Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-12-30
GANG MUST BE DESTROYED!

]
THE wild eplthets hurled by tho two
- factions of the Republican organlza.
ton are 40 richly deserved by both that
each side, TO save time. might as well
throw the mud at Itself II Is "A mutual.
public confession. The two sides are
equally discredited. Tho fundamental
disgrAce OF this fight In that II is not
sincere. When one faction foreseeB It's
ultimate defeat tt will mako terms, and
harmony will come as swift as lightning,
If, following this final confession Of organ.
izatlon selnshness and failure the reg
istered voters should permit n Vare.Brum
baugh or a Penrose. .McNichol Governor
to be evolved by a reunited party" every
moral standard Of this community and
every other community in the State would
be lowered. Such cynical neglect of an
obvious and simple duty would take all
tho moral starch out OF every sermon
preached from every pulpit in Pennsyl
vania, out OF every speech, out of every
educational discourse. out of every faith.
er's advice to his son, out of every Sun.
day school address. out of every public
school song of patriotism. out of every
prayer for "the President of the United
States and all others In authority"
There nre other States in which the
national organization Of the dominant
party has been consistently stolen by
State politicians. The same old gold
brick has been sold to the farmers" for
a generation-that because you are for
a protective tariff and voted for United
States Senator Doe Republican, you
should therefore vote for State Senator
Roe. Republican, who cannot conceiv-
ably have anything to do with the max
Ing or unmaklng of tariffs, but who calls
himself a Republican. The same way
with the Democrats. But the farmers"
have turned down the gold brick in State
after State, until now ono can count on
the fingers of one hand the Common.
wealths that fail to split their tickets
from time to time, going Democratic
nationally and Republican or Indepen
dent on State issues, or Republican ma
tionally and Democratic or Independent
on State Issues.
On the hahd that counts those four
or i've "gold.bricked" States, Pennsylva'
MIA is the sore thumb Foreigners talk
of Tammany as the arch.AmerIcan gang.
Tammany has been wrecked It Is as
dead as Queen Anne. But the Pennsyl.
vanla oligarchy lives on and believes
not merely that It's power is eternal, but
even that 1t can afford n running fight
OF its own. punctuated by brief truces
that ring as false as its feuds.
Let 1t be cried from the housetops daily:
"This factlonal fight is not sincere Pen
rose and Ware will fall into each others
arms, unrighteousness and war will kiss
each other the moment determined
band OF citizens, true to the death, stands
up TO wipe both factions off the political |
map" Good may come OF this strife, in
q sense, but no permanent good Let us |
steal the thunder OF that Roman SEN
ator who closed every speech, who an.
swered every argument, with his Car
thage must be destroyed" 1t may be
said. 1.-THE faction that wins out must
enact the necessary progressive legis-
lative program to keep foothold," Good
but the gang must be destroyed. There
are good men in the gang" Yes, but the
gang must be- destroyed, THE organiza'
tlon may be teased into putting up a
fairly good man for Governor" Aye. but
the gang must be destroyed.
The man who accepts the support of
either faction for Governor must be de-
feated. And the place to defeat him is in
the Republican primary.
There are about eighteen months be-
fore us. The superb opportunity is at
hand. Every day that passes is bring
ing Penrose OF Ware nearer TO that mo
ment when he either one, IL doesn't mat |
ter which, win realize he is facing defeat,
and. in the sneaky darkness, VIII make
terms. Those terms may be uncondi |
tional surrender ana may give the OPP
posing faction complete power over the
SO much the better SO
much tire easier win It be to destroy the
Let every school teacher every min
ister. every parent IN this State, see this
moral issue clearly-thls enormous moral
issue which nils the air we breathe ana
the sky above u.s.