Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-16
Poehsc4 . IL
Pe~@A4esa~io
BY the Ex-Committeeman

| as the result or the remarkable meet
| ing of the Democratic State Commit
tee on Saturday is that the body
which was absolutely dominated by
National Chairman Vance C. Nc
Cormick and his friends in another
of the perennial fights for control of
the Pennsylvania machine, ducked
the liquor question. And while Ma
tional Committee A. Mitchell Palmer
stamped and stormed his indignation
at the iniquities of the organized
liquor traffic, Mccormick did not
| even slap it on the wrist. And yet
it is the liquor question which
Palmer and his pals assert caused
them to discover in the nominee of
the Democratic party for governor
of Pennsylvania SO much to abhor.
Crafty as was the national char
mans speech at the meeting on Sat
urday, he uncovered the real cause
of the brawl when he said the No
vember election would be an ini-
portant" one because 1920 is just
ahead. Palmer never even intimated
that he knew there was such an
event as a presidential election i'm
pending. Mccormick, less skilled in
forensic art, not only admitted that
Bonniwell had driven salient" into
his crowds lines, but laid bare the
cause of the animosity he feels to-
ward the Judge. And that is be-
cause there is fight on for control
of the Keystone States delegation to
the next Democratic national con-
vention.
The action Of the state commit
tee in deciding to ignore Bonniwell
in it's platform and resolution as he
ignored the state committees notice
to appear and purge himself of
Palmer's chorges was expected. Bon
niwell and the state committeeman
got their commissions from the
voters at the same election and, as
pointed out in the Philadelphia In
quirer, not even Democratic party
rules permit one faction to disre-
gard the mandate of direct pri-
mary when it gets mad at the rep-
resentative of another group. Bon
niwell will run as Democratic cam
dtdate for governor and the Demo-
cratic state machine, dominated by
the Democratic national chairman
and his coterie, will work, according
to the official resolution on Saturday,
for every other Democratic candi-
date. Just what the candidates
from the fact that none of them was
here on Saturday.
William H. Berry, collector of
the port of Philadelphia, appeared
for a two-fold purpose. He was in
tended to represent the cold water"
segment of the Democracy, but he
came to extol Wilson, who gave him
a job; praise Bryan, whom he fol-
lowed in theories, and demonstrate
his thanks to Mccormick, who sup
ported him after bolting the Demo-
cratic state ticket in 1910. and, to
emphasize the fact that both he and
Mccormick are Democrats again.
incidentally, as Bonniwell was his
campaign manager in the luckless
days of the Keystone crusade, he ap-
peared to exhibit political ingrati-
tude. OF late every time Berry has
tried to get into the limelight some
one has put DINNERS on the lenses.
( 1t cost $2.40 to get the proxies at
the Democratic. state committee
meeting seated. Uncle Sam is no
respecter Of even Democratic poll
ticians occasionally, and every docu-
ment like asproXy to sit in the COM
pany of such a select body as the
Democratic state committee has to
pay tax of ten cents. A. Mitchell
Palmer paid his dime for a proxy
just like Jim" Magee, the United
States marshal, and other men con-
nected with the administration which
stands sponsor for everything con-
nected with the war. Proxy making
is a science now, and even the even
tempered Warren VanDyke some
times finds the blunders of men who
should know better rather trying.
In the line of proxies it may be
stated that while State Chairman
Lawrence Fl. Rupp announced nine
ty committeeman present there were
counted on hand, including the ten
cent proXied members, just seventy.
Speaking of the Democratic
meeting attendance, it is interesting
to note that not only was none of
the candidates present, not even
Wash" Logue, but that Congress
sional nominees absented themselves.
Most of them kept away numbers
of the state committeeman from
their counties. This is also interest
ing in the light of the Harrisburg
districts denunciation as a traitor
of any one who would think that the
row would disturb the serenity of
mind of a Democratic Congressional
candidate. congressman Dewalt.
Steele and Campbell, who have sure
things, were not here. Congress-
man Sterling, who has az chance, was
not here, and only one committee
man from his district was here. Con-
grassmen Lesher and Brodbeck were
not here, and committeeman from
their counties were scarce. The
same is true of Congressman Besh-
lin. These Democratic Congress-
men, like the aspirants in other dis
tricts, know that there is going to
be a day of reckoning for the
wrecking of the party and they are
not going to get into the smash. Just
as significant was the absence of
Senatorial and Legislative candi-
dates. They stayed away because
they will be the ones to get the brick
bats from both sides. There are
too many doctors now" was the way
one man hitherto conspicuous in
party affairs put it when asked. If
he was going to attend the meeting.
Some of the friends of certain
eminent Democrats who are aspir-
ants for the supreme bench scent a
scheme of the partisans of Justice
Il. ]. Fox in the Gilmore resolution
for the executive committee to have
a roundup of all aspirants in an eff
fort to concentrate so that there will
be at least one Democra left on the
supreme bench. Fox is generally
supposed to have been named after
some one close to the Governor got
into touch with Palnner and Mn