The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-05-09
HARRISBURG LETTER.
Special Correspondence.

There are more tnan 1Ofty OF tne III
ty-seven counties in this State which
will elect members of the Democratic
County committee at the Uniform Pri.
maries. There was no legal require
ment for this because the rules of the
party were paramount in the matter
But the fact that those counties have
determined on that course puts it up tc
the Democratic voters to make fit Sc.
lections. The hope of the party lies in
the organization. The County Com
mitteemen select the Chairmen of the
county committees and they are in
turn the members of the State Com
mittee which is the Supreme court OF
the party. If active, earnest and faith
ful Democrats are chosen for member
ship of the County Committees they
are reasonably certain to choose fit men
for membership Of the State Commit
tee, and that accomplished there isn't
much doubt of the rest.
The Democratic party of Pennsylva-
mia is in better shape now than it has
been for years The exposure of graft
and other iniquites Of the Republican
party have practically put that party
out of the running for the Office of State
Treasurer next fall. One of the leading
Republican Senators said to me the
ether day that the Republican candi-
date for State Treasurer i'm this State
will have no better chance for election
next fall than the Republican candi-
date in Georgia or Texas. But even at
that the party can't afford to make sac
rifices. In other words an intelligent,
faithful and efficient organization is as
essential to success this year as any
ether year and though things are going
cur way we can't afford to have either
u lethargic or recreant organization.
OF late years the Democrats have
been altogether too careless about such
things. There have been, within dc.
cade, Chairmen of County Committees
who didn't take enough interest in the
party affairs to answer the letters of in
quiry of the State Chairman. However
able and earnest the State Chairman
may be, under such circumstances he
is unable to achieve results 1t is a
prerequisite to success that the organi-
zation be active as well as honest Our
misfortune in recent years is that these
essentials have not been fulfi led. The
committeeman may have been honest
enough but they have lacked energy
and interest. At least they have failed
to prove their faith by works and the
hopes of more than one State Chair
man have been disappointed because
Of the delinquency of his staff, for the
County Committeeman hold that rea-
tionship to him.
BAD BLUNDER OF THE MACHINE.
The political incident in the Legis-
lature last week was the defeat of the
resolution of Representative Flynn, of
Elk county, conveying an expression
If popular appreciation of State Treas
,rer Berry's exposure of the capitol
graft and pledging him moral support
IN his resistance of predatory raids upon
'he treasury. 1t wasn't expected that
che machine representatives in the
Legislature would enjoy bestowing
compliments on Mr.. Berry who of all
men they hate most intensely. But
Nobody dreamed that they would
come out in the open" in sheltering
corruption. 1t was believed that they
would assume a virtue" as Hamlet
uggested to his mother, and when
With practical unanimity the whole lot
umbled headlong into the trap, even
hose who hoped for such result were
amazed. A veteran politician who was
resent, one who enjoyed the conf
'ence of Quay to the full measure, re-
marked, on hearing of the incident
hat it used to be comparatively safe to
depend on the Democrats to make a
atal blunder at the opportune time,
nut during all the era of Democratic
-tupidity that party never sounded the
iepths of sottishness as the Republic
"ans of the Legislature are doing this
gear.
But for the exposure of graft made
"y Mr.. Berry the people never would
have known that the resources of the
State had been shamefully squandered
by band of political pirates on plum
der bent. But for that. the machine
would still be in undisputed control of
the affairs Of the State and the graft
ing operations now in progress. But
for his courage and fidelity to duty Ar
rhiuect Huston would have secured
another 100000 payment and Contrac-
tor Sanderson more than that amount
in addition to the millions he had al
ready stolen. OF course the honest peo-
pie of the wealth appreciate