Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-03-24
DEMOCRATIC REORGANIZATION

TAS the Democratic party in
r Pennsylvania been reformed,
or is it still thing of iniquity,
politically speaking? Did the
work of the Reorganizers result in
permanent regeneration, or have
many of those who hit the trail dur
ing the Guthrie-Palmer-e al. revival
slipped back into ways of sin and
worship of the golden calf, Bipartisan
ship?
These are questions suggested by
careful reading of the local mouth
piece of the Reorganizers that those
who take their inspiration from the
editorial columns of that newspaper
Will find it difficult to answer, for it
seems to be very much mixed in its
mind regarding the present state of
the party it assumes to speak for.
Yesterday morning, anent the appoint
ment of Mitchell Palmer to a federal
judgship and his prospective retire
ment as Democratic national commit
teeman from this State, it said:
Pennsylvania and her Democracy
are the better for having Mr.. Pal
mer's activity in public affairs
When he, with his colleagues, un-
dertook to cleanse the party of it's
twin-machine stains, they faced an
almost insuperable task, but with
the rank and file at their backs. the
work was done and a party dedi-
Gated anew to its original purposes
honesty. militancy and loyalty to
good government.
Just a few days earlier, Thursday of
last week to be precise, in an edi-
torial commenting on an interview
with Representative Sarig, of Berks
county, who complained about the
line of conduct of some of the Demo-
Gratis in the Legislature. the same or
gan, among other things, said:
Representative Sarig's exposure
of the workings of the bipartisan
machine in the Legislature is the
act of a ourageouS man, whose
loyalty to his party is not blinded
by his sense of honor. His revela-
tions confirm the contention of The
Patriot and others who desire a
Democracy bigger than tail to the
Republican kite and believe that
her greatest enemy is hiding under
The Berks county legislators in
terview is a call to arms" to the
Democratic members of the Legis-
lature They cannot ignore it and
remain honest Democrats.
All the sordid details of BIZ
partisanship are disclosed by Mr..
Sari<. The handing of 'plums' as
rewards Tor truculency tsicl is one
of these. 1t is an old custom. re-
ward or concession for party be-
trayal.
Which view is the correct one? Or
are both correct from the Reorganizer
standpoint-the rosy one for use when
they would contemplate the past
achievements of the leaders and
the gloomy one for occasions when
Jack Flynn, who has been in the
Legislature since 1903, gets recogni-
ton, while Sarig, who is serving his
first term, gets none, or when a nice
job in Philadelphia falls to the lot of
a Democrat who persists in remaining
without the pale?
That sort of reasoning may fool
some of the Democrats who were in
sympathy with the recent reorganiza-
tion, but it is evident to all those who
are in position to look at the situation
from the outside that IL that party is
to stay reorganized some vigorous ac-
tion will have TO be taken. And there
are few left to do the work. BY
strict attention to the guiding spirit
OF the original reorganization most of
the leaders now have comfortable jobs
and are out of politics for the present.
and IL current report is founded upon
fact those who have been left out in
the cold are disposed to let the move
ment take care of itself.