Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-20
THE MCCORMICK PLATFORM

4 Wilson for Governor of Penn
sylvania was announced to-day.
IT abounds in fine phrases. 1t makes
splendid promises. 1t is good reading
as platform literature goes, albeit a
trifie reminiscent of the days agone
when State conventions of this, that
and the other party We'd with each
other in sounding language
whereby they aspired to advance their
individual ambitions to attain public
office. Indeed. that is one of the pain
rul tendencies of platforms. They
promise go much and they perform
30 little. Ethiopia by comparison would
be as Darkest Africa If all the reforms
of all the platforms written for the
reformation of the nation had been
enacted into law. Either that or we
should have long since drifted into q
state of anarchy. Sometimes we are
at a loss to decide which.
So with the Mccormick platform of
to-day. Like the well-varnished stick
of painted glucose and coal tar dyes
that masquerades aspeppermint candy,
but it fails. in analysis.
The most characteristic statement
in the whole list of personal decla-
rations is the following:
] shall make a determined effort
TO bring about a reform of rules of
the Legislature, to give the people
of Pennsylvania a chance to freely
express their will through their
represen atives. in requiring that
aido.d an committee members shall be
eIected by the members of the
House and Senate, respectively.
The whole theory of the American
government is that the executive. Iegis-
lative and judicial branches shall ex-
ercise their functions separately. Pro-
vision Is made for the review of leeis-
lative action by the executive and bv
the courts. No one in the history of
Pennsylvania while occupying an ex-
ecutive position has ever presumed
to dictate the rules whereby the rem
resentatives directly elected by the
people shall conduct their business.
The nation has had several recent ex-
Rmples Of executive Influence" upon
legislation in Congress, but such a
thing as attempting to revise the rules
OF either branch of the national legis-
1ature Is something which even the
euthor Of ''The New Freedom" has
never oven dared to undertake.
The candidate comes forward with
O. plea for the extension of civil SER
vice. A similar plank is a part of the
Democratic platform written at Balti-
more. which, Mccormick helped to
write and Of which he asserts he is an
ardent supporter. Nevertheless there
has not been in recent years a more
disgraceful assault upon the merit sys-
tenn In the national government than
has been made by the Wilson admins
tration. For the purpose Of strength
ening the party machine and to gratify
the demands OF q horde of hungry
Democratic place hunters, worthy and
experienced government employees have
been dismissed by the thousand all
over the land under the flimsy excuse
that they were not in sympathy with
the administration" Veterans of the
Civil War have been thrown out of
office to give place to smooth-faced
a
votes around in their vest pocket O,
who happened to be the relatives OF
followers Of Democratic politicians
The Democratic platform promised
civil service reform and those elected
under its provisions-and all of them
were supported and are at this mo-
ment heartily endorsed by Candidate
McCormick-have proceeded to return
to the spSils system as rapidly as a
vigorously protesting minority in
Washington will allow
How. then. are we to take thi.
promise Of Mccormick? Does 1t rims
true. or does 1t sound like the Balti.
more tin horn being footed again te
attract the votes of the unthinking?
In the face of the failure of the
Royal administration in Harrisburg
Mccormick doesn't hesitate to promis,
an Economical, business administra
tion." and after his efforts to defea
the State road loan proposal last Fal
he still pretends to be friend of al
extensive highway Improvement pro
gram.
The last paragraph contains tn
meat OF the whole declaration-oppo
sition to Penrose. The entire cam
paigns Of the Progressive and Demo
cratic organizations in Pennsylvani
this year have that as their keynot.