Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-02
PHILADELPHIA'S
GREATEST NEED
Governor Pennypacker Wanted
Newspaper That Reflected
City's Ideals
rGNNyrAc.ER ArroR,ocnArny-No. 90

ON JANUARY II I presided over a din
~ rer given at the Bellevue-stratford. In
Philadelphia. to General Henry II. Bing-
ham. the member In longest service In the
House Of Representatives at Washington.
Bingham Is dapper. always well clothed,
pleasant in speech, brisk and breezy. He
was on the staff OF Hancock at Gettysburg
and was three times wounded. William NJ.
Bum. OF the Clover Club: Justice John y.
Elkin. Hampton H. Carson. Senator Pen.
rose, Thomas j. Stewart and Clayton Nc
Michael all made speeches, and II was an
affair remembered with pleasure.
The Election of Knox
On the nth Knox was elected a member
OF the United States Senate by the Lcgis-
lature by n vote of 223 to 30. confirming
my selection by the largest majority ever
given for that office in the state. lie Is Il
small man with n clean face who knows
exactly what Inc wants to do under all cir
cumstances and does II; Unconditional, vast
ing no time seeking for popularity, ana
perhaps a little too self.contained. The
North American and tho Philadelphia Rec
ord printed a yarn OF the ordinary char
acter that $500 900 was paid in order that
lie might be made Senator. When | first
suggested him I had no communication
with him whatever, and he did not even
know that I had him in mind. While on
this subject IL is just as we'll to give the
statement of the Secretary of the Common
wealth. Robert McAfee. In an interview in
the Pittsburgh Leader, January %, 1905,
he said:
was summoned to the Executive Man
sion about . o'clock in the evening OF
June by the Governor. on arriving there
| found Senator Penrosc and Insurance
Commissioner Durham closctcd with him.
| first advised the Governor that | had
personal confirmation Of the fact that Mr..
George T. Oliver had declined the offer Of
an appointment to the senate. \ further
discussion on the matter of candidates
was taken up, and the Governor promptly
said that after looking over the state he
was Of the opinion that Attorney General
Phiander G.. Knox, Of President I,oosc-
velt's Cabinet, was the proper man tor
the place. senator penrose and Mr. Dur
ham agreed with him Immediately and in
sid" Of half an hour IL was agreed That q
tender of the Governors appointment and
the support of the Organization for "A tull
term in the office should be made Mr.
Knox. No othsr name was considered.
to the case of Katie Edwards, convicted
Of murder, committed under unusual cir
cumstanccs. She and her husband, with
family of children, lived in Berks County.
They were coarse. vulgar and ignorant, and
the surroundings were all in accord The
husband had, as one of his boon compan-
IONS a black negro, whom he invited 10 his
home and there they all carouscd together.
Presently. the woman was about TO have
another child. and she knew that when 1t
should he born its color and features would
disclose that the negro was the father. She
was like a wild beast caught in trap from
which there appeared to be no possible
escape One night the husband was
knocked Oh the head and his dead body
thrown into Il vat or cistern. She and
the negro were both arrested and later
were convicted OF murder in the first de-
gree Her child was born In prison. The
case of the negro was taken to the Su-
preme Court. AZ the instance of Chief
Justice Mitchell with "A view to providing
for certain features Of this case, an act of
Assembly was passed allowing the supreme
Court in its discretion to award new
trial to the negro and upon that trial he
was acquitted. The situation was then
that the negro was free and the woman in
prison under sentence Of death. Attention
was called TO the case all over the United
States. Women were aroused and my mail
was burdened with letters. Little children
wrote TO me beseeching my intervention.
petition in her behalf came to me from
Ohio with many thousand signatures. The
Board OF Pardons refused a pardon. A
careful examination of the evidence led
me to the opinion that both she and the
negro had participated in the murder. II
that opinion was well founded it was
case where the processes of justice went
astray, and it would be travesty to have
the white woman hanged and the negro
man escape unpunished refused to issue
a death warrant and the Governors who
succeeded me followed the example set for
them. Every once in while the story of
Katie Edwards and her fate crops out In
the prints.
Cty's Greatest Need"
The Philadelphia Record asked me for an
expression of opinion upon the question as
to what is Philadelphia's greatest need"
to which ! replied
In my judgment Philadelphia. better
than any other municipality upon the
continent. represents the honest. con.
servative and healthfu instincts OF the
American people. and Is less swayed by
feeting. emotional impulses than any
other city. In spirit she is patriotic and
In achievement she eXcels. What she
most needs IL newspaper possess
ing her characteristics, mbued with her
sentiments and which has the capacity
and the inclination TO make her accom-
plishments known to the world and TO
defend her against the written and
spoken Assaults of rivals elsewhere and
OF the unfaithful who have come among
her people In an effort to better their for.
tunes
Monday Governor Pennypacker tells af th.
Inauguration Of President Roose selt. and how he