Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-02
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BY the Ex-Committeeman

Steps which may lead to a court
action to obtain a decision on what
really constitutes the f1fty-one per
cent. of the votes to entitle a can
didate to a sole place on the ballot
will likely be taken at the State
Capitol to-day by Auditor General
Snyder and President Judge II. o.
Bechtel, of Schuylkill county. If an
agreement cannot be reached which
will settle the status of Judges
Bechtel and Berger, the matter will
be taken to court. If this occurs it
will be the second situation arising
out of the 1917 primary to go to
court, the Philadelphia orphans
court test, which carries with it the
Governors right to appoint in Mon
roe county also, being the other.
The matter will be taken up with
Attorney General Brown and Secre-
tary of the Commonwealth Woods,
and If it is decided to make a test
1t will be started here at once. The
two Schuylkill judges claim that
they are sole nominees. The decision
would govern in Philadelphia, Allie
gheny, LuZerne and other counties,
| it is believed.
The bill presented to the last Leg
islature to clarity the fifty-one per
cent. clause, so much talked of about
the Capitol a year ago as the result
of the 1915 judicial primary never
got anywhere.
Attorney General Brown and Sec
retary Woods are working on a new
angle of the soldiers voting. The
original plan was for commissioners
to be sent to each of the camps
where there are bodies of Pennsyl-
vania troops, drafted men or student
officers. Since the reorganization of
the National Guard division was or
dered and even companies split up
the problem grows greater. Efforts
to find out just exactly what is to
be done by Washington are under
way. 1t is hoped to get the plan
ready for Governor Brumbaugh's ap-
proval by Friday.
Counties are commencing to
send lists of candidates for the offices
to be filed by countrywide votes at
| the November election to the Depart
ment of the Secretary of the Com
monwealth for the making up of the
pamphlet for the soldiers voting.
Under the decision of the Attorney
General only countrywide and CITY,
wide nominations will be included,
but spaces left on the ballot for the
lesser offices. The plan is to send the
pamphlet to the printer next week.
Thousands of blanks giving
power of attorney to men to pay
taxes for soldiers have been sent to
the camps and ii is expected by the
end of the week that most Of them
will be in the soldiers home COM
munities. Saturday is the last day
to pay taxes.
| People up the state are watch
ing with the closest interest the de-
velopments in the Philadelphia Fifth
ward scandal and the result is bound
to have more or less effect on
Mayoralty elections and in some
county elections, according to opin-
ions of men from various counties
who have been here on business at
the Capitol departments. Every
move is followed with the closest at
tention at the Capitol.
Senator Ware has refused to dis
cuss the report that he gave Deutsch
a check or to talk on other phases
of the situation. Attorney General
Brown says that all he knows about
stories that he may enter the cases
is what he sees in newspapers. Judge
Eugene C. Bonniwell is out in a
| llS SldlCilGHN
made by Senator Ware and printed
yesterday.
| Judge Bonniwell will have OPP
position for president of the State
Firemen's Association, 1t is now re-
ported, from Butler.
| -Speechmaking has been resumed
in the Pittsburgh Mayoralty fight.
Scranton has not started the strenu-
Gus side as yet.
The fact that Senator w. c.
Sproul, of Delaware, headed the Del
aware county firemen's delegation to
the State Firemen's convention at
Butler is rather significant in these
strenuous political days. The Sen
ator will make a speech and his
gubernatorial stock can be expected
to be bullish.
pr. c. ]. Hexamer, we'll known
all over the state, is to retire as
head of the German American al
lance in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Record to-day
says that titles for the American
and Liberty" parties were pre-
empted yesterday in the Office of the
Philadelphia County Commissioners
by Ware followers and former work
ers of the almost defunct Washing