Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-11-09
Poeit;ca ;n'
Pe~~oqeSo~io
BY the Ex-Committeeman

the close contests in almost every
place where mayor was to be elect
ed on n nonpartisan ticket and there
We're two candidates, the figures in
hand indicate pretty plainly that
most of the Democratic bosses were
given Jolts from which they will
not recover. Except in Philadelphia
where the Democratic organization is
dominated by the Old Guard and
where it Joined forces with the re-
formers and Penrose Republicans in
backing the Town Meeting ticket, the
chiefs of the Democratic machine
seem to have been trimmed.
In Pittsburgh Acting State Chair
man Joe Guffey espoused the cause
of William A. Magee for mayor and
Magee was defeated; in Scranton the
Democratic organization made a
game fight, but went down; in Har-
risburg the Democracy was not
factor; in Lehigh county the Re
publicans captured county offices and
in that other Democratic citadel of
Berks they won scattering offices,
making breaches in places where
Democrats have held place for years.
In SchuylIill, Delaware, Carbon and
Lancaster counties, the homes of
men who hold Federal jobs of prom
lnence, the Republicans got most of
the things they went after and Demo-
Gratis We're deposed from places long
possessed. The Democratic county
and city organizations seemed to
be wandering around hunting a place
to go in most parts of the state.
Things are growing strenuous in
the Philadelphia contest and Sena-
tor PenroSe'S remarks here yesterday
that the fight has only begun may
have much meaning soon. The In
quirer to-day says: "a gigantic Jug
glery of the ballots cast at the cleo
ton on Tuesday with city-wide con-
spiracy to block the will of the in
dependent voters in favor of the
Nare-Smith combine has been un-
covered. When the evidence which
is being gathered in every ward
shall be submitted to the court and
recount shall be ordered Town
Meeting party leaders predict the en-
tire Town Meeting party city ticket
will be declared elected. Unquestion-
ed proof that thousands of ballots
were not counted upon the score that
they were improperly marked. it
is declared, will be presented upon
oath of reliable citizens"
The Philadelphia Ledger says
pre-emption of the Town Meeting
name for the state election is taken
by politicians to mean that a state
wide battle between the Penrose-
Observation-Disclosures forces and the
Wares will surely develop next year
over the nomination and election of
governor to succeed Governor
Brumbaugh. Necessarily it was be-
lieved the Penrose and Independent
leaders will pay no attention to any
harmony understanding, more or
less, reached in the past as to the
Republican nomination for COVER
nor, just as the 'fifty-fifty' ticket
agreed upon at the mayors shore
conferences was ignored in the pres
ent municipal campaign. And, by the
way, looking forward the year fol-
lowing, when the Philadelphia ma
yoralty will come up for considera-
ton, it was likewise agreed that there
also factional fight would break
cut. Ware leaders looked yesterday
upon w. Freeland Kendrick, re-
ceiver of taxes, as a logical candi-
date of the Wares for the mayoralty,
because of the fact that he ran ahead
of the rest of the Vare-Smith ticket"
"A typical case wherein the SOL
dier vote turns things upside down is
furnished by Lebanon. A dispatch
says: George +. Krause, superin-
tendent of the Department of City
Highways, won his fight for re-elec-
ton for a third term in Council, the
soldier vote received from Camp
Hancock and Camp Meade determin-
ing the result in his favor after he
was seemingly defeated on the face
of the local returns. The soldier
vote elects Krause by a majority of
thirty-two over c. J. Barr and keeps
intact the present makeup of Council,
]. Herbert Manbeck, James +. Fish
er and c. Dorsey Mish having been
reelected by good margins. 1t is
not thought that the official compu-
tation of the soldier vote November
23 will change the result. The same
soldier vote apparently wrests from
John II. Hurst, Republican. the ST.
400-a-year job of tax collector in
North Lebanon township. The vote
here gave Hurst a majority of two
over +. +. Rohland, his Democratic
opponent, but Rohland received three
votes at Camp Meade. while Hurst
failed to improve his showing. Here,
too, the official computation of the
soldier vote will decide the out
come"
The Philadelphia newspapers
give much prominence to charges by
Robert S. Bright, Philadelphia DEM
ocratic lawyer, that commissioners
to take soldier votes electioneered at
camps. Similar charges have been
made on a number of occasions. w.
w. Roper. of Philadelphia, has made
out an affidavit charging the COM
missioners appointed by Governor
Brumbaugh to take the Camp Han
cock figures with illegal activity in
taking the vote. Mr.. Roper said that
of 1000 votes cast in Camp Han
cock the Town Meeting party had IA
majority of from 800 to 500. THE
commissioners with the exception of
General Coryell and General Good
| and possibly one other were extreme
partisans of the Republican organ
ization ticket and did everything pos
sible to elect their candidates. Their
actions were so partial that many
officers and enlisted men commented
on and protested against their con-
duct" said he.
| Under conditions unprecedented
in the history of Scranton politics,
| Miss Mary f.. Fay and Mrs. Walter
IL. Hill have been elected members
of the Scranton school board, both
by safe pluralities. In a field of six
candidates. Miss Fay led all with a
total of 9,317. and Mrs. Hill was
third with 9,225. George B. Carson,
president of the board. is reelected
| by a vote of 9,273. Virgil Crisman,
John r. Davis and p. NJ. Messett
were the losing candidates. The cleo
ton of Miss Fay and Eirs. Hill is re-
garded as remarkable in the light
of the handicaps they faced. Run
ming as nonpartisan candidates on. a
partisan ticket. the Democratic, their
! al rnntIirnH