Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-20
PeeHcA CT
Pe~~oqeSo~ia
By the Ex-CommitteenaA

Taking advantage of the excite
ment caused yesterday by the state
ments that Senator Boies Penrose had
urged eminent counsel for the pro-
posed probe of matters connected with
the State administration and that the
partiSanS of the Governor proposed to
fight back, National Committeeman A.
Mitchell Palmer yesterday put the
Democrats into the limelight most ef-
fectively. In demanding that the
probe include both Republican fac
tions and by announcing the opening
of the branch headquarters the Demo-
cratic boss managed to gloss over the
tremendous row that is raging among
the Democrats in Philadelphia over
the vacancy in the appraisership of
the port and the fourteen scraps which
have arisen throughout the state over
appointments to Federal jobs. Mr..
Palmer is displaying qualities of lead
ership in the matter of getting pub
licity which bid fair to minimize the
unpleasant conditions that prevail
among the Democrats of the state.
The Democratic machine managers,
who do not appear to lack for funds
at any time, yesterday opened branch
windmill in Philadelphia and will es-
tablish one in Pittsburgh. the head
quarters on the third floor, back, of
the Spooner building to be maintained
during the Legislative session as a
place for meetings and a starting point
for thunderous statements.
Among the other interesting matters
sprung yesterday at Philadelphia was
boom FOR e. Lowry Humes, United
States district attorney for Western
Pennsylvania and chairman of the
ringmasters committee, for Governor.
Not to let Humes obtain undue pub
licity and prominence, friends of Act>
ing State Chairman Joseph +. Guffey
at once put his name before the pub
lie. Up to date National Chairman
Vance c. Mccormick had been re-
garded as the man likely to be a can
didate. Palmer has no thought of run
ming. it is said.
The observers of politics declared
last night that the opening of branch
headquarters in Philadelphia by the
Democrats was the proof that the
machine Democrats were afraid of
trouble in Philadelphia over the ap-
pointments and that the reorganizers
did not trust the Old Guard. Palmer
rather emphasized the split in his own
| party by references during the evening
to "Penrose Democrats" and Demo-
cratic crooks Judging by what we
have been reading in Harrisburg these
| thought that all Democrats were wear
ing white and singing Wilson songs
when they We're not praising the Pal
mer leadership.
The Old Guard has the Philadelphia
| machine and has headquarters of its
own. Now Palmer proceeds to place &
| branch of the State windmill in Phila-
delphia. Postmasters and Federal of
| ficials will probably be able within a
year or so to tell how it was main
tained.
l. Palmer outlined the Democratic
view of the proposed probe in the fol-
| lowing language after saying that Herr
Sarig will call up his resolution when
the House meets on Monday night and
| endeavor to have it adopted: "The
| Democrats will insist that there shall
| be an impartial and absolutely non-
partisan inquiry into all of the charges
that have been made by the Penrose
| men against the Ware e-Brumbaugh
combination and those which the anti
Penrose men have made against Sem
ator Penrose. The Democratic men,
bers of the Legislature will not stand
for the naming of Penrose Democrats
or any Democratic crooks on this COM
mittee. If they shall not be given this
privilege, the Democrats will disclaim
responsibility for anything that shall
| be done. We do not intend to stand
for q packed jury. The Democrats
believe that what each side in the Re-
publican factionai light has said about
the other is true and want to have the
allegations made under oath. If the
probing of Brumbaugh at Harrisburg
shall be q one-sided affair and only
as the Penrose men shall desire, then
the only thing for the Brumbaugh
men to do is to start probing Penrose
in washington, and we shall get the
facts. which the public demand, about
both of them"
-EX-Judge James Gay Gordon.
named as one of the men selected to
be counsel for the probe, said last
| night that he would not discuss the