Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-20
| EVENING Chat


by candidates for the May primary,
have been returned to aspirants for
nominations because of defects and
some of them will have considerable
work to do If the papers are to be
placed in proper form and returned
to the State Capitol before tomorrow
evening, when the time for filing such
papers expires under the new primary
act Most of the papers found de-
fective lacked the affidavit of candi-
dates that they were bona fide candl-
dates, although a few came in without
the affidavit which is demanded OF the
men who circulated the paper and
who must certify TO the signatures to
the knowledge signers had of the con-
tents of the paper. In 81 number OF
instances it has been found that sign
ers did not set down the date upon
which the signatures were placed on
the paper, one of the principal things
about the new form. Failure to set
down the name of city, borough or
hamlet or election district has also
been noticed on many papers. The
most serious defects, however, were
lack of affidavits. Less than twenty
papers were found short of the re-
quired number of signers, among the
number being the ticket of the Pro-
hibitionists for Statewide nominations.
Most of the papers filed contain far
more signers than the law demands
and papers already on file exceed in
number of signatures the big papers
of 1912, when 10000 and 5000 were
the maximum, both coming from the
Wares, of Philadelphia. IT the truth
were told there are papers on file for
some candidates for whom 500 would
have been sufficient which contain
ron txrynr
Der of signatures, and the papers Off
cially filed are considerably less in
number than those brought or sent
in. The required number of names is
worked out and filed and the rest are
baled and put away in the vault of the
department.
Generally speaking, except for the
requirements in signing the papers,
things are not much different from
what they were two years ago. There
are the same bulky papers, the same
letters with sealing wax and many
stamps and the same cautious mes
Sengers with papers about the Capitol,
put to all intents and purposes it is
the same thing as before. Some of
the papers filed bear signatures in the
same color of ink, showing that one
man circulated them and used his
fountain pen. Many of them have
signatures in indelible pencil and sew
RAJ OF the Socialists papers are signed
in bright red ink. One such paper had
twenty-five names written in red.
It's funny. too, how the people differ
in stating their business. Three names
In succession on one paper were
signed with attorney at law, attorney
afsd lawyer. One man signed his busi-
ness as a cornetist and another as "a
minister of the gospel, retired" Some
papers have also come in with the
name Journalist" attached to the sig.
| nature. Another signed as q sand
natter; In another cas- ca man got in
modlcum of advertising by putting
his rubber stamp, giving his address
ana full line of business in the space
| after his name, while there are in.
stances where men simply signed
Gent. Names are either printed or
typeWrltten in unobtrusive style or else
boldly written or capitalized in black
| INK. Some can be read across a room
and the endorsements on the outside
leaVe no doubt as to the character OF
| the paper.
Some OF the candidates are OBJ
| sessed with the notion that they are
| called by the people. One man wrote:
| Please put my papers on file, sure
because they don't think I'm going to
| run up here. They have been after
| me. A western county man wrote
| That he desired to submit these ma.
pers as evidence of my sincerity in ou,
cause. One man who brought in his
papers travelled night and part of 9
day and said that he did so because hf
wanted to make sure that his papers
would get on file. A man up in Erie
sent his papers by ordinary mail ant
ala not even ask for a receipt. Mos
OF the people filing ask for recent.
ana even those which come by regis
tered mail are acknowledged. 1t i.
believed that the number of paper,
filed this year will not touch the 300
mark of 1912. Many filed are supple
mental, which evidence a desire tt
honor some candidate.
| One man on the chill" who will bt
slad when the rush of petitions is ovel
| VIII be Major Samuel b. Paxton. one o.
the clerks of the State Department
The major looks after the mail end O.
the department, especially the impor
tant documents that come in regis
tered mail, and it happens that almos
everyone mailing a petition for the
primary sends it by registered mail
Every letter that comes in such form
requires two signatures in receivins
|
the letters that arrive the major mus
sign twice. The other day he signed
his name about 100 times and deal
knows how many he will sign to-day
TWO years ago the major signed hi,
name over zoo times in one day tus
in the process of getting the mail.
The county commissioners are hav.
ing 1t rather easy this year in the mat
| ter of nominating petitions con,naral
to what was the case last year. Thi,
primary only the committeeman arr
to be elected and the whole number
VIII not be as heavy as it used to b,
on some days last year. The commits
sioners. however. have the task O
preparing for the city registratio n
which comes along soon, and then O
getting everything ready for the pri
mary, which is almost as bad as al
election.
| MINIS NI0DATNG