Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-19
PoGHca ;~
Pe~~eqe0a~ia
By the Ex-Committeeman

1t is not the organization of the
House of Representatives for the ses-
sion of 1917 nor the control of the
trend of legislation. to use Governor
Brumbaugh's apt way of characteriz-
ing the contest now raging among Re-
publicans in the State. that is at stake
in the struggle which is attracting
attention of people in this and other
states. The governorship and the
other offices to be filled at the cleo
ton in 1918 are the prizes. And it
might be added that the Democrats
are just as keen about their chances
in that election as the Republicans.
Governor Brumbaugh is naturally
anxious to have a hand in the naming
of his successor and hence his zeal in
behalf of Representative Edwin r.
! Cox. If the Governor wins the organ
! ization of the House he will be in a
position to hold his trenches against
the hostile Senate and some of his ap-
pointees may not have such rough
roads as appear likely. If he fails
there will be raids made upon his ad-
ministration similar TO those which
were made by John r. X. Scott against
the Tener administration in the fam
Gus session of 1918. Another result
of the failure will be the weakening
of the Ware Magee plans for the sue
| cessor to Governor Brumbaugh.
The Penrose forces behind Rich.
ard ]. Baldwin are just as keen to
prevent the election OF a Governor
who will be aligned with the Wares and
this is the reason why the man from
Delaware county is being backed with
so much vigor. For the Wares to cap
ture the next governorship would be
disaster for the Penrose forces, who
| lost the city administration of Phila-
delphia and who will have to fight for
that in Pittsburgh next time. Penrose
could survive the election of Demo-
cratic governor better than the Wares.
These are some of the things which
are behind the very interesting cam
paign now being waged. The Cover
nor is referring TO the contest for
speaker in some high sounding terms
and is disposed to fight, even if de-
feated for the speakership, for the
| legislation he placed upon the statute
| books.
Newspapers throughout the State
are not getting very much excited
/ over the speakership contest and the
Governors activities while editorially
scored by the Philadelphia Bulletin
and some other newspapers appear to
have been expected last May instead
of Just before Christmas. The Demo-
cratic Philadelphia Record is very
gleefully helping along the fuss and
also taking shots at Scott's guberna-
! toral aspirations. While the North
American says that the Governor will
| "go the limit" to prevent Baldwin's
election, it is suspected that much of
the talk about dismissals is put out
| for soaring purposes" The Governor
| has several times said that he was not
responsible for all the rumors of be
| headings which are put out by those
L. 4 L.
| the Governor chop right and left and
whose animosity toward Highway
| Commissioner Black, superintendent
| Rambo and others, is not concealed.
/ The Philadelphia Ledger and Press
intimate that q big shake-up will be
made in the Brumbaugh cabinet The
;. Pittsburgh papers are printing the
news and having lots of fun. It is
noticeable that few are taking. sides
and that number of upstate papers
are for George w. Williams
One of the significant things about
the campaign for speaker is that thus
| far only the Baldwin people have
made any definite claims. They have
stood out for numbers, which the Cox
| people have refused to give. Baldwin
last night claimed 110 and said more
were coming to see him. The Cox
people said they had the speakership
tiled up but gave no figures. The
Wares declare the claims for Baldwin
are absurd" and the Baldwin people
point to the extravaganza of the claims
for the South Philadelphian and the
fact that no names or figures are Civ
en-. One. Baldwin man said that the
Cox campaign was generously and
i'glitteringly general"
| -Scott's declaration for a commits
sion to deal with hospital appropria-
4 nj
the remark that Scott did not seem to
think much of the State Board of Pub
lie Charities. which had that function
and whose members are under control
| of the Governor. "Scotty Is so busy
that he sometimes forgets." comment
ed the man from the Brandywine.
Robert d. Dripps, of the organization
which keeps a tab on charities. also
has plan.
| Democratic legislators who did
not attend the conference here on Sat-