The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-02-24
Davis. of Lancaster.
Gets Post Sought by
Both the Van Dykes.
of This City
NAMED TO-DAY
BY PRESIDENT
Local Men, Who Lose Out, Had Strong
Backing but Wilson Selects Candi-
date for Collectorship Who Is Ac-
ceptable to the Two Factions

The long political controversy as to
who shall be Collector of Internal Reve-
nue. in the Ninth Pennsylvania district,
including Harrisburg, was settled to-day
when President Wilsen sent to the Sen
ate the appointment of Benjamin K.
Davis, of Lancaster, to that position.
Mr.. Davis is prominent business man
and has for several years been chair
man of the Lancaster county Demo
cratic Committee. He is known as a
" Reorganizer, but was on friendly
terms with the Old Guard, and his nomi-
nation is regarded as compromise.
The appointment settles a contest in
the Dauphin county Democratic ranks
that has been quite spirited for some
time. Warren Van Dyke, the present
secretary of the Democratic State Com
mittee, who removed here from Carbon
county about three years ago, and T.
Kttera Van Dyke, member of the
Dauphin county bar, were the two most
prominent aspirants for the position.
Warren Van Dyke, it is understood,
had the backing of National Commit
teeman A. Mitchell Palmer; Vance G.
Mccormick, recent candidate for Gov
ernor; James l. Blakeslee, Fourth AS
sistant Postmaster General, and the
members of the Democratic State Com
mittee generally.
I. Kittera Van Dyke had the sup
port of Samuel Kunkel, treasurer of the
Democratic State Committee, and a
number of other local Democrats, and it
was also said that so far as he took part
in local appointments Secretary William
Jennings Bryan gave his aid to r. Kit
terra, the latter being one of the Bryan
standbys in this city at time when
many of the prominent local Democrats
repudiated the "Great Commoner IS
free silver ideas.
Palmer for Warren Van Dyke
The Scranton revenue district, which
was abolished several years ago and
its office removed to and merged with
the Lancaster or Ninth district, was
recently restored and Fred G. Kirken.
dahl, who was appointed to succeed
Harry L. Hershey, Republican, was
transferred to the Scranton headnuar-
ters, leaving the place of Collector of
the Ninth district open, and it was said
that one of the main reasons for re-
storing the old Scranton district was to
leave the Lancaster district open for
the appointment of Warren Van Dyke
he being especially favored by Con,
gressman Palmer who engineered the
affair
Meantime the candidacy of T. Kit
terra VanDyke was advanced and mis-
friends began to do things and to take
Secretary Bryan into their confidence
in Mr.. T. KS behalf, using the argu-
ment that he had been Bryan sup
porter when it took oltitude to be a
Bryan supporter in this neck o. the
woods. Secretary Bryan looked with
favor on the appointment of his
staunch ally, and the affair began to
get serious. 1t looked very much as
if there would be a deadlock
At this. juncture the name of Mr.
Davis, of Lancaster, was brought forth
quietly in connection with the appoint.
ment and last week it was laid before
President Wilson, who saw happy So
luton of matter in which his Secre-
tary of State was involved on one
side and his chief Pennsylvania sup
porter in the Baltimore convention was
concerned on the other side. Think
ing it all over, the President to-day
sent in the name of Davis.
To "Take Care' of Warren VanDyke
1t was said by prominent Demo
Gratis this afternoon that Warren Van
Dyke will be cared for in some way
with something equally as good" and
that he will be looked after by Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General Blakes-
lee, who brought Mr.. VanDyke from
his Carbon county home to take the
place of resident secretary of the Dem,
ocratic State Committee.
Since the Democratic State Commit
tee headquarters were removed from
Market square, in this city, to. Phila-
delphia, Warren VanDyke has had
charge of the resident Office here, but
inquiry for him to-day elected the fact
that the telephone at the branch State
headquarters in the square had been
detached and there was no longer
any telephone service there.