Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-03
STATE REPUBLICAN
CHIEFS COMING HERE TO
BLOCK FACTION FIGHT
District Leaders Outside of
Philadelphia and Allegheny
Eager to Avoid Clash in
Organization
WOULD PLACATE PENRosE

Upstate political leaders will flock to
philadelphia this afternoon and tonor-
row and will attempt to prevent fac
tional fight in the state this year.
The attitude of the district leaders Of
the Republican Organization outside of
Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties has
completely shifted during the last 10 days.
The county leaders who swarmed into
Senator Penroses offices in the Com
niercial Trust Building two and three
weeks ago. enthusiastic for a factional
contest, have had what they called sober
second thought" and instead Of urging
Penrose to accept the challenge OF Gov
ernor Brumbaugh and the Wares, they
are now making a strouE effort to per-
suade the senior Senator that he should
get together with the Governor and the
Wares, and agree to harmony slate on
delegates and the state ticket
Harmony has not been brought about
as yet, however and there is grave
probability that love feast" cannot he
staged now. since Senator Penrose has
permitted matters to Grit far since the
Governors "5O-JO" slate Of delegates-at-
large to the Chicago convention was an
nounced.
The Senator has made definite prom
ise to- support State Senator Charles A.
Snyder. of Schuylkill, for the Republican
nomination for Auditor General accord
ing to Snyders hackers Friends of
Speaker Charles A. Amber, of Mont
gomery, who also has announced his can
didacy, assert that Amber has been as
sured OF the support of the Governor and
tne wares in contest against Snyder.
one or both of these candidates must
tagtf Inft &c,
to be brought about. since the leaders
of the Organization admit that "A fight
over one Office will extend clear down
the line, and include every office to be
hlled at the coming election. Both Sny-
der and Amber are asserting daily how
ever. that they are I'm the race to the
end.
The protests of the upstate leaders
against being involved in what they de.
clare would be only an expensive fight
between two or three men for State lead. !
ership' brought on at time when the /,
district leaders themselves could not gain
anything politically for themselves has
had some effect.
Since such leaders as State Chairman
William b. Crow, Lieutenant Governor
McClain and Congressman Griest launched |
u movement to bring about harmony. SEN (
ator Penrose has postponed from day to
day making declaration of war against |
Statements which would open the fight ,
within the Organization have been pre-
pared for two weeks ready to be made
public. II was definitely announced from
lie Penrose camp two weeks ago that war
would be declared. II was the plan Of
Penrose, according to his leutenants to
have the Citizens Republican League, in
which Powell Evans, George d. Porter
and John c. Winston are the leaders, fire
the opening gun by issuing a statement
attacking contractor domination of the
Organization in general and attacking the
wares and Speaker Amber in particular
Penrose was to follow this statement with
one of his own, in which he would pledge
his support to the Porter-Evans move
ment He would Ilso indorse the candi-
1acy of Snyder, and make public his own
slate Of delegates-at-large to the Chicago
These statements We're to have been is.
sued Immediately afte. Senator James +.
dcNichol and the few remaining McNichol
ward leaders went to Florida since Pen.
rose did not want to involve McNichol in
any fight except ward contests against
the Wares
The efforts of upstate leaders to bring
about harmony caused the Citizens Re
publican Leagues original statement to
be torn up. II was 5000 words i'm length
a second statement not quite so lengthy
as the first, was drafted by the executive
committee of the league at a meeting held
a week ago. 1t has not been made public
as yet but Powell Evans, chairman of the
committee has been promising
to issue it from day to day since then.