Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-12
AWAIT TEST CASE
ON PRIMARY BILLS
Auditor Generals Department Will
Stand Pat on Its Position
Regarding Cuts
SOLICITORS MAY SUE HERE
Criticism of the Democratic Ex.
penses Goes Merrily on
Throughout the State

Officials of the Auditor Generals
department say that they are awaiting
the Inauguration of proceedings to test
the right of the Auditor General to re-
duce the bills for the expense of the
primaries. For the last two years
threats Of actions to see whether the
Auditor General has authority to scale
down bill rendered for work done
after competitive bidding has been
made, but they have not been brought,
and a good many people who see the
possibilities of primary bills running
away up are doubtful whether the
action would stand.
Thus far the Auditor Generals de-
partment has paid fifty-nine of the
sixty-seven counties for the expenses
of the 1913 primary and two more Will
be settled soon. Practically all OF the
counties in Central Pennsylvania have
been paid, Dauphin having received its
share some time ago. Philadelphia,
Allegheny and few of the big ones
are outstanding and it is thought that
there will be big deficiency after the
1914 bills, which have not com.
menced to come in, are audited. A
few inquiries have been made about
the expenses for this year and 1T looks
like an enormous amount.
LII anu COuhty
seats there are protests being made
against reduction of bills and the com
missioners have made demands for
payment, asserting that If they are
not given what they ask they will have
their solicitors mandamus the Auditor
General on the ground that his reduc-
tions were arbitrary.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger. dis.
cussing campaign expense accounts,
says of, the Palmer Mccormick state
ments filed to date: "The
27 counties. all of them
except Lackawanna, May Require
relatively small, received $50O,O00 in
from t h e P al mer Campaign
Mccormick mpaign
committee an aggregate
in contributions of $500 and the two
Philadelphia wards an average of $175
each. If this average held good
throughout the State, the contribution
of Palmer Mccormick money to the
counties, estimating Pittsburgh by
wards, will be between $4,000 and
$4,000. 1t is believed lavish expendi-
lures in Dauphin county will make the
total fully 100000, which means that
the uplift comes high in Pennsylvania,
requiring $63,000 to make the Presi-
dents friend candidate for Governor.
This is thought to be low estimate.
Some keen observers say the county
committee expenditures, the personal
expenditures of the candidate and of
various other committees will run the
sum we'll over the 100000 mark, and
that if the same lavish system obtains
in the election it will require a cool
half million to finance the campaign.
Most of the more than nearly $1,000
sent into the 81 counties heard from
went to Watchers" some of whom
i -, ,t<ae ,l,A x.l
others of whom received as much as
$15."
Warren Van Dyke, for the last three
years resident secretary of the Demo-
cratic State headquarters, was last
night appointed secretary
of the Democratic State
committee. The position Van Dyke
entails the general man the New
agement of headquarters Secretary
and details and Mr.. Van
Dykes friends extended
their congratulations to him. Mr..
Van Dyke succeeds Arthur Mexican,
who was elected as chairman of the
tenth division. He comes from Carbon
county. where he was for some time
active in Democratic politics. Mr.
Van Dyke was named for city chair
man last year and is being talked of
for the same place this year.
In view of the declarations of the
Democratic candidates in favor of
local option. and the uproar made
when they tricked the
State committee of their
Luzerne party out of a chance
Democrats to vote on the question,
Will Buck these remarks from the
Wilkes Barre Record
are interesting: I'm no
county in the State, perhaps, is the
local option feature of the Democratic
platform so unpopular with the rank
and file of Democrats as in the county
Of Luzerne! The men who make up
the Democratic organization here are
largely opposed to local option. This
feeling of antagonism is best reflected
in the attitude of the Democratic can
didates for the Legislature from the
various districts. Not a single Demo-
cratic nominee in Luzerne county is
willing to abide by the party platform
in case he is elected. This situation is
unusual, to say the least, and is with
out parallel in the political history of
lit o.,