Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-18
TUESDAYS PRIMARIES
Who the Candidates Are and What They
Stand For-Issues of the
Csmpsigu

| have already been held-in the private
Offices of the party ard factional lead
ers-and candidates to be voted for have
| been named. We no longer attempt to
| delude ourselves into believing that the
untrammeled electorate goes to the polls
and out of its wisdom selects the best
candidates, regardless Of the will of the
| party organizations. The primary in
use is an expensive and cumbersome way
of making nominations, which often
| deprives an uncorrupted and militant
minority of the power of forcing from a
majority better nominations than it
would give if left to itself
The Democrats will be virtually re
stricted in their choice Of candidates for
| the gOvelnorship to Guffcy and Bonni-
well. Votes may be cast for other men,
| but they will be too few to affect the
result Bonniwell is frankly the candi-
| date of the liquor interests. He is
| opposed to the ratification Of the prohibit
tion amendment to the Federal Constitu-
ton and he is seeking support among
| those who believe as he does He may be
nominated. for no one knows the scnti-
ment of the rank and file of the Demo,
cratic party in the State on the subject
of national prohibition and no ono knows
what support he will get from the old
| bipartisan gang which wishes to keep
solid with the liquor men.
Mr. Guffey fevors the amendment.
He hopes to draw to his support the bet
! ter element of his party. lie is one Of
| the rcorganizers who broke up the
alliance between the Republican State
machine and the Democratic organiza-
ton. Mr.. Guffey is a real Democrat, who
believes in straight-out fight. His
nomination would mean that the party
! had set out to fight its own battles with
out dickers with the Republicans.
The contest on the Republican side is
between Mr.. Sproul and Mr.. ONeil for
the governorship and between Mr.. Beidle-
man and Mr.. Scott for the lieutenant
| governorshp. It would be incorrect to
say that it is between Sproul and Beidle-
man on the one hand and O'Neil and
Scott on the other, for some supporters
| of Sproul are also working for Scott
All the Republican candidates profess
to favor the prohibition amendment, but
Mr.. Scott voted against its ratification
by Congress when it went on its final
passage last December. Congressman
Ware also voted against it. Scott and
the Wares were nti-amendmentists in
December and are o-admendmentistS
in May. Mr.. O'Neil is squarely opposed
to tho 1iuuDr is anti-
Penrose as well, for he does not relish
the relationship that has existed between
the brewers and distillers and the Pen
rose organization. If nominated he will
continue the Brumbaugh policies, for he
| has announced that if elected he would
make Francis Skunk Brown his Attor-
ney General. This would mean the con-
tinued dominance of the Ware influence
in the Executive Mansion. Mr.. ONeil is
undoubtedly popular in the western and
| central part of the State, where there is
jealousy of the influence of all the Phla-
delphia leaders.
Mr.. Sproul. so far as he is tied up with
factionalism, is attached to the Penrose
wing of the party. He has had long
experience in the State Senate. He is a
man of large business affairs and of
undoubted executive ability The local
Ware leaders are said to be working for
his nomination, expecting perhaps that
they will find him as amcnabe 10 their
control as Brumbaugh as Governor and
Smith in the Mayors Office. We know,
however, what Mr.. Sproul has been as
Senator and can judge from that what
he would be as Governor. His friends
say he would be his own master in Har-
risburg. His enemies say he would be
the agent of Penrose. He might attempt
to play Penrose against the Wares and
hold them both at bay. That remains to
be seen. Penrose at any rate is willing
to trust him and is throwing his great
influence in favor of the Chester states
| man.
The voters will make a grave mistake
if they allow their attention to be dis
tracted from the legislative candidates
by the fight for the governorship. The
Governor cannot pass or defeat the pro-
hiblton amendment. That must be
acted upon by the General Assembly
The voters will blunder also if they
fail to recognize that there are other
issues besides the liquor question involved
in the election. That is important, but
it is a single question. 1t is more impor-
tant for the Commonwealth that
Legislature be elected which favors
economy and efficiency and will take
steps to reform the State Constitution
than that we have Legislature which
favors prohibition, will continue the old
practices, ignore the demand for
reform of the fundamental law and the
correction of the evils of government in
the large cities.