Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-22
BIC FOUR DIVIDES
Up PATRONAGE FOR
KEYSTONE STATE
democratic Bosses Save Wilson the
Trouble Of Awarding Spoils
to Democrats
DAUPHIN IS TAKEN CARE OF
Post Offices and Revenue Jobs
Will Be Filled Promptly
Campaign Starts Early
DAUPHIN IS TAKEN CARE OF
Special to The Telegraph

Philadelphia, June 22.-Four men,
two candidates for election in Novem-
ber, one the official "headsman" of
the Post Office Department and an
other a would-be attorney general. are
sitting around a table at hotel here
to-day dividing up the federal patron
age of Pennsylvania for President
Woodrow Wilson. They are engaged
in the sort of thing which used to
cause Democratic editors to rave about
division of spoils and which brought
out caustic remarks from eminent re-
formers and publicists before they got
into office.
The conference is being held by the
same four men who made up the pri-
mary slate for Pennsylvania and took
it over to the White House one even
ing last Spring to have Wilson to rub
Der stamp it. incidentally, the big
Four slated two of their own number
A. Mitchell Palmer for senator and
Vance c. Mccormick for governor
thus achieving the goal of years of
scheming and conniving and eXpendl-
ture of money. The men in conference
are Palmer, Mccormick, James J..
Blakslee, Fourth Assistant Postmaster
General, and Roland S. Morris, Demo-
cratic State chairman and the man
who put through the platform scheme
which was denounced In the recent
meeting of the Democratic State COM
mittee as "a cheat and a fraud"
Quite Frank About 1t
The big Four" is quite frank about
what it is doing. There is no denial
that plans" for the campaign are be-
ing made and that the apportionment
of offices is part of plan. The four
met last evening when the church bells
were ringing and decided how to di-
vide the offices. They went at 1t again
to-day. They realize that the ext
gencies of the campaign in face of
business depression and arrogant run
ming of State machine require work
on Sunday eve and Monday morn.
II is expected that such post offices
in Dauphin, Perry and Cumberland
counties which have not been filled,
inClud'n" New Cumberland, where Gift
ford chot made things easy, will be
tillco .lhout delay, and that the two
federal Jobs which have been carved
off as the share of Dauphin in the
revenue service will soon be an
nounced. In the old days such action
used to be called Stating" Now it is
performance of a party duty and in
best politicians in office at this time.
Philadelphia has seen many famous
political conferences and many things
have been worked out here in the way
of political divisions, but nothing quite
so brazen as the division of the spoils
while the bells rang for evening
service.
Palmer'S Ideas
Congressman Palmer got the pub
licity for the four. He did not give the
others chance. Palmer said that he
thought the campaign should start
about September l and that the ma
chine shop in Harrisburg would be the
headquarters with branches in Phila-
dclphia, Pittsburgh and such other
ports as would need cargoes of cash.
incidentally, Palmer gave the inter-
esting information that the party is
not harmonious now, but will be in
November. He had the news from
ears when he said that and he was not
very comfortable about it when he got
up this morning. The reason for his
belief that things will be better in No
Vcmber is that Wilson will come into
the State and bring his Cabinet with
him. Whether the people of the Key
stone State will stand for psyche
logical arguments and empty pockets
is doubted.
Palmer further declared that the
talk that he would go into the Presi-
dents Cabinet in November was alb
surd. but he did not discuss whay
might happen after November 5.