Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-22
PoGIic4 ;~,
Pe~~sqeSa~ia
BY the Ex-Committeeman

win and Edwin r. Cox, candidates for
the Republican nomination for the
| speakership, to minimize the local
option issue and of the State admins
tration to insist that the real contest
is progress against reaction local
the last forty-eight hours and may
have a good bit to do with the final
result
What has done more to bring about
| this bobbing up of local option was
the issuance of a letter on the sta
tionary of the Local Option Commit
tee and signed by its secretary advocat-
ing the election of Cox. The hackers
of George w. Williams at once got to
work upon local option men all over
the State and protests against the
swinging of that organization for Cox
and charges that the State administra-
ton had deserted Williams. its local
option standard bearer in the last ses-
sion, were made.
Prominent men in the committee as
serted they had never heard of the
letter and eX-Speaker Alter, cham
pion of local option, came out for
Baldwin, and others for Williams de-
claring that they would not support
Cox. 1t also developed that men
claimed fors Cox were for Williams on
this issue, Representative McCurdy of
Blair. being one who is said to be for
the 1lOSa man.
-Ex-Speaker Alter in a statement
issued to-day denounced the use of
the stationery of the State Local
Option Committee, of which he is a
member, to attack Baldwin and boost
Cox. He issued this statement: II
know of no authority for sending out
any letter in the name of the State
Local option Committee. There has
been no meeting of the committee for
a very long time. Naturally L object
TO an attack on Richard j. Baldwin
on letter head bearing my name as
one of the committee supposed to be
my good friends and helped to make
me Speaker in 1918. l regard him
highly. He is a strong character, re-
markably well informed, and would
make a good Speaker"
A dispatch says: Alters state
ment is the worst blow the Cox candi-
dacy has received to date in the west
ern counties. Cox had been count
ing on all four dry members from
Allegheny county and the united dry
vote throughout Western Pennsyl-
vania."
Representative G. A. wickman, of
Allegheny. is out for Cox. He was
claimed by both sides.
Representative Baldwin sent word
last night that he had added another
to his string in an eastern county.
Representative c. T.. Cook. of York,
claimed for Baldwin, turned up at the
Governors office. He is having an
unpleasant time of ii because OF let
ter he wrote some days ago.
The Democratic ringmasters' eau
Gus last night in Philadelphia named
z. Lowry Humes, a United States dis
trict attorney, as chairman of the
committee on legislation which means
that the national administration as
well as the State Democratic machine
will keep an eye on Democratic mem-
bers and see that they do not stray
when it comes to voting for speaker.
The ringmasterS were very strong
about attending to the party's own af-
fairs and letting the Republicans row.
Palmer. Mccormick and others made
declarations for straight party work
and slapped the Republicans for the
factional fighting, forgetting the spec
tacle Democracy only recently eXhib-
tied in Pennsylvania. The present
Democratic bosses got into power by
the rawest kind of AK work, compared
to which the course of the State ad-
ministration is of the Sunday school
variety.
The Philadelphia Record says
that the Republican row is going to
last after the caucus and the Philadel-
phia North American says that Pen
rose is coming to Harrisburg to push
his battle against the Governor and
the Wares. The North American is no
longer "agin the government" 1t is
the State Administrations most earn
est supporter in Philadelphia. Yester-
day it played up the Ware statement
and played down the Penrose charges
which in other days would have suf-
feed to make it roar.
Everyone at the Capitol has taken
the cue given by Governor Brum-
baugh and refuses to discuss the
charges made by Senator Boies Pen
rose that Governor Brumbaugh and
his political advisers have been prom
ising offices in the State government in
return for legislative votes for Cox.
Attorney General Brown last night
asked how old are such charges, re-
marking that he had heard them in
years gone by. Some of the newspa-
pers, however, take a serious view of
the situation and the Philadelphia
Ledger notably calls upon the Cover
nor to disprove the charges, saying
that too much has been going on in
the way of politics to please persons
uninterested in who happens to be in
control of patronage. Smaller news
papers are taking the same view and
in newspapers which devote attention
to financial affairs there are numer-
Gus interviews expressing the hope
that the Governor will not allow the
State Banking commissionership to
become a political asset.
Attorney General Brown said last
night in Philadelphia in discussing the
Penrose charges: IF the object is to
get votes for Baldwin it would seem
that the claims of the Baldwin people
that they have enough to elect their
man are unfounded. If they are so
sure of victory why are they opening
up headquarters and running down
Legislators? If they have 10 votes, or
more. as they claim, why are they so
solicitous concerning the result that
they are using every endeavor to get
more votes? They are not within
sight of winning by a large majority,
and they know it. Mr.. Cox will be
the next speaker of the House; there
can be no doubt of that"
Activities were suspended at the
Baldwin headquarters this morning
and the men in charge departed for
their homes. Mr.. Baldwin, who will
return to this city on Tuesday, for the
active prosecution of his campaign,
sent word that he was well satisfied
with his visit here and that he had
discovered in conversations with men
who had called upon him that they
were not for Cox as claimed by the
administration people. The Baldwin
people were jubilant to-day over the