Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-17
VISITS
Big PATH VALLEY
PICNIC CROWDS
Gubernatorial Candidate Re-
ceives Notable Welcome
in Franklin County
RECEIVES MANY PLEDGES
People From Half a Dozen
Counties Gather; Dry Run
Among Dryest Today

Chambersburg, Aug. 17.-Senator
William C. Sproul, Republican can
| didate for Governor, was the central
figure at the big Path Valley picnic,
held annually in Hammond's woods,
to-day. The gubernatorial candidate
Preached here at $50 o'clock over the
Cumberland Valley Railroad and was
met at the station by County Chair
! man David L. Greenawalt, former
| Superintendent of Public Printing
and Binding A. Nevin Pomeroy,
United States Commissioner Norman
| L. Bonbrake and other Franklin
county Republican leaders. He made
the twenty-five-mile journey to the
picnic ground by automobile.
The crowd, which has varied in
past years from 5000 to 10000,
probably is not as great to-day. for
the great war is on. Many who in
years past have left their fields for
the event have, by the demands of
the crisis, stuck to their burrows and
food-producing tasks, but there are
enough here to place the picnic in
the front ranks of Franklin county's
celebrations. For many years this
piciTc has orawn hundreds of people
who decide November elections and
the shrewd political guides have
hidden their party candidates come
hither to meet the freemen of the
greater part of the Seventeenth Con-
gressional district, the battle-ground
of many notable contests and made
famous in local political history by
the candidacy of such men as the
late William S. Stenger, Louis f.
Atkinson, the lamented Thad. M.
Mahon, soldier and Congressman.
Invariably. the candidates in Frank
lin, Fulton, Perry, Huntingdon and
Juniata have come here to shake
hands with their fellows. 1t has been
gathering where votes are made
and lost, depending. of course, upon
the utterances of candidates when
they could be prevailed upon to state
their issues and their positions on
public questions. To-day the great
war is the uppermost topic and
events overseas are discussed on ev-
cry side.
Accompanied by Chairman Green
await, the active head of Franklin
county Republicans and who stepped
into the shoes of Chairman DR..
Joseph P. Maclay, son of a worthy
father and former Assemblyman Dr.
David Maclay, when the son entered
the service of the Army, Senator
Sproul is shaking hands with the
hundreds of voters of all political
faiths. Here, too, are former leaders
in hard-fought county and district
contests, making the gubernatorial
candidate welcome and presenting
him to the crowds that have come
for miles around to see, the next
Governor.
During the day speeches have been
"
C. Bambrick, of the Scotland Indus
trial school; Postmaster william
Alexander and Prof. ]. l.. Finafrock,
assistant superintendent of the
Franklin county schools. Red Cross
workers to-day tagged thousands for
war funds and before the middle of
the afternoon hundreds of dollars
had been secured.
Music was furnished during the
day by the Queen City band, of
Chambersburg.
The story was told to-day of po-
litical meeting during the Cleveland
campaign that was new to the guber-
natorial candidate. At Sylvan a num-
Der of county Democrats, chief
among whom were the present post
master of Chambersburg, William
Alexander, and John G. Orr. both at
them was addressing Democrats at
a night meeting. The Cleveland men
were gathered close about the store
box on which the orator stood. In
the background, but within hearing,
were a number of old-line Repub-
licans who had come to hear them
selves laid out. 81 tell you, men"
said the speakers in the course of
his address. "if Cleveland is elected
next November there won't be Re-
publican get an office in the next
forty years" There was applause for
a minute and then one of the Re-
publlCans, in language that was more
forcible than elegant, slapped his
hat on the ground. For little while
laughter prevented the speaker from
procec ding. When 1t had subsided
the speaker continued uninterrupted
to the end.
Picnic luncheons are everywhere
and there. is an abundance of spring
chicken, the same kind that drew
from United States Senator Penrose
once upon time the remark that he
had never eaten better chicken any
where than that served him a num-
her of years ago at the Path Valley
picnic. Perhaps it tasted better be-
cause the Senator had eaten it in
fashioned picnic fashion, seated
on the ground in Hammond's woods,
with friends of his own political