Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-09-24
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The judicial primaries of last
"Wednesday appear to have left the
usual number of questions in their
train and the old problem of what
constitutes the 81 per cent. necessary
to make a candidate a sole nominee
may be fought out in the courts
again. Two years ago there was
considerable doing in that line and
the state authorities have held that
a candidate must not only get 81 per
cent. of the votes cast for the office
but 61 per cent. of the total number
of ballots given out. The last Legis-
lature failed to clarity the matter
and the courts will be asked to rule.
Schuylkill and Luzerne are the two
counties where the question appears
to be uppermost and there are inti-
nations that 1t may arise in others
as result of the official count.
A Pottsville dispatch says: "The
question whether Judges II. o. Bech-
tel and Charles e. Berger have been
elected as the result of the vote cast
at the primaries last Wednesday must
be decided by the Dauphin county
court. Intimations have been re-
ceiVed here that state officials indorse
the claim of the judges. but a COM
mlttee or the bar, headed by William
| Wilhelm, who have been examining
the lay on the subject, declare there
was no election and the names of all
the four candidates for the two
judicial offices must go on the ballots
for the November election. Judge
| Bechtel got 1857 votes and Judge
Berger 1876 The total vote cast
for all the judges was 44,S07. Will
helm says each candidate must get
81 per- OF this total to claim an
election, as each voter had the privi-
lege Of voting for two judges. Friends
of Judges Bechtel and Berger claim
the basis of computation is a division
CT the total vote by two"
Elk and Cameron counties were
the first two to .file returns of their
judicial primaries at the Department
of the Secretary of the Common
wealth. Their official results were
received to-day. Only counties where
there We're primaries for judicial or
congressional nominations will file
returns at the Capitol.
Secretary of the Commonwealth
woods will take up the problems at
tending the voting of the states SOL
diers this week with Attorney Gen.
eral. Brown. He will make a report
to Governor lBrumbaugh when the
Governor returns to the Capitol next
week.
The fact that Governor Brum-
baugh will not be here this week is
regarded at the Capitol as likely to
postpone any move in the case of
state Chief of Mines James e. Rod
erick, who Is reported to have been
requested by the Governor to give
way to younger man. Mr.. Rod
erick's friends say that he intends to
sit tight for the present. AT the
Capitol it is intimated that the Gov
ernor may act.
Numerous cards have been re-
ceived in Harrisburg from friends
of Representative Asa A. Weimer. of
Lebanon, announcing his candidacy
for the Republican nomination for
Governor. Many of them have been
sent to Capitol Hill departments
where people are inclined to wait
to hear from the Governors office
before declaring themselves.
The Philadelphia situation is
commencing to attract public atten-
ton in other states and indications
are that this week there will be
some startling developments which
will have far reaching political ef-
feet. The Philadelphia Inquirer is
calling upon Mayor Smith to resign
and the other newspapers in Phila-
delphia are nearly all sharply criti-
cising him. The hearing in the al
legged conspiracy case is to be post
poned because of the illness of Sem
ator McNichol and Appraiser Carey,
the latter one of the victims. 1t is
understood that Senator McNichol
called the attention of the mayor to
the situation days ago. A mass
meeting to protest against condi-
tions is to be held Thursday night.
In Pittsburgh the forces of Bah
cock and Magee are lining up for a
bitter mayoralty campaign. Indi-
cations are that things will begin to
move within a day or so and that
there will be campaigning such as
the city never saw. The state ad-
ministration is getting behind Magee
with considerable vigor. The state
administration is also taking hand
in Scranton where it is understood to
be behind Connell.
York Democrats are face to face
with a bitter internal row over the
way the nominations for county of
fees went. State headquarters scouts
have been working in York county
endeavoring to get the Democratic
factions to quit brawling, but have
not been able to accomplish any
thing.
Defeated candidates in Hazleton
are out with threats ito make it
warm" for rivals and while the cam
paign is under way there may be
some Investigations started.
-Philadelphia suffragists are
planning a series of meetings this
fall to stir up interest in the next
legislative election when the amend
ment resolution will be submitted
again. The state headquarters is
now in Philadelphia.
"A contest to determine whether
Judge H. A. Fuller is to be sole nom
inee in Luzerne is threatened
This interesting story Is car
ried by the Philadelphia Ledger in
dispatch from Reading:
The primary last Wednesday
the danger of the Socialists some day
capturing Readings city govern
ment. There were twenty-three can
didates, including four Socialists,
for the eight councilmanic nomina-
tions, with four to be elected in No
vember. Voters of the old political
organizations dissipated their ballots
among nineteen candidates, while
the Socialists succeeded in nominat-
ing their four men, ]. Henry Stump,
L. Birch Wilson, Jr., Charles F.
Sands and George W. Snyder. Ey-
cry one of the present Councllmen
went down to defeat save B. Frank
Ruth, Progressive Republican, who
won the third nomination for this