Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-15
WAR OF FACTIONS MAY
FOLLOW 'CONFABS' or
ORGANIZATION CHIEES
Question of Harmony in Stats
Undecided After "a Hours Of
Continuous Con-
sideration
DISCUSS STATE OFFICES

Harmony among the Republican "a.
ganizatlon leaders over the sta, t,oc.s
was still undecided late today. after q.
ganization leaders from all psrts ~ !.
State and representing both factions +.
the party had held numerous conference.
for nearly "a hours.
The question OF whether there will 4.
bitter factional fight over the nonin,
tion Of the Republican candidates for 81.
State offices was threshed out at confah.
and informal discussions" held froy.
time to time by both the Penrose leader,
and the anti-Penrose forces.
Neither Senator Penrose nor the vsr..
would discuss the confabs. In fnct, the,
denied that any formal conferences hsa
been held and said that the "situattou
had merely been discussed"
Speaker Charles A. Amber. who IL
potential candidate for Auditor Gen.l
eral, and whose formal announcement
OF his candidacy would publicly set,is
the question of whether there will be 4
fight or not, provided he did not hava
the support of Senator Penrose, said ths
afternoon 'the matter Is still unsettled :,
The anti-Penrose forces gathered lao.
of the situation today Those who par
ticipated in last nights confab, which
was held at the Bellevue-Stratford Hos
tel. included Governor Brumbaugh Sem
ator and Congressman Vare Congress-
man Kless, of Williamsport: 4Layor Smith
and ]. Denny o'Neil, Of Pittsburgh.
The entire State situation was discussed.
but 1t is understood that no decision was
reached. Further discussion of the fran.
...a- .f Nl,, CNnN, tntr NJ lS.a1I
both by the anti-Penrose forces and the
leaders of the Penrose faction.
The principal offices on the State ticket
this year include tho Congressmen.
Auditor General and State Treasurer
Should a fight develop over any one Of
these offices. with the exception OF
few local fights over Congressman, there
will be n fight all along the line, with
two complete tickets in the field for the
Republican nominations. The fight in this
event, will even be carried to the elec.
ton of delegates to the Republican
National Convention.
The conferences started Immediately
after the meeting of the Panama Pacific
Exposition Commission, which the Cover
nor attended late yesterday afternoon
While word was given out that the Cover
nor came to Philadelphia primarily to at
tend the meeting of the commission
political leaders from all parts of the
State began to arrive Immediately after
the Governor appeared.
Congressman Ware and Kiess came up
from Washington earlier in the day
Senator Penrose returned from New York
early in the evening, and held informal
talks with several of his lieutenants. The
various candidates for Auditor General
and State Treasurer also arrived In Phila-
delphia.
Senator Penrose spent the entire day
today comforting with his lieutenants.
Among his visitors were State Chair
man Crow, w. Harry Baker, secretary Of
the State Committee w. +, Gallagher, OF
Wilkes Barre; Lieutenant Governor Frank
b. Mccain, Congressman -at-Large Thorn
as S. Crago and delegation from Pitts
burgh
The possibility of fight, according to (
leaders in both factions, hinges over the
selection of candidates for Auditor Cen
eral and State Treasurer.
b Speaker Charles A. Amber. who has
announced himself as a receptive" can
ddate for Auditor General, the more i'm
portant of the two offices. would have
the backing of the Wares and the Gov
ernor. Efforts are being made today to
secure the support of Senator Penrose for
him in return for the Vare-Brumbaugh
support OF a Penrose candidate for STATE
Treasurer under a harmony plan.
The principal candidate opposing
Speaker Amber is State Senator Charles
A. Snyder, of Schuylkill. who has always
been Penrose follower. State Senator
Charles Kline and Representative James
f. Woodward, both of Pittsburgh, are
also after the nomination for Audltof
General. but they both have let II Dc
come known that they will be satisfed
if they are slated for State Treasurer In
stead.
Harmon NJ. Kephart. of Uniontown. Z
follower of State Chairman Grow and
Senator Penrose, is another candidate
for State Treasurer. AS yet no Ware
candidate for this office has
Nothing has as yet been done on the
question of stating candidates for CON
gressman-a A concerted enoH
has been launched by friends OF the pres
ent at-large Congressman, however, 70 (
secure the united support OF the leaders
for their retention.
One of the out-cropplngs of the gather-
ing of the factional leaders is the united
expression of sentiment in favor OF sup
porting Philander C. Knox for the kepup-
lican nomination for President.
There was considerable discussion
among the leaders today over the posi-
bility of sending a harmonious delesation
to the national convention, pledged 70 Nt'
Knox,
Many OF the leaders feel that sines
Colonel Roosevelt has indorsed Mr. hnos'
he would be the ideal Pennsylvania eaA.
didate, and that he might loom up
the convention as the only man gppp
whom both the Republicans ana the
gressives could agree.
Tine opponents of this movement, nov
ever, are pointing out that they nensss
could never secure the o. ~
ldential nomination, but that TINS go. as
could demand that the candidate TOT -
president be a Pennsylvania