Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-11-02
Poeitic4 i~
Ps""Oqcs0ia
By the Ex-Committeeman

Demands for a change in the non
partisan judicial nomination law inso-
| far as 1T relates to the method of
establishing what candidate must re-
ceive in the way of votes to make him
| the sole nominee are certain to be
made, in the opinion of many people
| at the Capitol. and 1t is possible that
| Governor Brumbaugh may take up
the subject with the Attorney General
| or the Legislative Reference Bureau.
In addition there are likely to be de-
mands made from all parts of the
state for some better system of COM
| putting returns of interest to the state
and for a central place for reporting
registration and enrolment of voters.
The determination of the status
or candidates for the Superior Court
under the nonpartisan' nomination act
was delayed until within few days of
the time set for certifying the ballots
from the Capitol to the commissioners
OF the various counties because of the
slowness of the count of the primary
ballots. This count Is in the hands of
the commissioners of each county and
1t was fortnight and more after the
primary before a good indication of
the results OF the Statewide primaries
could be secured. In a close primary
election 1t might take three weeks be-
fore the results could reach the office
OF the Secretary of the Common
wealth, to whom the law requires they
shall be sent
Under the system of returns of
general election on Statewide propo-
sitions the situation is little better.
me of1lcial count. made under direc-
ton OF judges, sometimes takes ten
| days or. more, with the situation that
results on judicial contests, such as
| that between Robert S. Frazier and
| George Kunkel, for Supreme Court
last Fall, were not known until days
after the election, while on consti-
! tutional amendment elections the con-
ditions were infinitely worse. This
year 1t will be a week or more before
figures enough will be filed at the
Capitol to enable much estimating to
be done from official returns. Every
election there is a recurrence of the
demand for faster computation, with
suggestions for county election boards
and the like.
Reports coming to Harrisburg re-
garding the early phases of the cleo
tion to-day indicated that more votes
would be cast on the constitutional
amendments placed before the people
for ratification than on any offered
since the document was approved, on
December Is. 1873. This was due to
the interest in the woman suffra se
!
the amendment to permit the Leeds-
lature to pass laws making workmens
compensation, to which prominent
men and organized labor leaders have
been calling attention for some time,
| Ihe belief Is that many will vote for
the whole four amendments to avoid
missing the third, which deals with
! compensation
When the Constitution was adopted
the vote was 1852. .338 of which 25S744
/ were cast in its favor Not until 1919
was such heavy vote ever. polled on
an amendment proposition. Even in
| 1903, when there were ten amend
ments and n schedule presented. the
highest vote did not reach 325. .0OO
| Ihe biggest vote cast on an amend
ment was on the proposed $50. 600 600
bond issue for improvement of high
ways. which polled 559,477 votes. OF
Wiiilch WE SoS,O42 were cast in favor and
3OO,435 cast against. None of the
other amendments submitted that wear
came anywhere near that vote. The
total vote on State officers last wear
was LIP, 900, in round numbers
which will furnish an interesting com,
parison.
Mayor Samuel Stabler of vii
Transport, who was not a candidate
caused sensation last night by an.
nouncing that he would come ont %
sticker candidate against Jonas
Fischer, who was elected MAYOR Mt
the primary.
Governor Brumbaugh has en-
dorsed the candidacy of Judge w. r.
Porter for reelection in Lawrence
county.
Reports coming here to-day indi-
Gated that Ex-senator d. P. McPher-
son was doing very we'll in his cam
paign for the Adams county judge
ship.
Senator Penrose was fifty-fve
yesterday and said that a man was as
old. as he felt. He predicted 10O, 900
majority for the Republican ticket in
Philadelphia.
Thomas B. Smith, the next mayor
of Philadelphia. is enjoying his birth
day to-day. He says he expects to be
elected as birthday gift.
-Luzerne county is threatened
with an election probe and some cleo
ton judges have resigned. In Lacka-
wanna the probe of the primaries is
still under way.
-Councilmanic contests are on in
every city in the State to-day and IN
all the boroughs and 1t looks like a
Republican sweep.