Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-07-21
PoeiicA On
Pe~~eqeSo~io
by the Ex-Committeeman

posses OF the Democratic State ma
chine and to make a place for a
brother of Joseph NJ. Guffey, the
Democratic machine boss of Pitts
burgh, will be made at Washington.
Coming at this time when every effort
is being made to keep the Democratic
machine on the track in Pennsylvania,
the occurrence has created a tremen-
dous fuss inside of the organization.
1t is feared that friends of Mcneil,
VINO represents class of the Demo-
cracy rather different from Palmer
and his pals, will become heated and
start real trouble. 1t is intimated that
Ambassador Guthrie, who was the man
behind Mcneil, will get busy, and as
Guthrie was backed up in his recon-
mendation of Mcneil by Vance c.
Mccormick and Roland S. Norris,
there are plenty of signs of a storm.
The fact that the Post Office Depart
ment broke all precedents and put out
a statement of its side of the con-
troversy is taken to indicate that it
realizes the extent of the blunder.
Big men took note of the occur
renee yesterday at Washington and
Senator George T. Oliver announced
that Guffey would not be confirmed
until thorough investigation had
been made of the circumstances sur
rounding the removal of DR.. Mcneil
and the nomination of Guffey. 1t Is
proposed to have the committee on
post offices and post roads hold a hear
ing, at which the Guffeys-Joseph and
AleXander-A. Mitchell Palmer, DR..
Mcneil, Postmaster General Burleson,
First Assistant Postmaster General
Roper and other officials of the de-
partment will be called upon to testify
and produce the official correspond
ence.
The Philadelphia Ledger, in a
Washington dispatch, says: Mr. Cuff
fey can hold the office of postmaster
at the request of bondsmen until the
question is settled, and if there is no
vote on his confirmation before the
adjournment of Congress, President
Wilson can give him a recess appoint
ment. But it seems probable that
there will be no permanent tenure of
office for Mr.. Guffey until all the cir
cumstances surrounding the dismissal
of DIR. Mcneil are made public DIR.
Mcneil has returned to Pittsburgh. A
direct issue of veracity has been raised,
The department reiterates its charge
that he failed to cooperate in the
inauguration of the two-division plan
in the Pittsburgh office. DIR. Mcneil
emphatically denies this and says when
he left Pittsburgh for Washington to
attend the convention of postmasters
all arrangements had been made to
install the new plan and have it in op-
Grafton by August l. Dr. Mcneil re-
iterates that the cause of his removal
lies in the fact that he refused to dis
place Assistant Postmaster George W.
Gosser at the request of Democratic
politicians in Allegheny county"
The Post Office Department state
ment comes from Postmaster General
Burleson, as follows: There have
been brought to the attention of the
Post Office Department numerous clip
pings from the press in which the
allegation Is made that the removal
of Postmaster George w. Mcneil, of
Pittsburgh, was due to his failure to
follow the wishes of local Democratic
politicians. 1t is not the practice of
the department to issue public state
ments regarding the misconduct of
officers who are removed for the rea-
son that it is ret deemed necessary to
subject them to such public humilia-
ton, and believing that the loss of
their positions is sufficient punishment
in the absence of any penal offense."
The board appointed to examine
candidates for mine inspectors in
Schuylkill. Northumberland, Dauphin
and Columbia counties at Pottsville
announced that nine out of the fifteen
candidates passed the examination.
The candidates passed are NJ. J. Bren-
nan and Kyran Donahue, Pottsville;
A. B. Lamb, Shenandoah; P. c. Fen
ton, Mahanoy City; James A. O'Don-
nell, centralia P. ]. Friel, Shamokin;
B. I. Evans. Mount Carmel; Charles ].
Fl. Rice, Lykens, and Evan Evans,
Coaldale.
DIR. H A. Surface, the State Zool-
ogist, will be succeeded by a man from
New Hampshire when the State Com
mission of Agriculture authorizes his
dismissal. which it is planned to do if
! - u 49, H. 49, IT. r..
face has been exceedingly busy the
last few days fixing fences and it is
understood that an appeal has been
made by him to the Governor.
Ex-Deputy Attorney General F. w.
Fleitz, who was Surfaces counsel
when charges were made against him
few years ago, Is credited with hav-
ing STAYED off the dismissal of the
zoologist and is understood to be work.
| ing with other men in an effort to get
| the Governor to overrule the action of
| the commission. The fact that DR..
| Surface was not dismissed when he re-
| fused to resign is taken at the Capitol
to mean that the zoologist is hopeful
of having the Governor stand by him.
-Onicials. at the State Department
| have had a number of inquiries the
last few days regarding the way to
withdraw from tickets and 1t is be-
| ll6NSu IllsdI IllSy iilNtSoSO AilNOlAIlOll OAl
the part of candidates named by the
Washington party, for legislative and
other nominations to withdraw. The
withdrawal of the State ticket of the
Washington party is expected, but thus
| far there have been few indications Of
such intention on the part of candi-
dates for other offices.
Tho Philadelphia grand jury has
been ordered to mako probe of vice
and other conditions in Philadelphia
Immediately. Meanwhile the raiding
goes on and there is general clamping
down of the lid. -..-
In Luzerne county Republicans
and Progressives have formed the
Hughes Alliance. Colonel Asher Miner
is the president.
Pittsburgh Democrats have started
to fight already over the Mcneil Incl
dent. It is likely that 1t will lead to
the biggest split in years.
At both the State and local Repub-
lican committee headquarters in Phila-
delphia activities have been inaugu-
rated to insure the polling of a large
vote for Hughes and Fairbanks and
the entire Republican ticket w. Harry
Baker, secretary of the Republican
State committee, spent part of last
week at the State committee rooms
mapping out a program for starting
the detail work which is always neces-
sary prior to the formal opening of
| l.