Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-02
PeG;t;c4 t.
Ps~~oqesosia


The movement to bring about
either abolition of a radical change
in the nonpartisan judicial selection
law has for the moment absorbed
the attention of people interested in
politics in Pennsylvania and even the
row in the Democracy has been lost
sight of. The movement for a change
in the nonpartisan law was strong
last year, but this years events and
the pronounced stand taken by the
State Bar Association will probably
impress the next Legislature. Three
years ago after one of the superior
court elections there were signs of
marked activity on Capitol Hill and
an inquiry was made of judges as to
what they considered should be done
about the primary, but it was sud-
denly dropped and the 1917 Legisla-
tute had more to do with Philadel-
phia election and city government
fusses than the nonpartisan law.
1t is understood that the State Bar
Association Committee will lose no
time in drafting the law recommend
ed by the lawyers and men active in
politics are inclined to line up with
them. 1t is said that men active in
the state organizations of both of
! the big parties favor some change.
The Democrats have quieted down,
but there are signs of an outbreak in
the Bonniwell camp after the Fourth
! of July. The judge has been busy
getting into touch with his friends in
various parts of the state. He does
not intend to make any statement
for few davs as to his campaign
plans and meanwhile the peace birds
are ffuttering about.
-Reappointment of Public Serv-
ice Commissioner Michael j. Ryan,
which means that he will be commits
| stoned until the end of the next SEN
| ate, has caused much interesting
| speculation as to whether he will be-
come a candidate for Supreme Court
Mr.. Ryan was among the Democratic
attorneys prominently mentioned for
the place. His friends do not believe
that he would antagoniZe Justice
Edward ]. Fox of Easton, the Gov
| ernor's appointee, but at the same
time they realize that he may not
have easy sailing when the time for
confirmation comes in the next Sem
ate.
There is also much speculation
as to how the Senate will regard the
reappointment of Commissioner Will
liam A. Magee. Some people are of
| the opinion that the former MAYOR
of Pittsburgh would not have ac-
| cepted reappointment if he had not
been sure of what would happen
after the Brumbaugh administration
ends.
Senator Edward E. Beidleman
has declined an invitation to be
Fourth of July Americanization ora
tor at Pittsburgh in order to speak
! in Reservoir Park on Thursday. The
Senator is being overwhelmed with
invitations to speak, but will not do
much in that line except in his home
district until fall.
The Scranton Republican is de-
| manding that the ballot frauds in
Lackawanna be probed and probed
! vigorously. In an editorial on the
outcome of the Davis senatorial nom-
ination contest the Republican says:
| Owing to the legal technicalities in
| terposed in the case the fraud alleg-
ed was only partially investigated in
the interest of Mr.. Davis. His oppo-
nent for the Republican nomination,
| Mr.. Phillips, has alleged on sworn
petition, that fraud equally heinous
| has been committed in many dis
tricts to which the investigation did
not extend. If wrong was done in
! those suspected districts is it to go
! unscathed? In the interest of the
public, as we'll as of an honest bal
lot. there should be thorough in
vestigation of the entire matter so
properly denounced by the local
court. The criminality charged was
not confined to a few districts, but
was so widespread and defiant of de-
cency as to call for a courageous and
comprehensive probe that will leave
no part of this serious political evil
untouched"
Arrests for fraud at the pri-
mary have been reported as likely
in many sections of the state, but it
is believed that most of them will
not materialiZe.
-Pittsburgh's answer to automo-
bile law violators, says the Pitts
burgh GaZette-Times, is a strength
ening of the motorcycle squad. Nu-
merous expert wheelmen have been
added to that squad to end the com
plants about speeding.
Collector of the Port William
H. Berry loses his son, Major Benta-
min S. Berry, of the Marines. who
was seriously wounded in France.
Discussing the election of Con-
gressmen. the Wilkes Barre Record
says: "A Republican Congressman
who is patriotically interested in the
prosecution of the war can uphold
the present administration, if it is
right, as enthusiastically as a Con-
gressman of another political faith,
and many contests will be waged on
that basis The present Republican
minority in Congress, with few ex-
ceptions, has stood by the admin
istration in essential policies and it
would have done so if it had been
in the majority"
Seventeen more arrests were
made yesterday in connection with
the alleged election frauds in the
Thirty-ninth ward of PHILADELPHIA.
Sixty warrants were sworn out by
the Committee of Seventy on infor
nation furnished by several electors
who claim that many illegal ballots
were received by the election Off
GERS on primary day. The accused
men will have hearing before Mag
istrate Renshaw on July IL. Only a
few have been held in bail