Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-29
Washington. June 20.

I'D U M o H 5 that the Nonpartfsafi
N League, a Northwestern farmers
organization, is making inroads IN Penn
sylvania have caused the politicians to
examine their fences. Pennsylvania. is
great agricultural State and would be
rich browsing for the Townley propa-
gandists II they ever got fair start.
While primarily a North Dakota in
spiration. the league has headquarters
in Minnesota, where the recent elections
went heavily against IT, but credited
with large funds and backed UP by pub
locations and cooperative and beneflcial
agencies. its influence has extended as
far south as Texas and as far east as
New York, in which It is said to have
made considerable headway. The league
teaches class. It contends that the con-
ditions are uneven and that somebody is
grating on the farmer Only farmers
are supposed to belong to the organiza-
tion and such as do belong put up SIS
dues per anntAl. Members of Congress
returning from western and southwest
ern States report the occasional meeting
up with lecturers of the league. who live
well, work industriously and talk up the
rights Of man. What annoys the western
members is that the league refuses to
participate in politics until after the
primaries. Then 1t comes forward with
a demand for the Endorsement Of its
principles. Some harsh things have been
said about the league in Congress. 1t
has been called the -Bolsheviki and ref
erence has been made to the indictment
of some Of its leaders and the suppress
sion Of some of it's meetings. But it has
grown so strong as to make itself feared.
That Is what makes its advent into
Pennsylvania politics interesting. Food
for thought in this for the candidates
of both political parties and for Farmer
William T. Greasy. who keeps in touch
with legislation in Washington.
TNHoMAS s. BUTLER, dean of the
i Pennsylvania delegation in Congress,
father of Colonel Smedley Butler, the
Hell Devif' Of the marine corps, is
the ranking Republican on the Commit
tee on Naval Affairs. Next to him in
rank Is William J. Browning, Of Cam
den, who succeeded the late Henry C..
Loudenslager as the Representative Of
the First New Jersey District, and next
Should the Republicans carry the next
House. therefore the craftsmanship Of
this important committee, so directly
concerned in the affairs Of the Delaware e
River and its industries, is sure to come
to the vicinity of Philadelphia New
members strive hard to obtain a place
on the Naval Affairs Committee, but they
necessarily go to the bottom of the list.
Butler and Browning. the former es-
pecially because Of his long service. have
forged to the top and there they stick.
Butler has been on the committee so long
and has fought so earnestly for a larger
navy that he is regarded as a walking
encyclopedia on the subject. The House
calls the. doughty West Chester Con-
gresham a Quaker-sometimes he is re-
fsrred to as "a fighting Quaker" but
while he is always deferential Tom
denies the soft Impeachment. Let that
go for what 1t is worth. the fact is that
upward Of thirty Of Buffers relatives are
now actually in the service.
COMETHING along the Potomac at.
- tracts James H. Eckersley, of Tul'
pehocken street, Twenty-second Ward
Whether 1t Is a gold mine. or a big land
| deal which may be the same thing, nc
one seems to know. Jim arrives in Wash.
ington at stated intervals coming in as
II loaded for bear and going out with a
| satisfied smile. As rule, he Is accom-.
panied by his friend and attorney. How.
ard B. Lewis, the star orator Of the
Lincoln Club. Of which F;ckersley is the
daddy. Be it law or be 1t business, jim
| admits that his plans are working out al
right. He has little farm down here
near the Maryland line. but that is only
an incident There is something bigger
than that in the wind. Eckersley de.
clares he has no time for politics, but q
reminder of the Young Mems Repub,
lican Committee that stirred the old
line Republican leaders in, the Hastings
and Warwick campaigns. will get rise
out Of him every time. Look at George
Stuart Patterson, and Wilson H. Brown
and Joseph NJ. Huston, and David LAWS
and Josept T. Taylor - exclaims the
efervescent Jim. They were all product.
of that committee" s..
THERE are two George w. Morris:
i down here. One is the senior Senator
from Nebraska and the ether Is George
the Philadelphian. who heads the Fed.
eral Farm Loan Bureau. Their mai
gets mixed occasionally just like that OF
Thomas r. Marshall. the Vice President
and Washington restaurant keeper OF
the same name The Vice President
makes humorous speeches now and then
and one day he took crack at his
namesake. The local Marshall felt hurt
at the allusion. and parried Sc promptly
and politely that the controversy went
no further. So far as the Morriss are
concerned they probably do not frater.
nize any more than the Marshalls. Our
Philadelphia George Morris is a banker
and Democrat. Senator George is a
lawyer and progressive, who sticks
close to the farmer element. The
Nebraskan's chief claim to fame was
his participation in the overthrow OF
Uncle Joe Cannon when Speaker of the
House. That act, while temporarily an.
plauded, has long since been discounted
by the continued popularity of the I'LL
nois veteran. Norris went to the SEN
ate after the speakership incident, but
his term runs out next March, and he
win have to fight for denomination this
fall. Congressman Charles H. Sloan, a
member of the Ways and Means Com.
mittee. whose parents migrated from
| Pennsylvania In the days of the prairie
schooners," and located in Nebraska. is
making the contest against Norris
DACK in the days when Arthur Rich
ID ard Harcourt Morrow. the financia
wizard. CT City Councils was taking
prizes for Greek at the University OF
Pennsylvania, Robert NJ. Mcwade, who
had trained FOR the priesthood In Ire.
land. was the city editor of the PuBLIc
LEDGER. Arthur walked into the office
one day and put up enough Greek
against McWade's Latin to win a Job a.
a reporter. The first real work to which
Arthur was assigned was In the labor
field He was told to report strikes and
lockouts, which were then prevalent In
districts like Kensington and Manayunk
He did that work well. but soon gravi.
tated to politics. In which he cut a figure
as all downtown well knows. But Bel
McWade. the city editor. what became
of him? For long time he did the
talking for Childs and Drexel at meet,
ings Of the Citizens Permanent Relief
Commitsee, then he quit the paper ant
went to China as consul general to Can