Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-12-02

AOi pcOple Oh GennSylNdultl,
and he did not hesitate to say so.
So here the central idea as to voting
is to make it honestly easy and invit
ing, and 1t has been advanced that
voting even should be made compul.
sorry, not made a hardship, a bore, a
risk. an insult, as the primary system
is considered by many, or a device to
scare the uneducated voter from the
polls.
The One Kink
There is one kink however, that the
fat-headed reformer has never sought
to take under his hen-like wing, and
this to require by law q return or tally
by the election boards of the number
of defective or discarded ballots and
their full compilation so that their
totals could be known.
Well, we know why. If this was the
law, and those ballots number thou
sands at every election, the people
would get up on their hind legs and
simply swipe the system.
An excellent authority, w. Harry
Baker, informs me that they will num-
ber at least five for every precinct
which, with 5000 such in the state,
the number would total possibly 80. 900
at every election. For instance, at the
polling place of Vance C. Mccormick
in Harrisburg at the late election and
which was carried by him by two ma
1orlty, five ballots were found which
had been voted for Penrose for SEN
ator alone. The inference is that these
five electors had the intent to vote the
whole Republican state ticket. but had
missed fire.
Now here is a peep into just one OF
the six thousand precincts. Why
should system like this be tolerated.
since it miserably fails to afford a true
and rightful expression of the opinion
or choice upon the part of the people Z?
nf ole Sff1
that many votes are thus lost through
the pride of educated voters, who
really ought to know how, failing to
ask for assistance" Now a system
that battles or charley-horses both the
polished and the unpublished alike is
surely some prize winner in its class.
Primary Idea Stolen
The uniform primary is likewise an
idea that was stolen by the reformers
and has new and additional features
patented from a practice formerly in
use in Pennsylvania quite some years
ago and known as the Crawford county
system, 1t having originated in that
once notorious election boodling BALL.
wick. The main difference between
the new and the old is that under the
old each party had it's separate pri-
mary on different days and the cost
was borne by them.
l was the news editor when a kiddo
of the Titusville Morning Herald and
know something about the politics
of Crawford county at that epoch. the
Herald being the Republican county
organ. 'Nibsey" Bloss. it's editor and
the postmaster of Titusville, came to
Philadelphia in search of live wire,
and after inquiries in the profession
was put upon my trail. ] closed with
him. since / was threatened with con,
sumption and needed the bracinL
mountain air. / must have made a
hit, as the businessmen of Meadville
sent for me to come to that town and
made proposition that | become the
editor of a pioneer daily paper they
mad In contemplation and the money
up. 1t was held, however, that a
weekly and job printery were wanted
TO insure the enterprise and vain
efforts were made to buy an estab-
hshed one. and the success of a new
one being feared. the scheme died.
Fond Recollections
My recollection is that this principle
of direct voting for nominations was
devised to head off the buying of dele
gates to conventions. as the employ
ment of money had become a mon
strous scandal. Money was spent like
water by the rival Republican leaders
Banker Delamater. of Meadville, and
DR.. Roberts, of Titusville, and it was
the belief that they could not buy up
the whole county.
Delamater afterward became the ill
starred candidate for Governor and
DR.. Roberts, better known as TOR
pedo' Roberts, he having made O. mill
lion or so throuhg an invention for
resuscitating dry petroleum wells by
torpedoing them, were both anxious to
go either to Congress or the State
senate, and to be recognized as the
whole Cameron leader of the county
And each had enough money always IL
block the other.
Bill Andrews I then knew as the
John Wanamaker of the oil regions
he having a big department store in
Tltusville. was an immense advertiser
and known as the slickest politician in
seventeen counties. He was first the
financial agent of DR.. Roberts and his
chief vote procurer. He subsequently
was taken up by Colonel QUAY and be-
came his chief of staff, having failed in
business. After the death of DIR. Rob-
erts he entered the political service of
Delamater. Proving traitor to Quay
in the Pittsburgh ripper fight. the
colonel attempted to pistol him.
The Roberts Dinner
After years of strife Dr. Roberts
landed in the State Senate and slg
nalized his advent by regaling the en-
tire ensemble of the Legislature with a
wine dinner at the old Lochiel tavern,
than there was dinner. The next.
morning breakfast at the Lochiel was
late because 1t took the deck hands SO
long to truck the drunks out of the
dining room. I was a "two-bottle
man at that festivity myself and must
admit that ] have never seen its like
Years after Chris Magee emulated D,
Roberts with similar affair held in
Russ Hall and which was a high roller
After the death of DR.. Roberts Della
mater had his ambition gratified by
an election to the State Senate and
the feud was off.
The Crawford county system was
adopted by several other counties and
after trial was discarded, havi1g
proved unsatisfactory, as it had in
Crawford itself so. as I say, this sys-
tenn of direct voting for nominations
was not a new thing in PENNSYLVANIA,
1t has again failed under it's new guiss
as the reformers are admitting them
selves that 1t don't reach the spot''
and they are getting ready to SHIFT
arms"
The mugwump press has begun to
complain that the various patented
election reform devices have proved
failures, as for one thing too costly.
and upon this phase I shall be back
again.
TnnGE ~ VEADc nrn