Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-19
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By the Ex- -Committeem2a
Keystone State Democrats have
staged many interesting events II
. the last decade, but it is doubtful
if anything more indicative of what
is the matter with the party in
Pennsylvania has been given thar
in the last twenty-four hours. The
Democracy has no chance of elect.
ing any of its state ticket this fal
and will be lucky to hold it's mem
bership in Congress and the Legis-
lature and yet there has been a
struggle for control of the state or
ganization which has attracted ma
tional attention.
Mccormick faction is in control OF
the state committee and by what
seems to be a pretty safe margin.
The faction headed by Judge Eugene
c. Bonniwell, who trounced the ma
chine candidate for the gubernator-
ial nomination, and behind whom
have rallied many of the Old Guard
men has made such a fuss that it
seems as though the judge will get
some grip on the levers. He may not
| get much, but he will get something.
The reorganizers were badly jolted
at the primary by Bonniwell's nom
| ination and the judge sees q chance
INto make capital out of their refusal
to let him be the whole show and
run the party organization 1t is
even suspected that the judge has
not been any too anxious for a COM
promise because of possibility that
J it might be more advantageous to
his faction to get into a position
whereby they could adopt the tactics
of the reorganizers in 1911 and go
out into the highways and byways
and shout that the party needed
purging.
The Democratic show has quite
overshadowed everything else in the
political line. The Republican state
committee meeting was productive
of such genuine harmony that the
Democratic bosses are commencing
to say things derogatory about it and
to point to the sinking of personal
and factional animosities as some
thing sinister. Prohibitionists are en-
deavoring to make their committee
all cold water and the Dry Fedora
ton is planning to assail the candi-
dates for Legislative seats who are
opposed to the amendment to make
the nation dry"
Throughout the crowds gathered
here for the state Democratic pow
WOW there is a feeling that as long
as there is no chance of electing any
one the party may as we'll have one
of its periodical reorganizations.
A. Mitchell Palmer, Vance c. Nc
Cormick and various other leaders of
the reorganization faction have man
aged to tie up so many offices that
there iS nothing olcn lnff and fhn
people who did not get anything are
| ready to join with the Old Guard
and the other segments which have
been left out when pie was passed
around and demand a change in the
direction of, PARTY affairs. And the
fact that Bonniwell defeated State
Chairman Guffey so decisively when
all the power of the machine was ar
rayed against him gives weight to
the argument of the judge that he
should be given control of the works.
The Bonniwell end of the pre-
liminaries to the state committee
meeting was pretty well handled up
until this morning and there is no
question but what the reorganization
| faction was given a surprise as dis
| concerting as the defeat of Guffey
last night when eX-Judge John w.
| Wescott, of Camden, the man who
nominated Woodrow Wilson, came
here to make a speech for the guber-
material nominee. Yesterday the
Bonniwell people let it drop that
they were in doubt whether the
judge would be here and the organ
iZers smiled broadly and intimated
that some pressure had been brought
which would keep the eloquent
Camden man away. And he turned
up right in the midst of things and
declared in his speech that any man
who did not support Bonniwell was
a Stacker. The effect was bad and
may account for the refusal of the
| judge to call on National Commit
| teeman A. Mitchell Palmer last night
and talk things over with. him.
The Bonniwell people have no
reason to complain of the mass meet
ing last night which was intended to
give the judge a chance to have his
say The court roPln was crowded
apd there were gbod speeches by
Chairman Henry c. Niles, noted
reformer, along various lines; by
Judge Wescott and Judge Bonniwell.
Mr.. Niles assailed the people who
did not give Bonniwell charge of
the campaign and Judge Wescott
was eloquently Democratic and laud-
atory of Bonniwell.
The Bonniwell platform was the
Bonniwell speech. The judge en-
phasized his well-known stand
against the amendment and brought
in numerous other ideas, most of
which he touched upon in his cam
paign speeches. He seemed to be of
the opinion that the platform had to
be given out in advance of the meet
ing of the state committee, which,
from all accounts. is going to refer
the drafting of the document to a
committee and leave the prohibition
amendment out on an island.
When the meeting was over
William j. Bremen and other we'll
known thermometers, got to work.
Bremen swore in with Bonniwell
during the afternoon and made a
sincere effort to get things ironed
out. Palmer went to the Senate
hotel and said he would be home
with the elevator working. Then he
went to Democratic State headquar-
ters and talked with Guffey. All the
time Bonniwell was in the Bolton
and neither. side moved any further
before going to bed. The Palmer
people let 1t be known that the judge
could sit on committee to name the
people to run the campaign, but that
they proposed to elect the chairman
and keep control of the headquarters
and the cash drawer. Outside of that
and the federal patronage, which has
been divided up, there is not much
left and naturally Judge Bonniwell
did not get excited over the waving
of the naa nina