,
where William H. Berkelbach, an &C.
tive young Republican, was the candi-
date of the stalwart element, and pitted
against him and backed by the Martini
Wanamaker influence was former
Speaker Harry F. Walton. It was a
bitter struggle. Each side formed q
perfect organization. and every pre-
cinct was canvassed thoroughly and
the voters kept posted with the liter
ature of both sides. The insurgent
newspapers kept up hot fight for
Walton, but the people soon got to
suspect what inspired much of the
newspaper syndicate matter and took
it for what it was worth.
In every one of the contested dis
tricts the insurgents made their fight
against the election of Col. Quay to the
United States senate their trump card.
In each of these districts the regulars
made their fight upon stalwart Repub-
lican lines. They agreed to support
the successful candidates. no matter
which side won at the primaries.
Each one OF the candidates of the
regulars answered in the affirmative
the queries put to all the candidates
by the officers Of the Republican city
committee, who were directed to inter-
rogate all aspirants for the legislature
and to inquire whether in the event of
their election they would attend regu-
nj tnr nf
the legislature and abide by the action
Of the majority.
None of the insurgent candidates,
Walton included. answered these an
terrogatories from the Republican oity
committee. The Republican voters
knew this and they acted accordingly.
Not single insurgent candidate in
any of the districts in which there was
contest was successful. They all
went down in an overwhelming defeat
of Martinism mWanamakerism and in
surgentism of every manner and kind
that would fuse with the Democrats to
defeat regular Republicans.
Stalwart Republicans were triumph
ant everywhere
On the night of the primaries mes
sage was sent to the regular Republi-
cans Of the commonwealth that those
who stand by the party organization
have the full sympathy and support of
a large majority Of the Republicans OF
Philadelphia.
GREAT VOTE POLLED.
There was an immense vote polled in
every district in which there was a
fight. In some precincts each side had
as many as 20 canvassers at the polls
wearing badges of their respective can
didates and hurrying voters to the
front, so that in the two hours allotted
for the voting they could get as many
votes in as possible. There were as
many as 250 voters in a solid line wait
ing to get in their ballots at some pre-
cincts at z O'Clock. At no general cleo
tion ever held in this city was there
ever anything like this seen.
In many precincts the vote polled ex-
ceeded that at the last gubernatorial
election. Republicans who frequently
neglect to vote at general election
were gotten to the primaries because
of the intense rivalry between the fol-
lowers of Martin and the regulars.
In the Fifth senatorial district Ber-
kelbach, the candidate OF the regulars,
won 139 delegates to 40 for Walton.
Many Of the delegates were elected by
a narrow margin Of votes. The total
vote In the district was q, ,127 votes for
Berkelbach to 1914 votes for Walton,
a popular majority of 1883 for Berkel-
bach.
Since this humiliating defeat OF the
Martfnites the insurgent newspapers
have been attempting to make 1t ap-
pear that a victory for Berkelbach was
won by unfair means, and they point
to the fact that the vote in some cases
exceeds the vote for Governor Stone
In their effort to explain their defeat
these newspapers overlook the fact
that the vote In the precincts carried
for Walton was cOrrespondingly as
large as was the Berkelbach vote in
precincts carried by the regulars. In
a number of divisions where Walton
delegates were elected the total vote
exceeded the vote cast for Governor
Stone. The insurgent newspapers do
not refer to his fact, but keep up their
cry of "repeaters" and false returns"
in order to break the force of their
crushing defeat.
With the nomination of Berkelbach
the regulars named all of the senatorial
candidates nominated in this city
The insurgents. while they did not
name a senator. on the other hand lost
one. because in the district formerly
represented by the late Senator Holz-
worth. a follower of David Martin
the regulars nominated Representative
Gransback. staunch Quay man, for
state senator.
STALWART REPRESENTATIVES
The six disputed assembly districts
were all carried by the regulars. In
the Twenty-sixth district on the day
before the primaries Representative
Mcclellan Hersh. who during the last
iession bolted the Republican caucus
and followed Martin into the insur-
gent camp. decided that he could not
be renominated and he announced his
withdrawal. b. Frank Bonham. Q
stalwart Republican. was nominated In
his place.
In the Twenty first legislative dis
triet Representative John +. Keator
and another insurgent made great ef-
70 ta a In