Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-26
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The visits of Senator Penrose and
Congressman Ware to Charles Evans
Hughes, Republican nominee for Pres
ldent have caused some lively gossip
According to Philadelphia dispatches
MT Hughes holds the key to the door
OF future control of the Republican
Organization in Pennsylvania. What
ever may have been decided in past
political battles between the Penrose
and Ware factions, the fact is that the
presidential nominee, by reason of a
novel Pennsylvania law, will be the
final and determining factor in the
problem of solving the continuous
question of State leadership. In short
the act of 1913 gives the presidential
nominee the power to say who will or
who will not be the presidential cleo
tors.
| Theoretically presidential electors
are powers; they may elect whom they
will as President of the United States.
Practically, of course, they merely
register the choice of the people as
expressed in the November election. 1t
just happens, however, in this State,
owing to factional rivalry, that presi-
dental electors will assume an impor-
tance, politically, they really do not
possess in themselves. Instead of be-
ing unimportant voices of the elector-
ate, they have become overnight, as it
were, the subject of factional deals and
partisan controversy. And in this sit
uation Hughes is the central point
In nutshell this is the situations
Mr.. Hughes may take his list of sug-
gestions for the Pennsylvania electoral
ticket from either the Penrose or the
Ware -Brumbaugh factions. Which
ever side he recognizes will count upon
recognition in the highly important
matter of Federal patronage, embrac-
ing the great number of influential
postmasters throughout the State, in
the event, of course, that Hughes sue
ceeds Wilson as President
The bigness of the situation and of
its possibilities have led to the plan
ming of conferences. This conference,
to be followed by another had to do
with the matter of reuniting Progress
sives and Republicans in support of
the Hughes-F Fairbanks ticket, a sub
Ject which naturally relates itself to
the question of selecting presidential
electors. No sooner had discussion
arisen over this conference than it was
said that Senator Penrose and William
Finn, Roosevelt or Progressive lead
ers of Pennsylvania, soon would hold
a conference on the same subject. Sig
nificant as this announcement seemed,
1t only emphasized the trend of events
at the Progressive national convention
in Chicago.
There, Finn was the virtual boss"
of the Progressive convention, and as
such helped to frame up the situation
leading to a working agreement be-
tween the Republican Old Guard and
such Progressive leaders as Garfield
and Perkins, who paid no attention
to the demands of individual delegates
that the Republican convention be dis
regarded. At that time, and as a con-
sequence, it was freely predicted that
Penrose and Finn were planning to
get together and that the result would
be felt in Pennsylvania's Republican
politics. Penrose is a member of the
Republican National committees
steering committee" the little or
ganization which is comforting with
Hughes as to campaign plans. Finn
has even been accused in national po-
litical circles of being "the steering
committee" of the National Progress
Finn and Penrose propose that the
electors shall be representative of both
the Republican and Progressive par
ties, to the end that unity may be
brought about. That is precisely what
the Wares proposed in their personal
conferences with Mr.. Hughes who has
the last word in the premises.
But whether or not Finn in the
last analysis will work with the Wares
or with Penrose, the fact is that Finn,
with his harmony record at the ma
tional conventions behind him, is ar
ranging to have nearly every Washing
ton party ward or county committee
in Pennsylvania indorse Hughes for
the presidency In a word, Finn,
Roosevelt's Pennsylvania representa-
tive, is getting ready to deliver the
Progressive vote, or at least it's ma
chinery, to Hughes. AS a start, Phila-
delphia ward committees of the Wash
ington party will begin tonight to in
dorse Hughes. Later the city commit
tee, in which Finn and Van Valken-
burg with County Commissioner
Holmes, are dominant, will indorse the
action of the ward committees.
The law provides that Mr.. Hughes
shall name the electors by July TO- If
he fails to do so, the candidate for
ice-president Fairbanks, shall do so
as soon as possible.
Words of Truth
New York Sun1
Perhaps nobody has stated the