The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-10-29
THE CITIZENS PARTY
IN FINAL CAMPAIGN
Becomes Republican Ma
chine if 1t Wins the Day.
THE BIG BARREL Is TAPPED
Doodle Figuring Prominently in Ale
ghe1y County Political
Fight.

PITTSBURG. Oct 29-Win or lose.
the Citizens party of Allegheny county
is making it's final fight.
Whatever the outcome of next Tues
days battle for half dozen county of
fees, there is to be an end to the so
called independent" political machine
which came into being as the first fruit
of the infamous ripper law" of 1901.
II defeated next week the Citizens
party will die of starvation. No mongrel
Republican aggregation can live in
this high protection" atmosphere in a
Presidential year. That is conceded
by men of both sides.
On the other hand, If the Citizens
ticket wins the followers Of Thomas 8.
Bigelow and NJ. A. Werner will be in q
position TO dictate the terms of an
agreement by which they shall be let
INTO the regular Republican organiza-
ton.
Contest Is Close
Less than one week from election day
the fight is admittedly so close that
predictions are Of little value. A COM
paratively slight shifting of the lines
will be sufficient to carry the county for
one side the other.
If the turn should be toward the Citi-
zens' side it will be due chiefly to the
rel ever dumped into an Allegheny
county fight.
1t is the first campaign in which the
Citizens outfit has not fought under a
false pretense of reform" There is no
attempt this time to conceal the fact
that the one object in view is political
power for private purposes. No time ~
being wasted on the 'eminentiy re-
spectables" who helped poll the original
Bigelow majority.
The Citizens have the police. the pay
roll. Sc per cent of the election boards
and eighty bushels of money. and they
don't pretend to possess or desire any
thing else. They say those assets are
good for 10000 majority
They admit that the wholesale viola
ton of their reform pledges and the
general maladmlnistration of city ar
fairs under their brief reign have cost
them the support of the better eIe
ment," but they argue that these people
will stay at home rather than vote fol
the old Republican machine.
The Republicans have some advan-
tage over last year. They have better
ticket than the Citizens, and a chair
man. Representative Thomas ]. Ford
whose personality gives tone to theil
organization General disgust over the
broken pledges of the ''reformers" and
the approach of Presidential election
also help the Republicans. If anything
like a full vote were to be polled they
doubtless would win
Their problem is to overcome the
widespread apathy and the preponder'
ance of Citizens party cash.
Orphans Declare Out.
The regulars have been encouraged
somewhat by the public declaration o
the orphans" yesterday that they ha'
quit the Citizens party for all time
These ''orphans'' are City ComptroIle
John b. Larkin and fourteen council
men who seem to have accepted tn
original Citizens reform promises IL
good faith.
The contest is for district attorney
sheriff. parliamentary, director of tn
poor, and two jury commissioners. Tn
Republicans have a clean ticket. includ
ing three civil war veterans. The Cit
zens' ticket gives Bigelow the distric
attorney. sheriff and one jury commits
sioner. while the Democrats are allowe'
the unimportant nominations for pro
thonotary. poor director, and jury com
missioner.